Teaware for the best brew
So you decided to ditch your teabags, leave behind the mulched up tea dust floor sweepings and move on to high quality loose tea. Does that mean you need special teaware to taste the difference?
SIMPLICITY
Loose tea leaves will expand and unravel 3 to 5 times in size after it has fully steeped in hot water. It needs space to do so and confining tea leaves to a small tea ball infuser can limit the extractions of a fine premium tea.
Grandpa Brewing style is the simplest of all brewing styles and requires only a cup or bowl, hot water and tea. But having to use your lips and teeth to filter out the leaves as you sip can be cumbersome. So I will skip Grandpa Brewing style instructions and go straight to the next simplest and convenient brewing method.
GETTING STARTED
Glass French Press: first of all, Glass French Press are readily available to purchase, comes in various sizes (250 to 500 ml (8 to 16 oz), are inexpensive and include a straining plunger and therefore no need for extra accessories like filter basket. Used tea leaves are easy to discard and wash off. A Glass French Press is practical for brewing on the go, bring along on a trip or have by your the desk side while working.
DIVING DEEPER INTO BREWING
GAIWAN
The Gaiwan is a basic lidded cup made of porcelain, glass or clay. It is an unassuming little teapot needing no strainer and easy to use with a bit of practice. It is suited to steep all teas, but traditionally less so for Japanese green teas.
Brewing tea with a Gaiwan engages you through the brewing process, from the initial unfurling of the tea leaves through the multiple infusions. 
KYUSU
Japanese-style Kyusu teapots are used to brew more delicate Japanese green teas like Sencha and Gyokuro teas. These pots can brew 200 to 300 ml (about 7 to 10 oz), and have a built-in stainer to filter out the very fine needle shape tea leaves.
UPPING YOUR GAME
Getting serious about brewing tea means using better tools to maximize the potential of what your tea can deliver in flavours, aromas and mouthfeel.
Unglazed teapots made of "Purple Clay" from the Yixing region of China are most renowned for their superior ability to brew loose teas. Purple Clay, commonly known as Yixing teapot, have unique heat retaining properties and porosity. Overtime the tea oils build up in the teapot and help smooth out the rough notes in some teas, making them more rich, mellow, and harmonized. Using one type of tea for each Yixing teapot is a recommended practice. For example, only brewing Oolong tea in one Yixing teapot and only brewing Green teas in another Yixing teapot.
A scale for weighing precise amount of tea and a temperature calibrated kettle are often used to brew tea in order to replicate a consistent brew.
No matter which teaware you use, the quality of your tea is the number one most important factor in the equation. Your preparation parameters are a close second and your teaware is next. As you dive deeper into your tea game, adding new teaware is not a necessity but it can elevate your tea experience to the next level of enjoyment.