Growing up, one of my early tea memories was of the Chinese-style tea mugs which had a built-in tea infuser that my parents had in the house. As a result, it was great when Cost Plus World Market emailed me about their Tokyo Garden Tea Infuser Mug because it brought back a flood of memories. I wanted to write and share it as these Asian-styled tea mugs are some of my favorite teaware for everyday tea for one.
This pretty mug is called Tokyo Garden Tea Infuser Mug (website link), which is an Asian-inspired design and theme.
The porcelain mug comes in three parts: the mug, the infuser which sits inside the mug, and the the lid which also doubles as an infuser holder after steeping teas.
I love using these mugs as tea for one. It’s easier to use and less fussy than drinking tea with a gaiwan, so I find it perfect for a casual afternoon. The filter sits inside of the cup and is wide enough to really allow the tea leaves to expand (and provides a good viewing opportunity of this as well). It is an ideal way to appreciate a tea from both a visual and taste perspective. It’s superior to tea balls and filters which don’t really allow the leaves to expand and the water to circulate around the leaves.
The only difficulty that I’ve had with teas of this type is that the lip of the infuser can get quite hot after the tea steeps, making it difficult to remove.
Incidentally, it also works great for using with tea bags – especially if you prefer pouch tea bags which don’t necessarily come with a string. I’ve had a similar mug to this for many years and it’s proven to be a reliable and durable purchase.
What’s your favorite teaware?
