Tips on choosing a Teapot

Perhaps you’re already a seasoned sipper of tea and want to upgrade your chipped and stained old teapot, or maybe you’ve recently discovered the delights of tea and want to pour it from an appropriate vessel? Whatever your reason for wanting to know more about selecting a teapot, here is some great advice and tips: 

How do I know what size to choose?

Before you start browsing in your local teapot emporium, ask yourself who will you be making tea for? If it’s just for yourself (and why not enjoy the perfect brew in solitude?), then buying a 14 ounce teapot makes the most sense; you won’t waste those precious tea leaves or end up tipping tea down the sink, sacrilege!

If you plan on brewing tea to help quench the thirst of many, or you enjoy a particularly large mug of tea, then obviously a larger pot, such as one that holds more than 20 ounces would be best.

What are the different types of teapots available?

There are many different types of teapots, but the four most common are cast iron, glass, ceramic and Yixing.

Let’s look at each in turn:

Cast iron teapots

These are generally thought to make the best pot of tea, and as the cast iron distributes the heat evenly throughout the pot, it can obtain the best flavour and nutrients from the leaves while keeping the tea warm for longer. They’re very attractive too and wouldn’t look out of place in a modern kitchen. 

Glass teapots

Once thought of as a mere novelty, these pots have increased in popularity in recent times and doubtless due to the fact that you can observe the tea as it steeps. It has to be said that they are not so good at keeping tea warm for as long as some other types of teapot, so you might want to invest in a tea warmer, and they’re naturally a little less durable.

Ceramic teapots

These can be found in a wide range of colours and in many different patterns, making them perhaps the first choice if you’re opting for looks alone when choosing a teapot. They also tend to be sold at very reasonable prices, so if you’re looking for a pretty and non-pricey pot that will still steep your leaves adequately, then this might be the choice for you.

Yixing teapots

Call yourself a tea tippler and you don’t own one of these? Yixing teapots are for the true tea aficionados and are made from clay in the Jiangsu province of China. These pots absorb the flavour of the tea leaves and for that reason, it’s recommended to stick to one type of tea leaf.

But choosing the right teapot isn’t just a question of size and type, it’s a question of style, too. A teapot can say a lot about its owner, and so if you want your teapot to really reflect your personality and say something about you to visitors to your home, then you had best choose wisely.