In April 2007, Singaporean writer Christopher Tan introduced Saveur readers to the city-state’s best restaurants, hawker centers, and signature fare, including this soothing ginger tea that’s finished with sweetened condensed milk—an enduring colonial import throughout Southeast Asia. Tan, who still lives in Singapore, continues to sing the beverage’s praises: “The soulful marriage of tannic tea and ginger’s slow burn, officiated by syrupy dairy, is a universally calming panacea,” he says.

The post Teh Halia (Ginger Milk Tea) appeared first on Saveur.

Making a cup of tea at home may seem as easy as heating some water and plopping in a tea bag, but true enthusiasts know there’s more to crafting the perfect cup, and microwaved water just doesn’t cut it. Stovetop and electric kettles heat water more evenly and safely, resulting in a better steep for herbal, green, black, and white teas.

Whether you’re employing the Chinese method of brewing tea in a pot, prefer the analog pleasures of a cast iron design, or want an electric model to quickly heat to your specific temperature needs, we have the best tea kettles for you.

Electric Tea Kettles

• Best Overall: Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle
• Best Countertop: Balmuda The Kettle
• Best Dispenser: Zojirushi Micom Water Boiler and Warmer
• Best Glass Kettle: Mueller Ultra Kettle

Stovetop Tea Kettles

• Best Value: Wenegg Pour Over Kettle with Thermometer
• Best Traditional: Simplex Traditional Tea Kettle
• Best For a Tea Party: Lenox Kate Spade New York Kettle

Features to Keep in Mind

Types of Kettles

Both stovetop and electric kettles have their merits, depending on your kitchen space, kettle usage and, yes, personal preferences. If you have an induction range, make sure a stovetop kettle is induction-compatible, or opt for an electric version that you can keep anywhere.

“Electric is most convenient as it gives you various temperature options from 175 to boiling, which you will need for various tea types,” says Piotr Miga, tea sommelier and director of global quality and compliance at Tea Forté. “Often electric kettles will designate actual steep buttons as green, oolong, and black, for both ease and convenience. When using a stovetop tea kettle with no temperature gauge, it’s difficult and sometimes unsafe to add a thermometer or open up the kettle to check the size and frequency of the bubbles forming, which is how you’d estimate any temperature of less than a boil, for preparation of green, white, or oolong teas.”

Still, which kettle you use comes largely down to personal choice. “When it comes to a kettle, it’s about preference and precision,” says Emeric Harney, marketing director at Harney & Sons Fine Teas. “Growing up, my mother had a stainless steel kettle and it whistled, and I always knew it was tea time. There’s a bit of nostalgia to a stovetop kettle. An electric kettle has convenience. If you’re drinking a variety of teas, and especially teas other than black teas, temperature precision is of the utmost importance.”

Limescale Filter

Descaling a tea kettle from residue is essential to keep it clean and reduce boiling time. A limescale filter helps catch residue from hard water, which can be easily removed. Otherwise, you’ll want to boil your kettle with descaler, or vinegar, about once a month, to manually descale.

Water Level Mark

Do you want to know exactly how much water you’re heating for a specific recipe, or is eyeballing the ounces enough for you? Aesthetically, some may prefer a kettle without the water level mark, while others may rely on it for measurements.

Our Top Electric Picks

Best Overall: Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle

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Highly recommended by tea experts and enthusiasts, this is the go-to kettle for temperature precision, efficient heating, and a safety auto-off feature. Select a range of temperatures for oolong, green, white, or black teas, plus French press coffee, and keep your water at temp for up to 20 minutes. The stainless steel kettle is sleek and slim, easy to store away or keep on a countertop. A removable washable scale filter keeps everything easy to clean.

Best Countertop: Balmuda The Kettle

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Ergonomically designed for both practicality and style, this lightweight kettle is perfect for coffee and tea lovers alike. The thin nozzle makes it simple to direct water over loose leaf tea or pour-over coffee, and both black and white matte renditions can match any kitchen. Though it has a smaller capacity than the Cuisinart, its rapid boil is perfect for making a quick cup or heating up water for instant ramen.

