Okay, let’s talk about this IKEA teapot warmer thing I picked up.
So, I drink a fair bit of tea, right? Especially when I’m working from home or just chilling on a weekend. The problem was, I’d make a nice pot, pour one cup, and by the time I wanted a second, it was lukewarm. Pretty annoying. Microwaving tea just feels wrong, you know? I’d seen these warmer things around and figured, why not give one a try.
Next time I found myself wandering through IKEA, which happens more often than I plan, I specifically looked for one. Found it in the kitchen section, tucked away with the coffee and tea stuff. It wasn’t expensive, which is always a plus with IKEA. Grabbed one, threw it in the cart along with some tealight candles they sell right there. Easy.
Getting it Home and Set Up
Got it home, took it out of the minimal packaging IKEA uses. It’s pretty simple, really. Just a metal stand, usually stainless steel or something similar. Mine has a sort of grid on top for the teapot to sit on, and a little space underneath to put a tealight candle.
First use was straightforward:
- Put a tealight candle in the designated spot at the bottom.
- Lit the candle carefully. Used one of those long lighters, easier than matches.
- Made my pot of tea as usual.
- Placed the teapot directly on top of the metal stand.
How It Went
And then… I just let it sit there. Poured my first cup. Went back maybe half an hour, forty minutes later? Poured another. Still nicely warm! Not boiling hot, obviously, the little candle isn’t a furnace. But it definitely kept the tea at a pleasant drinking temperature, much better than just leaving the pot on the counter.
I noticed the bottom of my teapot got a bit warm, obviously, and you get that faint candle smell sometimes, but it wasn’t overpowering. The stand itself gets warm too, so you gotta be careful where you put it. Make sure it’s on a heat-resistant surface, like a trivet or a solid countertop, not directly on a nice wooden table.
Cleaning? Barely anything to it. Once the candle burns out and the stand cools down, just take out the little metal cup from the tealight. If any wax spilled, which hasn’t happened to me much, you just wait for it to harden and pop it off. Maybe wipe the stand down if it gets dusty or gets a tea drip on it.
So yeah, that’s been my experience. It does exactly what it’s supposed to do – keeps the tea warm for longer. Simple little gadget, cheap, works fine. Use it quite a bit now, especially on those slow mornings. Definitely beats cold tea.
