Under the weather today, feeling more December 1 than June 1, I need a good cup of tea.  I love all teas, from English black teas to Chinese and Japanese green teas.  Tea connoisseurs know that tea brewed from loose tea is far superior to the tea in even fancy teabags.

The problem:

Who wants to bring out the tea kettle and strainer every time you fancy a nice hot cup of tea?

The solution:

Option A: a tea ball.  This is effective, but after repeated use, a little gnarly.

Option B: DIY tea bags.  I don’t know what took me so long (probably the expense for the ones sold at the local café– maybe $8 for a dozen) to try out the make-your-own teabag.  These allow you to brew loose tea in a cup  I found my solution at Daiso, a Japanese dollar store (OK, now $1.50 store) that we’re lucky to have in the San Francisco Bay Area.  You can get all kinds of useful household goods here.  On my most recent trip, I scored.  For just $1.50, or less than $0.08 per bag, you can make your own teabags and enjoy the superior flavor of loose tea with the convenience of a teabag.

1.  Teabags in their packet.

2.  An empty teabag full of potential.

3.  A teaspoon or two of your favorite loose tea.

4.  Voila! A DIY teabag!

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If man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.

~Japanese Proverb

There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.

~Henry James, The Portrait of a Lady