Best Dispenser: Zojirushi Micom Water Boiler and Warmer

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If you need a warm mug of tea at your side all day and all night, keep it flowing with this easy-to-use countertop water dispenser. Four Fahrenheit settings—160 degrees, 175 degrees, 195 degrees, and 208 degrees—let you choose your temperature to fit your tea. Sizes range from 3 to 5 liters, with a water gauge that lets you know when it’s time to refill. Made in Japan, this water warmer is designed with precise tea temperature in mind, and water can stay hot for 6-10 hours. A nonstick interior makes it easy to wipe clean.

Best Glass Kettle: Mueller Ultra Kettle

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Watch up to 1.8 liters of water come to a quick boil, followed by a 30-second auto shut off for safety. It’s a nice way to boil water for recipes, sanitizing purposes, or as a stand-in for filtered water, once it cools. A heat resistant anti-slip grip handle also makes pouring easy.

Our Top Stovetop Picks

Best Value: Wenegg Pour Over Kettle with Thermometer

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You can’t beat the price of this stainless steel kettle with a built-in thermometer and a lifetime warranty. Just heat your water on the stove until it reaches the exact temp you need. The BPA-free stainless steel is leak-free, rust-free, and retains heat well, but you’ll need to descale it manually.

Best Traditional: Simplex Traditional Tea Kettle

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Dating back over 100 years, Simplex kettles are designed and made in England to elegantly and efficiently heat water. The ready-to-pour spout doesn’t require any opening, just gently tilt the pot from the cool wood handle. Designed to be an heirloom, this kettle can be passed down to generations of tea lovers.

Best For a Tea Party: Kate Spade New York Kettle

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If you’re entertaining and want to make an impression, add this Kate Spade kettle to the top of the range. The 2.5-quart enamelware kettle comes in a variety of patterns to match your personal aesthetic, and the gentle whistle announces when the water has boiled and tea time is on. Matching accessories are available for those eager to host a full-on tea party bash, and the durability of the handle and kettle itself ensure many more gatherings over tea to come.

Ask the Experts

Do you get more flavor from steeping loose leaf tea or tea bags?

“Steeping loose leaf tea has a generally smoother cup with more nuanced flavors,” Harney notes. “Teabags, due to their large surface area, infuse quickly and boldly, giving you a stronger cup that might be less smooth.” If you want a bold morning pick-me-up, a bag of English Breakfast may just be the perfect treat. 

Every product is independently selected and vetted by editors. Things you buy through our links may earn us a commission.

The post Elevate Your Morning Ritual With the 7 Best Tea Kettles appeared first on Saveur.

Like the alchemy of acid and fat, the balance of sweet and salty, and the classic pairing of peanut butter and jelly, two is so often better than one in the world of food. This is Culinary Duos, a series by senior culture editor Megan Zhang spotlighting dynamic pairs—from couples to siblings to friends—whose partnerships produce flavor-filled magic.

When Lani Gobaleza first met Amy Truong in Japan, she noticed Truong seemed to always have tea around. “It was just consistently there in the background,” says Gobaleza. Whenever they met up, “we would go to a cafe and get tea, or go to a little teahouse.”

The two became friends in Yokohama while attending an international studies program at Meiji Gakuin University during their junior year of college in 2010. “I was a little bit shy,” says Truong, recalling that she’d offer tea to her peers to get to know them better. “Everyone else was going out to the clubs,” she adds with a laugh. “I decided just to stay in and try to live more, like, day-to-day life in Japan. I think Lani also had similar values.” Amidst the delicate fragrance of cherry blossoms permeating the air during sakura season, the quietude and simple pleasure of sharing a pot of tea allowed them to bond over the newness of their surroundings.

This theme that defined the early months of their relationship led them, seven years later, to co-found PARU Tea, a San Diego shop purveying specialty loose-leaf and matcha varieties from around the world, with an emphasis on the lesser-known, sustainably grown teas of Southeast Asia. The now-married couple works closely with small producers, many of whom operate family-run farms, to import their leaves for PARU’s two shops in La Jolla and Point Loma, California.

