There are many things to love about the States, but they brewed away a lovely tradition in the Boston Harbor two hundred years ago. There is something utterly civil about relaxing each day, if only for fifteen minutes, with a sweet biscuit and a hot cup of tea. Each sip can reach your furthest extremities like a deep-tissue massage. Unfortunately, most of the time I drink alone… with nobody else.* My husband is pretty good after we come back from a trip to Australia, but as the days go by and living resumes its livelier pace, he loses interest.

So, in an effort revive the tradition in our household, I decided to look around for teapots like these.

I finally settled on the celadon teapot from Sophie Conran’s Portmeirion collection. It’s functional, yes, but the shape is organic which places in my head an image of an artist sitting there sculpting this teapot just for me. Having a tea pot makes me feel quite grown up. All I need are the matching cups and saucers and then I can invite friends over for devonshire tea — the British way. Do scones with dollops of whipped cream and fresh preserves sound good to you too?

I cannot say that I am a tea connossieur like my sister, but if it’s any consolation I do like loose-leaf teas. It makes me think that the tea leaves can then swim around freely in the water, releasing all their flavor. If you are more careful than I, first flush your teapot with hot water, not boiling, to warm it up and prevent cracking. When it comes to brewing, I’ve found that there is no full-proof length of time but here are some general times just to give you an idea: white tea (2-4 minutes, very delicate flavor), green tea (< 1 minute, hot but not boiling water), black tea (3-5 minutes, more robust), and red tea (3-5 minutes, fruitier flavor).

Now, if only I could get a flat white over here I’d be all set. But I’ll leave that hot drink to another post.

*Note: Jon told me to add this last bit. Something about George Thoroughsomethingorother.

Image credits: The Republic of Tea, Crate & Barrel, Anthropologie, Portmeirion, and Amazon.com