Tea party

IngenuiTEA

www.adagio.com

Hot tea offers a wide range of flavors, customs and, of course, gadgets. The IngenuiTEA provides a wonderful way of steeping and straining loose leaf tea. This teapot from Adagio Teas allows the tea to float freely throughout the chamber, allowing a smaller amount of tea to produce a richer result. The 16-ounce, clear plastic teapot eliminates the guessing game over the perfect amount of time to steep the tea and when it’s just right, you place the teapot over a mug or glass. The mug’s presence activates a valve and the gravity pulls the tea through a fine strainer into the mug. It’s easy to use and incredibly effective—in our tests, the mug rarely contained any trace of tea leaves. $20.

Death Star Tea Infuser

www.thinkgeek.com

This fully armed and operational tea infuser takes the classic silver ball tea infuser your grandparents have and gives it a Star Wars twist. The stainless steel, dishwasher-safe ball features a spherical indent capable of destroying Alderaan and a chain topped off with an Imperial TIE Fighter. Small enough to be portable, the infuser still holds enough loose leaf tea for a generous single serving, even if you like your tea on the dark side. Unfortunately, because it is an “officially licensed” product, expect to pay significantly more for the subtle changes. Though your bank account may cringe at the investment, you can rest assured this tea infuser is free of thermal exhaust ports. $20.

Russell Hobbs’ Electric Kettle with Warm Tray

www.russellhobbs.com

When you need to serve tea to guests, you need something with volume. This electric kettle and teapot combo excels in functionality and versatility. The 1.76-liter electric kettle quickly heats enough water for 10 six-ounce servings. Heat the water and steep the tea in the teapot much longer than you normally would. While you’re doing that, refill and reheat the electric kettle. You can now dilute the exceptionally strong tea with water or allow guests to customize the strength of their tea. It’s a much more industrial approach to tea, but sometimes you have to bring in the big gadgets for the big jobs. Retails for $50, regularly on sale for $25.