A few months of studying abroad certainly strengthened Truong’s interest in tea, but the beverage was by no means new to her. Truong’s maternal grandfather had worked in Japan and spoke the language fluently; he developed a love for tea which trickled down to Truong’s mother, who spent part of her childhood in Paris drinking herbal teas such as lavender and chamomile. The refreshment was omnipresent in Truong’s own childhood, and Truong grew up appreciating the ritualized aspects of preparing, serving, and drinking tea. While living in Yokohama, she learned more about the art and performance of Japanese tea ceremonies, from the equipment used to the gestures exchanged between the host and guests. “Even just the way you’re holding the cups is really important,” she says.

Gobaleza, on the other hand, tended to sip coffee more than tea before living in Japan, as her mother had grown up on a farm in the Philippines that cultivated coffee beans. “It was this whole new world that I was intimidated by,” she says of tea culture, as she didn’t want to accidentally flout any conventions surrounding the beverage in Japan. However, she realized over time that, while tea drinking can certainly be refined and ceremonial, it is also simply a part of everyday routine. “Our host families were just so easygoing about tea,” she recalls. “It was always free at restaurants, and to me, that made it seem like more of a communal thing.” 

When the program in Yokohama ended, Gobaleza and Truong went back to UC Berkeley and UC Irvine, respectively, to finish their degrees. A few years passed before Truong reached out to Gobaleza asking her if she wanted to catch up—over tea, of course. They’d been on each other’s minds in the intervening years, and their reconnection blossomed into romance. After two years of a long-distance relationship (during which Gobaleza returned to Japan to study the language more deeply) and time spent living together in the Bay Area, the couple moved down to Gobaleza’s hometown of San Diego.

Throughout the years, Truong had been toying with the idea of starting her own entrepreneurial venture. She was passionate about tea, but the idea of pursuing a business around importing it didn’t become concrete until 2017, when Truong won a trip to Japan—an experience she wound up turning into a sourcing trip. “To this day, we carry tea from the farmers I met there,” says Truong. Gobaleza credits that event for encouraging the two to take a leap of faith: “I don’t know how long it would have taken us if we didn’t see some sign that, like, this was meant to be.”

The world’s introduction to PARU Tea came in the form of a pop-up. “I was selling iced teas because I thought people just wanted a nice little beverage to go,” Truong recalls. “But then people started asking, ‘Oh, what’s this tea blend? How do you make it at home?’” Encouraged, they launched a digital storefront and began hosting more events around San Diego. After two years, they decided to open up a brick-and-mortar shop—even though “everyone advised against it,” says Truong. But they had built up enough of a following that, when the storefront finally debuted, a long line of customers wound out the door. 

Inside, Truong’s aesthetic sensibilities are on full display. Clean and minimalist, with lots of natural wood and soft lighting, the shops are thoughtfully designed to make the colorful tea varieties lining the white walls stand out. Truong and Gobaleza also have plans to unveil a photo exhibition featuring images captured by their farmer partners, so customers can get better acquainted with the artisans behind the leaves.

San Diego is already home to a strong specialty beverage scene teeming with small breweries and coffee roasters. Yet, there isn’t anyone focusing on the diversity of tea culture, much less spotlighting the artisans and cultivars behind the craft. Though Gobaleza had grown up wanting to leave San Diego, it was living in the similarly coastal environment of Yokohama that made her reconsider her perspective on her hometown (which just so happens to be Yokohama’s sister city). “[San Diego is] this international city where a lot of amazing things have been imported and exported,” she says. 

Now, the two are carrying on the port city’s tradition as a gateway for international culture by working directly with small tea producers across Asia—and making it a priority to develop and nurture strong relationships with these farmers. Rather than ordering one single variety from many different sources, the pair aims to source multiple teas from a handful of long-term partners, in hopes of making a more meaningful impact on the farmers’ lives. “Something we thought about was, is that really going to help them support their family and their workers—just the one tea?” says Gobaleza. By keeping their partnership network small as PARU Tea grows, “we’re also ordering more from our tea partners, so they grow each year, too,” explains Truong.

