I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but I am 50% British. My dad was the first one of his family to be born in the United States. Because his parents died before I was born, we don’t have a lot of cultural family traditions from that side of the family. One thing I do know is that my grandmother kept her tea time every day and that she NEVER used a tea bag. I’ve never really adopted tea time, but with 5 sets of my own china I feel like I am missing a prime opportunity. So I thought it would be fun for me to start having my own tea time. How relaxing would it be to start an afternoon tea tradition? Unfortunately, I have zero tea making supplies (aside from the china) so I thought I would research some options and get started.

1. Tea Kettle

The most important part of all of this is the tea kettle. I selected this beautiful Sotya Whistling Stainless Steel Tea Kettle ($39.99) for the house and then this cute BELLA 1.2L Electric Ceramic Tea Kettle ($39.99) that I could bring to the office.

2. Teabox Elegant Ball Infuser ($8.99)

The Sotya kettle comes with its own ball infuser, but the electric one will need one. I liked the idea of this elegant one from Teabox.

3. Tea

I wanted to find delicious tea from some local spots here in Michigan. I found two places that make their own loose leaf tea. I love shopping local for fun finds! The first one is Arbor Teas based out of Ann Arbor, Michigan. They are a family-owned business that finds the best teas from around the world and try to deliver them to you in a sustainable way. I ordered their Organic Pomegranate White Tea, Organic Chocolate Pu Erh Tea, and Organic Vanilla Almond Rooibos to start.

The second company is Plum Door Tea Company based out of Milford, Michigan. They started out as a small tea bar, but closed down their shop and sell a range of 70 teas online. I ordered their Strawberry White, Peach Blossom, Southern Peach Oolong, and Chocolate Orange Pu erh.

4. Addison Pink Abstract Tea for One Set ($33.99)

At home I have five different sets of fine china so I am set there, but I don’t really want to bring them to the office. I found this darling tea for one set from Pinky Up. It’s compact and includes a saucer!

5. Macarons

I LOVE macarons and tea time is the perfect excuse to enjoy them. My local favorites are Le Detroit Macaron and Cannelle Patisserie when I have time to stop by and pick some up. On a daily basis, there is a Panera in my building and they have delicious scones so I could probably get one to enjoy with my tea at the office.

Now that I’m getting into tea, I need ALL of your tips so please share them and all your favorite teas in the comments.

You can find more Five on Friday posts here.