The best teapot ever. How to choose a teapot

Teapots can hardly be classified as essentials, but one or even several of these products are in almost every home. However, their assortment depends not only on popularity, but also on the traditions of various countries, from where certain models began their march around the planet. Let's figure out together what varieties can now be found in stores, what is the difference between them, and which one should be preferred.

Design

No matter how simple a kitchen utensil a teapot may seem, even it has several design options.

The first option is the usual, most often pot-bellied, teapot, well known to our grandmothers. Tea was folded directly into its cavity, which is why there were always tea leaves in the cup. They fought with the help of a semicircular strainer hanging on the spout. However, a kettle of this design did not become a relic of the past. Its analogue, made from more modern materials, can still be found now, but it is used to brew large-leaf or tea in pearls - dense balls that bloom in boiling water with a flower.

The second one is a complete copy of the previous teapot, but already equipped with a strainer “out of the box”. In such models, it is placed under the lid, and tea is poured directly into it. The strainer can be made from different materials: ceramics or faience, metal and plastic. There is not much difference between them, and the choice of a particular material is usually dictated by the overall design of the product.

And the third option is French presses. Such teapots are distinguished by a more complex design and versatility, because they can be used to brew both tea and coffee with equal success. They are a glass flask framed by a metal or plastic frame that serves as both a stand and a handle, but the most important feature lies in the lid. The cover is combined with a movable piston - strainer. After brewing, it descends and presses the tea leaves or ground coffee to the bottom of the kettle, preventing them from being in the cup.

materials

The fact that teapots are now made from a variety of materials can be seen by barely looking at the showcase with dishes. And here are some of which we will tell further.

Porcelain

An exquisite teapot made of real porcelain was an indispensable attribute of the Chinese tea ceremony many centuries ago. Such a product was also popular in Tsarist Rus', but due to the high cost, only high-class people could afford a porcelain teapot or service. In addition to the high cost, porcelain dishes have always been distinguished by elegance and magnificent painting, instantly transferring them from the category of everyday things to an attribute of the festive table.

You can buy porcelain teapots even now, and they can be decorated with a variety of patterns, including those perfectly suitable for daily use, but the price for many will still remain quite high.

Faience (ceramics)

Faience (they are also ceramic) teapots are much cheaper, while their appearance is practically not inferior to porcelain, and the material has approximately the same properties. Heat is evenly distributed throughout the kettle, which contributes to better brewing of the drink.

Now you can easily find models of various shapes and sizes. And for their decoration, not only painting can be used, but also individual three-dimensional elements formed directly from ceramics, for example, convex fruits, berries, or simply patterns.

Clay

Much less often there are teapots made of baked clay, not decorated with paintings. Such utensils are considered an "oak barrel" for tea, that is, the most natural and natural vessel. Due to the even distribution of heat and the porous structure of the material, such teapots are very popular among the most important tea lovers - the Chinese. Earthenware is especially well suited for brewing green and white varieties.

Glass

Another fragile material for manufacturing is glass. The main advantage of such a kettle is its appearance. Through its transparent walls, you can not only see how much tea is left, but also observe the brewing process itself. Glass teapots are especially appreciated among lovers of green tea in pearls, which we mentioned a little higher, because only through transparent glass you can best see how they open.

Metal

All-metal products, despite their attractive appearance, are not very popular. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, metal retains heat much worse, which is not very good for brewing tea. Secondly, the drink may have a metallic taste, especially if it is tea with pieces of citrus or sour berries.

Material combinations

Now only gift or festive ceramic, porcelain or clay teapots are made entirely of one material. As for the simpler models, for every day, but most often they use a combination of materials. It can be glass and metal or glass and plastic. The simplest example is a French press, in which the flask is always made of transparent glass, and all other elements are made of another material.

Often only the strainer differs in material. For example, a sieve made of fine metal mesh can be installed in both ceramic and glass models.

Which teapot to choose for the house?

It is rather difficult to answer this question. It's all about differences in preferences and use cases. If you do not take into account the design, the choice of which entirely depends on your taste or the overall design of the interior of the kitchen, then the recommendations can be given as follows.

A beautiful ceramic teapot is well suited for a festive table. Here you need to look at large-volume models so that the drink is enough for all guests at once.

For everyday home use, a French press, which is very easy to clean, or any other model with a strainer, is a very convenient option. The volume should be chosen based on the number of people in the family and the tradition of drinking: pour all fresh tea leaves into a cup or brew tea for several days in advance and dilute it in a cup with plenty of boiling water.

For true connoisseurs, small teapots will be an excellent choice, allowing you to prepare exactly one portion of the drink according to all the rules. Well, for those who simply prefer individual brewing, while not striving to observe all the subtleties, you can look at the teapot, complete with a lid and a ceramic strainer, or a special silicone teapot.

To get a full and multifaceted pleasure from the process of tea drinking, it is important not only to purchase high-quality tea, but also to brew it in the “right” dishes. Tea drinking traditions (Chinese, European, Japanese) provide for their own teapots, which differ from each other.