In addition to stocking popular varieties such as Longjing (also called Dragon Well), hojicha, and chrysanthemum, the duo emphasizes lesser-known tea-producing countries. PARU’s inventory includes—to name a couple—tea cigars from Phongsaly, Laos, the leaves of which are hand-picked by Phou Noy minority women, as well as a raw pu’er-style tea called Witch’s Broom from Tây Côn Lĩnh in Vietnam’s Hà Giang Province. Gobaleza and Truong also source from regions in China and Japan that aren’t as recognized as their more famous neighbors. “[Tea from] Kyoto is huge, and we do source from Kyoto,” says Gobaleza, “but Nara is right next door, and nobody really talks about Nara.” Now, Taro Toki, a tea cultivator in the city who has become a long-term partner of PARU, is helping develop the shop’s very own 10-acre tea estate, where varieties are cultivated specifically for the business. That includes “many things I have never done before, such as growing mint,” notes Toki. “Through [their] offers, I am exploring new areas, always.”

To promote sustainable tea-growing practices, not only do Truong and Gobaleza seek out leaves that are cultivated without pesticides, they also try to support farmers’ efforts to minimize waste. Another partner of the shop in Wawee Village, in the Thailand city of Chiang Rai, produces a tea blend from the year’s leftover harvests, which PARU sells as Thai Earl Grey.

Truong herself produces blends for the shop, including Ingat (which means “take care” in Tagalog), which was inspired by the Filipino herbal tea salabat. Ginger is “such an important ingredient in so much Filipino food,” says Gobaleza, and the root’s refreshing pepperiness takes center stage in the blend. Another creation Truong loves is Pandan Waffle, the aroma of which reminds her of the bright green pandan coconut cakes her mother would buy when Truong was a child. “I went down a nostalgic path of recreating memories of my favorite desserts growing up,” she says, adding that the flavor combination of pandan and coconut is beloved in the Philippines as well and was similarly nostalgic for Gobaleza. Though many tea purveyors shun blends, Gobaleza and Truong hope to inspire customers to look at blends differently, as they can be a way to highlight flavors from different parts of the world in a single cup.

Likewise, the couple themselves make a dynamic pairing. PARU wholesale partner, Julie Nguyen, describes the two as “yin and yang”—opposite personalities who bring out the best in each other. “A few months out of our lives,” says Truong of that fateful study-abroad program in Yokohama, “really changed the course of everything.”

The post Rebelling Against the Status Quo Led to the Success of This SoCal Tea Shop appeared first on Saveur.

Call it stubbornness, but I drink plenty of hot tea in the summer. At my table, warmer weather just calls for a different type of hot tea, even if it means setting my kettle a foot or two further away from me. Ancient Ayurvedic scholars and traditional Chinese Medicine introduced the idea of the heating and cooling properties of food—a concept modern scientists have also recently begun to explore. Younger green teas and greener-style oolongs are believed to have a cooling effect on the body, even when enjoyed hot. But despite my predilection for piping-hot tea all year round, on the very hottest of summer days my throat parches for properly iced tea. 

Here in the States, iced tea is the norm. In fact, well over 80 percent of tea is enjoyed iced in the U.S.; this is in stark contrast to just about everywhere else, where by and large tea is preferred hot. However, the world is trending towards doubling its iced tea consumption over the next decade, and there are as many opinions on how to brew iced tea as there are countries that make it. 

