I Use This Tea Set Every Afternoon — Now, I’m Gifting One to My Mom
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I am an avid coffee drinker, but I’m also a huge fan of tea. I always opt for a good teapot and loose-leaf tea over the convenience of a pre-packaged tea bag — it makes my daily tea routine so much more fun and I often find myself toggling between the dozen teapots I have depending on the mood that I’m in.
Last year, I was searching for a replacement after chipping yet another teapot set (for the umpteenth time). After a few months, I gave up, but then my sister thoughtfully gifted me a set for Christmas that I’ve been using regularly since — and have plans of my own to gift to my mother.
What’s So Great About the Lékué Calm Tea Ritual Set?
The Lékué Calm Tea Ritual Set is a stark contrast to my previous teapot, which had an extremely slim spout and very flimsy lid (yes, it was absolutely the teapot’s fault for falling off the counter and smashing onto the floor). Unlike traditional teapots, the Lekue “pot” is more like an infuser with an hourglass shape, and smartly designed to be both fun and functional.
One of the reasons why I spent months looking for a new teapot is that I didn’t want something fussy for brewing loose-leaf teas. Most pots had a narrow spout that were troublesome to clean thoroughly or had a fiddly brew system, but the Lekue “pot” doesn’t have any of these problems because of its innovative hourglass design.
Don’t let the design fool you, though — the brewing process is simple and the borosilicate glass construction can handle hot temps well. Essentially you put your tea leaves in the bottom chamber, add hot water, set the filter, and then secure the top chamber. The leaves brew for 3 to 5 minutes depending on how you like your tea, and then you just flip the hourglass over. What happens next is deeply therapeutic and I understand why it’s called the “Calm Tea Ritual” set. In an almost ASMR way, the tea slowly trickles down like rain into the lower chamber while the metal filter keeps leaves up top. All you have to do is just separate the two chambers and pour yourself a mug of delicious, aromatic tea. Once you’re done, just toss all the pieces into the dishwasher.
I use the Lékué set daily when the 3 p.m. slump kicks in and cravings for tea and cake force me to take a break from my computer. My mom, who shares the same love for afternoon tea as I do, will surely enjoy this set — so for Mother’s Day, rather than gifting her a spa voucher (which will inevitably go unused), I’m sending good, chill vibes in the form of her own Lekue set. You can buy the teapot and matching cups a la carte, but the set is a better value and comes with a ceramic lidded container for loose-leaf tea storage too.
If I had one complaint, it’s that the Lekue set doesn’t come with saucers for my afternoon cake, but I guess you can’t always have your cake and eat it too.
Buy: Lékué Calm Tea Ritual Set, $67