During my last few cruises, I had a few readers ask that I go into more detail on my teaware set up. I just came back from (yet another) cruise through Alaska, so I have my travel teaware already set up. 2019 also brought some new tea gadgets so traveling with tea is even easier.
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Traveling Gongfu Tea Style – Hot Water
When I road trip I take an electric kettle if I know my final destination will not have one. Be sure to check if you are allowed to bring an electric kettle, many cruise lines confiscate kettles due to fire hazard potential. Cruises have unlimited hot water at the buffet and happy to fill or give you a pot of hot water in the dining rooms.
More often than not, I can’t bring a kettle with me, so I bring a vessel for hot water to be refilled at coffee shops or at the cruise ship buffet. The best hot water vessel is the double-walled, stainless steel, insulated, vacuum water bottles. These bottles are labeled for 8-12 hours of hot water, 24 hours for cold. I also look for a narrow spout for an easier pour into a small teapot.
In the past, I’ve taken a Mountain Tea Tumbler 16oz bottle, which is enough for 2-4 infusions but too small for my liking. A 32 or 40oz is good enough for most gongfu tea sessions.
Takeya Hot Water Bottle
I wanted something big and forgot how big 64oz is (I think in metric! 64oz = 1900ml/1.9 L). This Takeya Actives Water Bottle at 64oz is nuts but you’ll have at least two full gongfu sessions with good tea. The handle makes it comfortable to carry around and the spout pours well. I often Gongfu2Go at my desk with this Takeya on the side instead of a kettle and it works great. Takeya also sells 40, 32, 24, and 18oz.
Traveling Gongfu Tea Style – Teaware
Gongfu2Go
New to 2019 is the Gongfu2Go from Crimson Lotus Tea. This portable steeper can double as a gongfu or grandpa style, with a built-in cup or drink tumbler style.
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I use mine often for day road trips as well as short car trip tea drinking. The Gongfu2Go has the least footprint as the cup and brewing is all in one, plus you various brewing options.
Travel Gongfu Tea Pot Set Up
Sometimes I just want it all. Those times, I bring a teapot. I stripped down the setup, not needing a tray, filter, and pitcher.
- A teapot, smaller the better.
This teapot is the Taiwan Tea Crafts cheapo $35 clay pot. A few times I have brought the Pocket Pipe Kyusu from Teaware.House, which is a $15 clay one.
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For my last Alaska cruise, I brought Bitterleaf Tea’s $79 Fast Draw Jianshui as I was feeling ballsy.
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Yes yes, all the ones I listed are clayware which shouldn’t be steeping all sorts of types of tea. Go ahead and bring a ceramic teapot. My Fast Draw Jianshui I am brewing everything in it as it is my IDGAF teapot. I also choose a teapot over a gaiwan as you don’t need a filter.
- A teacup that will hold an entire teapot’s worth of tea.
Too small of a teacup and you will need a pitcher or not fill your teapot all the way. If you end up with an impromptu guest, just go Chaozhou style. Honorable mention is Mountain Stream Tea’s Stainless Steel Travel Teacup – it is durable AF but you need a 75ml or smaller teapot.
- Absorbent Tea towel or two.
I leave the tea tray at home and opt for an absorbent teatowel. This towel works double duty as a tea tray to suck up any spills, but also padding material for your teapot and cup. Air out this towel when back at the hotel room/cabin so things don’t go funky. Thankfully, microfiber dries fast.
- Hard Plastic, locking lid Tupperware.
To complete this setup, I wrap everything inside a hard plastic Tupperware with a locking lid. This will stop any suitcase crushing. Pad everything well enough so that nothing moves when inside the Tupperware. Ensure you put a tissue between the teapot and lid so there is no chipping. My container is 7″x5″x 2.75″, around 30oz/900ml capacity, I think that’s the smallest container I can get away with.
- Optional – A waste cup.
I often steal a cup from the cruise ship dining room to dump my pot heating water and rinse, as well as finished leaves in. If I forget the waste bin/cup, I simply do not preheat and drink the rinse.
- Breaking Tray? Nada
I brought two whole puer cakes (packaged in their own baggie) on my recent cruise, despite it being a great time to kill off samples. I simply used a butter knife to break up my cakes.
Hooty travels!
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