If you’ve traveled within countries that don’t have much of a tea culture, you’ve probably encountered a disappointing situation like this: You’ve had a long day exploring a new place, you arrive back at your hotel, and all you want is to relax with a comforting cup of tea — but the hotel provides only a tea bag and a coffee maker. You resign yourself to a stale-tasting brew of questionable quality.

With a little advance planning, you can put together a travel tea kit and make sure you never get stuck without tea the way you like it. It’s worth the bit of space these items will take up in your luggage.

Tea leaves

Tea bags are convenient for travel, but if you want to take along your higher-quality loose leaf tea instead, you absolutely can. Just make sure it’s in the original package, labeled, and preferably unopened upon departure, so the airport security team won’t question it. Tea packaged in solid metal tins will probably give you trouble at the security checkpoint, but flexible packages made of parchment, paper, and plastic will be no problem, even if they are lined with foil. Don’t forget to pack a clip or rubber band to hold the package shut after it’s opened, to keep it fresh and avoid spilling it in your luggage. 

Another option: Instead of packing tea from home, make a plan to purchase new tea as soon as you arrive at your destination. This gives you the perfect excuse to check out a tea shop in the area you’re visiting.

Water

The water from the sink in your hotel room probably won’t get hot enough for tea, so you’ll need a different method. If your hotel doesn’t already have carafes for guests to draw from, you can ask the staff to give you a teapot or mug of hot water, and ideally, they’ll accommodate. In this case, you might want to check the temperature of the water before you brew your tea, especially if you’re making green tea, which requires a temperature well below boiling. You can’t take a mercury thermometer on a plane, but you can take a battery-powered infrared thermometer, which is only a few inches long, easy to stow, and sufficiently accurate.

If you know you’ll be staying somewhere that will not have hot water available at all, try a travel kettle. Some are shaped like thermoses; others are shaped like regular kettles but can collapse down into a smaller size for easier storage. Especially if you’re traveling with a companion, it’s worth fitting a travel kettle into your luggage to make sure you can achieve great tea away from home. 

Teaware

Last, you’ll need a vessel for brewing the tea. If your regular teapot is too big, try a small gaiwan or kyūsu — both are easy to pack. Pack the teaware in a box or bubble wrap to prevent it from getting damaged in transit. But just in case, it’s probably best to travel with cheaper teaware, not your favorite pieces, to avoid any potential for heartbreak.