But how many glasses of iced tea have truly awed you? Most premade versions are light, lacking in body, and leave you thinking: yeah, that’s leaf water, alright. But iced tea doesn’t have to be that way. Cold-brewing tea allows us to experiment with texture and tannin. Dissolving sugar separately before adding to Southern-style sweet tea results in a crystal clear finish. A few simple tweaks to your technique can yield an extraordinary beverage with very little extra effort. Here are three different ways to brew excellent iced tea:

How to Cold-Brew Iced Tea

Brewing tea hot and fast will result in rapid and nearly complete extraction—but devotees of cold brewing have other ideas. In Nicole Wilson’s new book, The Tea Recipe Book, cold brewing appears frequently and in many forms, from cold-brewed oolong, to American-style sweet tea, to Thai bubble tea. Cold brewing is one of Wilson’s favorite methods both for its ease, and for its ability to produce a smooth taste with very little astringency. Whole-leaf tea naturally has both sweetness and bitterness, and tea acolytes practice over and over to get just the right balance from their brew. The leaves’ natural tannins, once overexposed, are hard to ignore once they’ve made it into your cup. Cold-brewing slows down the extraction process considerably, making it much easier to brew a sweet, more nuanced tea. This is also why many iced tea drinkers favor green teas over black ones, as black teas tend to be much higher in tannin. But don’t be afraid to experiment. With this method, Wilson notes, “green tea works particularly well…but you can cold brew just about any kind of tea.” 

There is an art to cold brewing, and thankfully, irreverent tea monks like my friend Max Falkowitz are here to help. Years ago, Falkowitz taught me that hot-brewed tea, once chilled in the fridge or iced, has a tendency to taste stale. Instead, start with room temperature water. 

Step 1: Place Tea Leaves in a Heat-Proof Pitcher and Rinse

Place your tea leaves in a heat-proof pitcher, give them a quick rinse with hot water, then strain and discard the water, leaving the leaves in the pitcher. For one liter of water, use double the amount of leaves you would use for hot tea (eight to 10 grams is usually enough).

I advise rinsing any tea that you use. This helps to wash away any dust or debris that may have settled on the leaves during processing and allows the pure taste of the tea to shine. This also helps to open up the whole leaves—open leaves extract more evenly. 

Step 2: Fill with Water and Refrigerate

Fill the pitcher with cold water and refrigerate overnight. This method is often called mizudashi in Japan. The tea leaves will slowly unfurl and extract over the course of eight hours. It’s difficult to over-extract using this method, and most tea won’t taste noticeably over-extracted even if it’s been brewing in the fridge for over 24 hours. Tea brewed using this method forgives even the most egregious of overbrewing sins. 

Step 3: Serve Over Ice

If you like, begin tasting the tea every hour after eight hours of brewing, noting any strengths or flaws along the way. When you’re ready to enjoy a cup, simply decant the tea over a glass of ice. (Avoid adding ice directly to the pitcher, which will result in over-dilution.) 

Japanese Ice-Brewed Tea

Koridashi is a slow, mindful method for making iced tea. The practice has been used in Japan since as early as the 19th century when ice farmers first hawked their wares at market. The technique is simple, and doesn’t even use liquid water! Simply place ice in a brewing vessel (usually a small bowl), sprinkle leaves over the ice, and wait for the ice to melt. High-end gyokuro, or shade-grown Japanese green tea, is often served this way, as this method draws out the leaves’ natural umami flavor and texture. 

This technique is particularly exciting and unusual, as it prioritizes the body of the brew. Koridashi-style iced tea can take hours to fully melt, so it is also an exercise in patience. Thankfully, there’s a middle ground for tea lovers looking for a quicker cup. 

Step 1: Fill Your Bowl with Ice

In a medium sized heat-proof bowl, place ice cubes to fill most of the container. The freshness and quality of your ice is paramount here. The vast majority of your tea is water, and any off-flavors in your ice will sully your iced tea. 

Step 2: Sprinkle Tea Leaves Over the Ice

Place your tea leaves (around five to eight grams) over your ice. Japanese and Chinese green teas work best in this method, as the leaves are fairly small, with thin cell walls to extract from. (Rolled oolongs and black teas will also work with this method, but take significantly longer to extract.)

Step 3: Pour Water Over the Ice

Pour room temperature water over the ice, to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. The rest will be filled as the ice melts. Set aside until the ice has melted halfway, 10 to 30 minutes. Teas brewed using this adapted Koridashi method result in different flavors and textures than brewing using only ice.

