You may be surprised to learn that there are hundreds of different designs and styles of teapots available for sale today. Why so many? Different people use teapots for different things. Some want them simply for decorative purposes, while others enjoy the subtle change in flavor of their favorite tea when it’s brewed in a pot made of a different material than they’re used to. There are many ways to enjoy all of the many and varied types of teapots that are available to us.
Classic types and styles never get old
One of the oldest types of teapots still being made today is called a kettle. Betty Brown teapot. It is made from the same type of clay that the original teapots were made from in the 17th century. This clay is still found in a small English town called Stoke-on-Trent, and the real Brown Betty teapots are handmade here in several different sizes. The British are very fond of this type of teapot and swear that it makes the best cup of tea in the world due to the combination of the shape of the pot and the type of clay used to make it. Beware of “imitation” Brown Betty teapots. They are the same size and shape as the original, but you can usually tell the original from a fake by looking closely at the surface. The original teapot is no glazed, while the cheaper imitation has a glossy glaze on the outside.
The Japanese tetsubin
Another classic teapot from years past is the Japanese Tetsubin. Made of cast iron, these kettles were originally used during the 17th and 18th centuries in the fireplace for a nearly constant supply of boiling water for the home. They also helped warm the room during cold weather. They were not used for tea, as during this period only the wealthy could afford the type of tea available. When the Chinese developed a way of making tea that used the entire tea leaf, ordinary people in Japan could buy tea. They took their kettles from the fireplace to make tea and it became a habit. The spout of this type of kettle generally faces to the right. The reason for this is that during a Japanese tea ceremony, you always hold a teapot in your left hand. Having the spout located on the right made it so much easier to pour!
a status symbol
The Tetsubin teapot started out as a small iron kettle, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Around the turn of the 19th century, the design and style began to change and became quite elaborate. Today a Tetsubin has a simple geometric or animal design, but back then the more opulent the better! Teapots actually became a kind of status symbol for their owners. If you were a member of high society, or even just wanted to be, your Tetsubin was designed quite elaborately.
royal silver
Silver teapots are well known for their ability to retain heat. It is rumored that Queen Victoria was the first person to drink tea from a silver pot. The first teapots made of silver appeared around 1730, and continued to evolve for several years until the 1780s, when they appeared with feet and in the shape of a drum. Not long after this, someone
discovered how to fuse silver with copper, and the first silver plate was born. This combination was in use for around 100 years, but was eventually superseded by electroplate.
Porcelain makes the difference
Sometime around the year 1710, a man named Johann Bottger discovered a type of clay in Germany. This clay was fired using a method that had not been tried before and, to Bottger’s amazement, a beautiful porcelain was produced that easily rivaled any of the porcelain produced in China. The city of Dresden soon became known for porcelain, which was named Dresden after the city of origin.
Chinese Yixing Teapots
Yixing teapot is a bit different from other types of Chinese teapots. They are made from a type of clay that is purple in color and quite porous. Every time tea is brewed in a Yixing teapot, a little of the flavor of the tea is absorbed into the pot, flavoring it. It is said that once a Yixing teapot has been in use for several years, you could put water in it and make tea! When using this type of teapot, it’s best to always brew the same type of tea, so as not to mess up the delicate balance of seasoning in the clay.
clear glass teapots
One of the benefits of a clear glass teapot is the fact that you can brew more than one type of tea without worrying about the glass retaining the flavor. If you like to drink a variety of different teas, a clear glass teapot would work well for you. It’s also nice to be able to watch the tea being made. Glass pots are easy to keep clean and can be placed in the dishwasher and microwave, making them very convenient.
