17 Apr 2010

Glass Tea Sets

When we think of tea sets, we usually think of clay or porcelain, not glass. Tea is becoming more and more popular all across the globe. And as it's popularity increases, the more the younger generations are finding it to be the "cool" thing to drink. This is a great development for today's youth because tea is a healthy alternative to soda, energy drinks, etc. Not surprisingly, as younger people buy more tea, the traditional methods of preparing and drinking tea are becoming more diluted so as to make tea drinking easier, faster and more marketable. This includes new variations in tea sets as well. One such variation is the glass tea set.

Glass tea sets are still not as common as clay or porcelain, but they are on their way up due to the unique shapes and colors that can be made with glass. Also, with a clear tea set, one can get a much better view of the tea's color; allowing for a more accurate gauge of when the tea is done steeping.

If you are in search of a clear tea set, I recommend that you do some searching online. Unless you live in a bigger city, it will be difficult to find one locally. Actually, it is even hard to find one in China right now, or at least in Beijing. In fact, it is much easier to find glass mugs than actual sets.

Some tea connoisseurs argue that tea sets should not be made of glass because glass cannot retain heat as long as other materials, therefore making it difficult to keep your tea at a constant temperature. They suggest that you stick with a porcelain, silver, or clay set.

Still, for most of us a glass set will work just fine. Although glass might have a few minor drawbacks, it's advantages clearly outweigh them. Aside from that, those looking for a clear set probably aren't into traditional tea culture anyway, considering glass sets are a fairly new development in the world of tea. If nothing else, the novelty of a clear set will make for great conversations.

Article by Skylar Windham, tea culture fanatic. Learn more at http://www.coolteasets.com

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