The Melting Teapot

Jeff and I celebrated our anniversary this past weekend with a getaway trip to Orcas Island.  We love the glorious views and relaxing atmosphere of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington state, and we made sure to get a room with a view.

Our evenings were spent enjoying sunsets with a glass of wine. But in the morning, especially in the chilly off-season, it was all about a warm cup of tea!

I Want Tea, Not Coffee!

If you’re a tea drinker in the U.S., traveling can be a bit frustrating.  Most hotels offer in-room coffemakers, and sometimes there are even tea bags next to the coffee grounds.  However, coffeemakers are just about the worst thing there is for making tea.  The water does not come to a full boil, so it is not hot enough for black tea or oolongs.  Also, it should not surprise anyone that the hot water from coffeemakers tastes of stale coffee – yuck!  What a way to ruin a cup of tea.

You can try to get decent tea where you eat breakfast, but you’ll often run into the same problem – tepid water from coffeemakers, usually with only poor quality bagged teas.    More importantly, though, I’d like a cup of tea right away in the morning, while I'm still in my room.

Before going on, I should note that it is possible to get a decent pot of tea on Orcas Island -- actual loose leaf tea, served in a pot at the table.  My favorite stop for breakfast was Rose’s Bakery & Café in Eastsound.  They have a wood-burning oven, a bakery, and a small but tasty menu for breakfast and lunch.  They offered a selection of teas from Portland's Tao of Tea.

If you go to Rose's, make sure to step into the bakery and gourmet foods store, which is a great place to get cheeses, breads, olives, and more.  They also have a really fine selection of wines at the same prices as those on the mainland (including some hard-to-find collector wines).

Most of the time, though, it is tough to find a good cuppa.  Plus, I still want tea before heading out for the day.  Setting up a tea travel kit is an easy way to get past these obstacles.

My Tea Travel Kit

Brewing Method: There are a number of tea-brewing thermoses and cups, and I’ve used several of them.  My favorite is this one, which packs up into a cup for brewing and a cup to hold the high-quality Swiss Gold filter (so you don't leave tea drippings all over).  Tucked inside are little containers for tea, sugar, or powdered milk.

Unfortunately, I don’t think these are made any more.  However, you can certainly find plenty of the single-cup Swiss Gold filters both online and off.  I've been thinking about getting something like this  Portable Gongfu Brewing Mug, but I'm content for now.

My other brewing method is a really fun way to share tea with others, and that is a gaiwan travel kit.  More and more tea shops are importing these from Taiwan or China.  Mine came from Yunnan-Sourcing, a friendly tea business out of China. These really are a wonderful way to travel with tea as long as you can pack them where they won’t get broken.  They are protected a bit in the bag, but you might want to reinforce with bubble wrap or something cushiony.

Cups: If you’re using a gaiwan set or a portable mug, you’ve already got a cup.  You can always hope that there is a decent cup in your hotel room, but that hasn’t always been my experience.  I bring along a heavy-duty handle-free pottery cup.  It is sturdy enough to stand up to suitcase or backpack abuse, and there is no easy-to-break handle.  I purchased mine for under $5 from a local Asian grocery.

Tea leaves: Make sure to bring a few different teas, pack them in small bags or containers that will tuck away inside of other things (baggies of tea fit nicely inside of the bodum kettle).  Teas brew differently away from home, partly because of the type of water, and partly because of altitude/atmosphere changes.  Some seem to travel better than others.  For instance, black blends and hearty assams are great.  I have a tough time with puerh, but greens and oolongs keep me happy.

Tea Timer: A timer is very necessary when you’re groggy, or when you’re distracted by a pretty view.  You can always carry a small tea timer along in your suitcase.  For me, a person who almost always has a laptop and an iPhone, using a tea timer application works quite well.  Here are three FREE tea timers that I have happily used:

• PC users – Adagio Tea Timer
• Mac users – Cuppa (they also make iCuppa for iPhone/iPod, but it is not free)
• iPhone – Teavana (timer plus more features)
  

Questions For Other Tea Drinkers

What’s in your tea travel kit?  Do you have a thermos or brewing method you couldn’t do without?  Is there a technique you’ve found that works for you?  Please let us know by posting a comment!