Step 4: Pour the Tea into Cups

Pour the brew into cups to stop the extraction process, or drink directly from the bowl. The oldest methods of brewing tea are also the simplest: just a bowl, leaves, and water. The skill here is knowing when to drink.

Southern Iced Tea: An American Tradition

Tea purists will squawk: Tea should be enjoyed plain, with no milk or sugar. But that’s not how most of the world enjoys tea. There is no one right or wrong way to make iced tea, just better methods suited for different palates. Chai was invented by the South Asians during imperialistic rule by the British. Hong Kong milk tea originated in similar conditions. Tea meccas like Taiwan proliferated bubble tea across the world. And in the American South, sweet tea is a tradition long held dear. If you have tea bags that contain finely chopped “CTC” (crush-tear-curl) tea, try brewing up a pitcher of this cookout classic; the added sugar and a squeeze of lemon will help balance the black tea’s intense tannins.

Step 1: Bring One Quart of Water to a Boil for Tea

Bring one quart of water to a boil and add two quart-sized tea bags, or five single-serve tea bags. Immediately turn off the stove and let it steep.

Step 2: Separately Stir Water and Sugar in a Pitcher

In a half-gallon pitcher or jar, stir together one quart of cold water and one cup of white sugar. 

Step 3: Pour Hot Tea into the Pitcher of Sugar Water

Remove and discard the tea bags, then pour the hot tea into the pitcher. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. (Adding the hot tea to the cold sugar water, rather than the other way around, helps keep the tea clear and preserves its flavor.)

Step 4: Serve Over Ice

Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, then pour over ice and garnish with lemon wedges, if desired. After all, you should take your tea how you like it. 

Recipes

Southern Iced Tea

Get the recipe >

The post Here’s How to Brew Iced Tea Like a Pro appeared first on Saveur.

This classic Southern-style sweet tea recipe came to us from Mobile, Alabama, resident and founder of the Southern Sweet Tea Sip-off, Jay Bob Grelen. On hot days, Grelen downs between one and two quarts—with gusto. “I’m a Southern Baptist,” he says, laughing, between seeps. “I can’t drink, can’t cuss, can’t dance, and can’t go to Disney World. All I have left is sweet tea.” Grelen favors Hill + Brooks quart-sized tea bags for his recipe, but other brands of black tea may be substituted. For more advice on how to brew iced tea, check out our comprehensive guide, here.

Featured in “True Brew.”

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The distinct earthy flavors of this classic Burmese tea leaf salad come from the fermented tea leaves, which are prepared  in-house at the Dutchess in Ojai, California. You can find them pre-made at specialty markets such as Kalustyan’s. A medley of shaved cabbage, seasonal lettuces, and variety of crunchy toppings give the salad its satisfying layers of texture. Chef Saw uses locally sourced Salanova lettuce; if you can’t find it, hydroponically grown butterhead lettuce is a suitable substitute. Naing fries off the crispy shallots and garlic in-house, but if pressed for time, packaged versions of both can be found at your local Asian grocery.

Featured in “At This New SoCal Restaurant, Burmese Dishes Take Local Produce to Another Level” by Diana Yen.

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Chef Cúán Greene’s grandmother Laillí grew up in Connemara, where she learned to bake this hearty tea bread, known as bairin breac in Gaelic. He says “breac” means speckled, appropriate as the loaf is studded with tea-infused currants and raisins. A “bairin” was originally a rectangular piece of wood placed in front of a horse-drawn cart’s wheels as a brake, and it’s also the shape of the rectangular loaf tin in which this bread is baked. While his grandmother would serve it with salted butter, Greene now slices the finished loaf into thick fingers and toasts them on a charcoal grill until smoky and caramelized, then smears each with a savory miso fudge and tops with sea urchin—a wild pivot from the way his grandmother served it. This recipe is based on one she taught him.

Featured in “Our Favorite Irish Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day.”

