Shopping for Teapots

Having fun with a cup of tea is as a lot about slowing down and appreciating the ritual as it’s about having a sizzling drink. So your teapot must be an object you look ahead to utilizing every single day.

“A well-loved teapot is a well-used teapot,” mentioned Elena Liao, an proprietor of the New York-based Té Firm, which focuses on Taiwanese tea. “All through historical past, they’ve actually been objects of magnificence — they’re lovely sculptures which have been made throughout cultures and throughout generations.”

However selecting the best one requires contemplating extra than simply the way in which it appears. The scale is essential, Ms. Liao mentioned, and may replicate how many individuals you routinely plan to serve and the way massive your teacups are.

Some pots are additionally higher suited to sure sorts of tea than others. “In case you drink all Taiwanese teas,” Ms. Liao mentioned, “search for teapots coming from that cultural lineage, as a result of they’re made for that type of tea.”

Simply watch out for teapots with shapes that look a bit of too artistic, she cautioned: “If the artist who made the teapot doesn’t drink tea, you may normally inform. It appears lovely, however leaks in every single place.”

• What supplies are finest? In case you plan to brew various kinds of tea, glass, porcelain and glazed ceramic “will defend the teapot from absorbing the oils from the tea and keep away from taste switch,” Ms. Liao mentioned, in contrast to unglazed ceramics.

• Is one teapot sufficient? It may be, however some folks like having numerous sizes and kinds of pots for various events, she mentioned.

• Does it want an integral strainer for loose-leaf tea? No, mentioned Ms. Liao, who prefers a separate strainer: “Brew it in an open vessel and simply pour it by a strainer right into a cup or pitcher.”

Departo Tea Pot

Glazed stoneware teapot

$54 at Departo: departo.co

Granit Teapot

Stoneware teapot designed by Eva Zeisel

$68 at Design Inside Attain: 800-944-2233 or dwr.com

Leaves to Tea Teapot

Porcelain teapot with stainless-steel deal with

About $69 at Kinto: 877-447-0986 or kinto-usa.com

Botra Teapot

Stoneware teapot made in Vietnam

From about $50 at EQ3: 888-988-2014 or eq3.com