Tea set

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A tea set, in the Western tradition, is a suite of dishes sold in a group for use at afternoon tea or a formal tea party.

Tea sets vary greatly in quality and price, from inexpensive mass produced products to high end, limited edition items. Ordinary tea sets may be crafted from ceramics, glass or even plastic. The finest tea sets are made by well known manufacturers of porcelain and bone china (usually informally called "china" or "bone china" when referring to dishes, regardless of which material has actually been used for its manufacture).

Another opulent tea set is the silver tea service, a formal tea set made of sterling silver, although again, mass produced sets in silver plate abound.

Items in a tea set:

• teapot
• teacup and saucer
• sugar bowl
• milk pitcher also known as a creamer or jug

In addition, a formal tea service would include:

• coffee pot
• hot water pot
• slop bowl
• tray

Tea sets must be used with special utensils, such as teaspoons, sugar spoon and or tongs, and perhaps an infuser. These items are not classed as part of the tea set.