I was fortunate to receive another great birthday present from friends last week.  And I have been waiting to put this to use. I am ecstatic.  I’m in love with this thing.

The Red Cast Iron Teapot Set from World Market is a joy to have and to use!

It makes me feel good that my friends appreciate my love for tea, and many share that same love for it as well.   And in that same vein, it’s a vote of support and confidence for my blog as well.

Included in the opening picture is the teapot, strainer (inside the pot), trivet, two cups, and a sample of their own Green Jasmine Tea.

This thing is a beauty and I am going to make good use of it.  So this will now be another staple of the blog.   And I’m elated.

I think it’s human nature that whenever you receive something new, as in a gift or anything, that you want to learn and read all about it right away. I’ve been guilty of that many times.  And I end up becoming frustrated and forcing the issue.  In this instance, I want to learn about this organically and naturally. Hopefully just like their teas are.

The tea was a very simple, yet very good one. I’ve had others with more flavor and potency to it.  But that isn’t to say this tea is a pushover.  It was so easy drink and a great introduction to using my awesome new tea setup!

In my usual exciting fashion, there will be a lot of photos.  The creation process is always so fun.  I find it just as enjoyable as the final process of sipping the cup itself.

The tea leaves themselves smelled great and looked beautiful when I grabbed a spoonful. Again, this wasn’t any fancy or avante-garde tea.  It was a great as a sample pack. I kept it simple and didn’t add anything to it.

So here is the inspirational brewing process in pictures :

I’ve been into dry fruits lately.  And I delighted in my mini cups with some dried mango slices.

I made an interesting discovery.  The cups may have an insulation that cools down the water rather quickly.  So if you find your water too hot, wait a few minutes.  I literally was away from it for less than five, and it tasted lukewarm.  Which is just fine.  I found it quite hilarious. I know that wasn’t the intention, but it made me laugh.  Oh the little things…

More to come with this gem of a present.

Best,

Ideen