Gifts for Tea Lovers: Kettles, Infusers and Cups

This is the simplest good way to brew a single cup of loose leaf. The set is a 12 ounce Bodum Pavina double-walled glass and a strainer basket with a lid. Put in the leaves, pour the water, cover it, and when the tea is ready lift the strainer out and set it upside down on its own lid, which doubles as a drip tray.

The double wall keeps the tea hot and the outside cool enough to hold, and it lets the drinker watch the color of the tea deepen, which is the easiest way to judge strength. Bodum says the strainer fits a range of cup sizes, so it can move to a favorite mug later.

Skip it for someone who brews a pot for two or more. It is a one-person gift.

The catch. Double-walled glass is thin on the inside and does not forgive a hard knock.

Loose leaf tea goes stale from air, light and moisture, and most kitchen tins keep out only one of the three. Fellow's Atmos is 304 stainless steel, so it blocks light, and twisting the lid back and forth pumps the air out through a silicone seal. Fellow sells it for coffee but says plainly it is meant for loose leaf tea and spices too.

The 0.7 liter size holds a good quantity of tea, since leaves are lighter than coffee beans. It is a sensible home for a precious green or an expensive oolong, the teas that lose the most when left in their bag.

Anyone who buys tea in small tins and drinks it within a few weeks does not need it. It is for the drinker with a cupboard of open bags.

The catch. Fellow says the vacuum holds for about a week unopened, so it slows staling rather than stopping it.

Tea is one of the few drinks where the color tells you something, and a clear glass shows it: the pale gold of a first-flush Darjeeling, the green of a sencha, the amber of an oolong. Zwilling's Sorrento glasses are double-walled borosilicate, mouth-blown, and hold 8.1 ounces, which is a proper cup of tea.

The air between the walls keeps the tea hot and the outside cool, so there is no need for a handle. They are safe in the microwave and dishwasher, and the set of four is enough for a small tea for guests.

Skip them for anyone who drinks tea with milk in a big mug, or anyone who likes the heft of porcelain. These are light and delicate by design.

The catch. The inner wall is thin, so they are a poor match for a crowded sink or a heavy-handed washer-up.

Breville's Tea Maker heats the water, lowers a basket of leaves into it, gently moves it while it steeps and lifts it out when the time is up. There are five presets for green, white, oolong, herbal and black tea, each with its own temperature, and the strength can be adjusted.

The vessel is German-made glass on a brushed steel base and holds 51 ounces, enough for a pot for several people. It keeps the tea warm for up to 60 minutes and can be set on a timer, so the pot is waiting in the morning. It also works as a plain kettle.

It is a big appliance for a small counter, and a purist who brews gongfu style in a small pot will find it too automatic. For someone who drinks several pots a day and hates over-steeped tea, it is a luxury that earns its space.

The catch. The basket mechanism needs regular descaling, and Breville sells a cleaner for it.