The post Barmbrack (Irish Tea Bread) appeared first on Saveur.

It doesn’t have to be cold outside for you to enjoy a proper cup of tea. With your water heated to the right temperature and a scoop of your favorite tea leaves, tea time can be any time you please. The only question is: what will you use to steep your tea?

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Created by Copenhagen-based Norm Architects and inspired by Scandinavian design, this heat-resistant glass teapot comes with a metal “tea egg” suspended by a silicone string. It’s the perfect size for your tea leaves and makes steeping a breeze. So does the clear glass: you can see the color of the leaves deepen as the minutes pass and know exactly when your tea is ready.

Fellow

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Though not all teapots are intended for stovetop use, this one from Fellow Raven can be used as both a hot-water kettle and a teapot. Use it to boil water on your stove, then once you’re ready to steep, toss your leaves in the steeping basket and watch the thermometer to make sure the water reaches the right temperature. This kettle-teapot hybrid comes in polished steel, matte black, and polished copper.

Wedgwood

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More traditional as far as teapots go, this Gio teapot from heritage brand Wedgewood is made of fine china with a subtle indented texture. The snow-white teapot is classic without feeling dated or old-fashioned, making it a welcome addition to any new home or teapot collection.

Elfin

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Love tea time but tend to let your tea get cold? There’s a solution for that. Elfin’s glass teapot not only features a glass top, glass handle, silicone non-drip spout, and stainless-steel basket for steeping, but it also comes with a warmer to keep tea at the optimum temperature. Simply place the teapot on the metal holder and light a tealight candle underneath it.

Blue Sky Ceramic

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From Blue Sky Clayworks comes this whimsical teapot featuring a royal blue octopus. The deep-sea creature wraps around the white ceramic teapot, and one of its tentacles cleverly serves as both the handle and the top of the pot.

Pinky Up

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Made of both glass and metal, this teapot from Pinky Up Shelby couldn’t be more stylish. The rose-gold hue of the metal really catches the eye, while the glass allows you to peek at the loose-leaf tea as it steeps in the stainless-steel basket. Take note that this teapot is on the smaller end: it only holds 24 ounces, so it’s a good choice for either a solo tea party or teatime for two.

The post The Right Tea Pot for Stepping Up Your Steeping Game appeared first on Saveur.

Los Angeles baker and caterer Loria Stern incorporates concentrated floral flavors into both sweet and savory dishes using dried flower infusions. Golden chicken, roasted over a bed of chamomile-scented alliums, makes for an unexpectedly elegant spring supper. Look for dried chamomile flowers in Latin American or Middle Eastern markets, or in the tea section of your local grocery store. If all else fails, order them online from Kalustyan’s.

Select a wide roasting pan that will allow the pan juices to concentrate and intensify as the bird cooks.

Read more about Stern’s botanically-inspired recipes in “Loria Stern’s Floral Kitchen.”

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The classic lemon tea cake from Malinda Russell’s 1866 book, A Domestic Cook Book, was the inspiration for this recipe. Author Toni Tipton-Martin updated it for Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, adding lots of lemon zest and covering it with a lemon glaze that drizzles down the side of the cake for a lovely finish. (You can also bake this cake in two medium loaf pans and leave it unglazed for easier handling.)

Featured in: Talking With Toni Tipton-Martin about Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking

Equipment

• 10-Inch Bundt or Tube Pan or Two 8-Inch Loaf Pans
• Small Bowl
• Stand Mixer fitted with the Paddle Attachment
• Silicone Spatula
• Wire Cooling Rack
• Large Rimmed Baking Sheet
• Wooden Skewer
• Liquid Measuring Cup or Medium Bowl

The post Lemon Tea Cake appeared first on Saveur.

Wagashi, the Japanese sweets traditionally served with tea, come in many forms, including these dainty rice cakes with a white-bean center. Known as yatsuhashi, they hail from Kyoto and are traditionally made with cinnamon, but the warming spice can also be swapped out for matcha powder.

The post Matcha Mochi With Sweet Bean Filling appeared first on Saveur.