The Top 5 Teas to Try in your Hand Painted Mug

We recently added stoneware to our studio. Stoneware is just a fancy name for a clay that fires at a higher temperature and is more durable than our everyday earthenware. By adding stoneware, I have increased my personal mug collection by #toomany and my husband says I have to use them regularly or they can't be in the main kitchen. I can't stand these pretties to be relegated to the pantry so here's what I am filling my cup with these days.

1. My favorite tea of all time is Sleepy Time Tea by Celestial Seasonings. It is called "the snoring bear tea" in our house because my kids are fancy and drink it too. It is lightly minty and kind of tastes like honey on its own. It's like the marshmallow of teas- soft, comforting and vaguely dessert like without being too sweet. It does live up to its name though, so I am only sipping this one after 6pm.

2. Next up is another light flavor, Harney and Sons White Christmas. This is another chamomile tea, so it might give you the snoozies, but not as much as with Sleepy Time. The almond and vanilla notes are fragrant and dessert like here too.

3. If you thought you had my type pegged, let me surprise you with my number 3 pick: Twinings Gingerbread Joy. This is a black tea, so it does have caffeine, and is much bolder. Ginger and cinnamon spice are forefront in this blend. The second brewing is easier to sip if the first is too spicy for you! Both of the last two sound like seasonal teas, but they really work well all year round.

4. I was first introduced to English Rose Tea by Republic of Tea at Noble Coffee and Tea. I bought it for the novelty- my mom (Queenie!) and I are obsessed with Downton Abbey. But the flavor is spot on. It's a floral and fruity number, with hints of raspberry and rose. The hibiscus balances it all out and keeps it from trending into a perfume flavor.

5. The last one is actually one of my kid's favorites, because we're all tea connoisseurs here. Her favorite is Tea Forte's Ginger Lemongrass. Please do not come for me about how expensive this tea is. It is high, and the only reason we even know it exists is because we stayed at a really swanky resort for a convention, and it was in our welcome basket. I would have never tried it otherwise, but I promise it is worth it. It is also the only one on the list in loose leaf because it brings the price down by about 1/3-1/2 the cost of the bags, but you can get two cups out of a bag so dealer's choice. If you don't want to mess with a tea infuser, here's the bag variety. It is very lightly ginger and citrus forward. Another white tea to delight the masses.

Fine mesh ball diffuser

We have a few tea diffusers in our house, but my standard is a single cup diffuser like this one. I like a handle because I am a baby and I don't want to touch the wet leaves thankyouverymuch.

HONORABLE MENTION goes to this unique product I found at our brand-new Costco and just absolutely had to have. It is Balance Grow's honey Citron tea. It comes in a half gallon mason jar, and it looks like jam. It has bits and zest in it that do not dissolve in your cup, so you get a tasty snack at the end! Or you can use a diffuser I guess. Mr. Kiln says it's good on toast too, but I haven't been that brave.

Stoneware Peacock Tea Pot

We also added stoneware teapots to the studio and of course we have small plates that can be used to rest your tea bag or diffuser. We can't wait to see you in to make your new teacup and tea pot. What will you brew first??

If you are mad that I didn't once mention coffee, that article is coming. I like to let each beverage shine on its own.

This article includes Amazon affiliate links. Feel free to buy and let amazon pay me about 2 cents per click, or not, it's all good! As I said above, Noble coffee carries some of these, notably Harney and Sons and Republic of Tea.