Man, you won’t believe the little project I tackled last weekend. So, I’m a huge tea drinker, right? Nothing beats curling up with a good book and a hot cup of Earl Grey. But my tea always gets cold way too fast, especially in the winter. I was tired of running back and forth to the microwave, which, let’s be honest, ruins the tea anyway.
I started poking around online, thinking there had to be a better way to keep my teapot warm. I saw these fancy teapot warmers, some with candles and some electric. They looked okay, but I really wanted something that I could just recharge. I mean who wants to be fumbling around with candles when all you need is warm tea.
I dug a little deeper and found some info about these USB-powered warmers, mostly for coffee mugs. Hmm, interesting, I thought. Maybe I could make one of those work for a teapot. I like a good hands-on project, and this felt like it wouldn’t be too tough.
First, I ordered one of those USB mug warmers online. It was pretty cheap, just a simple heating plate with a USB cord. Then, I spent like a whole hour in my garage, scavenging for the right stuff. I needed something to raise the teapot a little, to get it closer to the heating element. I found some scrap metal pieces and some old, unused ceramic stuff.
Building the warmer
- The metal was the base, it had some holes, perfect for ventilation.
- I cut the ceramic pieces using an old saw, into a circle just a bit larger than the base of my teapot.
- Then, I used some super glue I had laying around to stick the ceramic onto the metal, making a little platform.
The mug warmer arrived a few days later. I took it apart carefully, just keeping the heating plate and the USB cord. I stuck the heating plate to the underside of the ceramic platform with some heat-resistant tape, running the cord down through one of the ventilation holes in the metal base.
Plugged it into a portable power bank, and boom! It worked like a charm. I placed my teapot on top, filled with freshly brewed tea. I swear that thing kept my tea at the perfect temperature for almost two hours. It wasn’t boiling hot, just a nice, warm temperature, perfect for sipping.
I know there’re easier ways to keep my tea warm, such as energy-saving kettles that help reduce the amount of energy used when boiling water. Or electric water kettles that are portable, time-saving and can be used for a variety of tasks. But I don’t have those. Anyway, it’s not just about the tea, right? It’s about the satisfaction of building something yourself, making it work. Now, every time I use my DIY teapot warmer, I get a little kick out of it. Plus, my tea stays warm, and that’s all that really matters!