It is important to clearly understand that there are a huge number of varieties of tea in the world (according to the most conservative estimates - about 250). And for most of these ingredients, unique and often authentic teaware has been created. The issue of its choice should not be treated lightly, since this is the embodiment of age-old traditions of tea drinking, characteristic of a particular region.

Chinese tradition

From this article you will learn:

The highest quality Chinese products are traditionally made from Yixing clay, which is considered the best in the world. The production of Yixing teapots began in the 13th century. It was in those distant times that the Chinese Ming dynasty ruled the local provinces, which gave rise to the Chinese tradition of tea drinking.

The main feature of this pottery clay is the presence of a large number of useful trace elements that can have a beneficial effect on human health. Clay has a porous structure, due to which the temperature of the liquid is maintained for quite a long time.

Thanks to this, the drink is able to retain not only the unique taste, but also the aroma of tea for a long time. The walls in such a kettle heat up slightly, and this eliminates the risk of accidental burns.

In addition, there is no chance of cracking dishes due to rapid temperature changes. If you are dealing with Yixing teapots, it is extremely important to follow a few simple rules for their operation:

• clay is a strong natural absorbent that absorbs the aroma of tea during the first brewing;
• each subsequent brew saturates the drink with a primary aroma;
• experts from China claim that after a 5-year period, ordinary boiling water can be poured into a teapot made of such clay, and then enjoy a rich and fragrant drink;
• the cost of old products can be quite high;
• it is not necessary to brew several varieties of tea in one teapot, so that the clay is not saturated with extraneous aromas.

Japanese tradition

The Japanese tradition of tea drinking is also very popular. Its characteristic feature is the presence of its own unique tea utensils. Kettles in this country are usually made on the basis of cast iron with a special "tea alloy".

Back in the 12th century, one of the local feudal lords instructed to make dishes for himself using local cast iron. Gradually, "this recipe" spread throughout the country.

Cast iron teapots are best used for brewing high-quality and rich tea, which is strongly recommended to be set on a slow fire during preparation. In the vast majority of cases, we are talking about a product with a characteristic ellipsoidal shape. A distinctive feature of cast iron cookware is the ability to retain heat first-class.

Japanese products amaze the imagination with their unique design style of implementation, refinement of forms, delicately intertwined with a delicate aroma and unsurpassed taste.

European culture

In European culture, the dominant role is assigned to porcelain teapots, similar to mugs, as well as small grates into which tea leaves are poured. In the teapot for brewing, there must certainly be a small hole (in the lid). This is necessary so that the steam does not flow down the spout during cooling, forming a small puddle. This lid fits very tightly to the base of the kettle.

It should be noted that teas are known that must be brewed directly in glassware. In this case, we are talking about bound teas made in the form of small balls. Such raw materials are of exceptional quality. Tea is enjoyed not only through the taste buds, but also visually. Experts strongly recommend buying German-made tea utensils from high-quality German glass.

In the vast majority of the domestic open spaces, tea is prepared in ordinary faience dishes. Boiling water is brewed in standard metal teapots. As for the preparation of tea leaves, it is best to use porcelain or glass products.

Share your favorite tea recipe with our website readers!

Fake Montana watches and Chinese-made pencils that manage not to write have long since sunk into oblivion. Today, the Celestial Empire is honored and respected - and there is a reason for that! For example, it was the Chinese who came up with the perfect teapot - with many thoughtful nuances that guarantee convenience and excellent taste of the drink. Guided by Chinese wisdom, we will try to find the same on the shelves of modern Russian hypermarkets.

Material

Modern teapots are usually made of glass, metal, earthenware or porcelain. In terms of maintaining temperature and the quality of welding, the leader and outsider are immediately visible: porcelain is among the favorites due to its strength and ability to retain heat. Metal takes the last place in this rating - the temperature reaction during brewing often rewards tea with an unpleasant metallic aftertaste.

Glass performs better than others: it is almost ideal when it comes to its borosilicate variety or models of teapots with a double flask - such solutions are not only beautiful, but also leave tea leaves hot for a long time.

Shape, size and proportions

Classic approach: the teapot should be round! In extreme cases, cylindrical - like, for example, the flasks of well-known French presses. In fact, geometric wisdom does not play any role here: just when brewing, the tea leaf needs maximum space to turn around, and the ball is the best shape for this. A "cubic" teapot can fit the bill, too, if it's large enough. So the taste and color here again fade into the background: choose the largest capacity!

But with the nose of the case - you can’t imagine more seriously. For maximum convenience, it should not form a too wide jet, be high enough (so that the kettle can be filled to the brim) and not be too short. Plus, the spout should not drop drops of tea leaves after you have finished pouring it - however, it will be possible to check this only at the first tea party.

Approach the choice responsibly, otherwise the purchase will be overshadowed by tangible inconveniences - when pouring, the tea leaves will splash, which is unpleasant when your ceremonial table is covered with a snow-white tablecloth.

Welding technology

Getting rid of tea leaves is also not an easy task: for this, the spout must be equipped with a mesh filter. Another option is a sieve container, in which the brewing process itself takes place: particles are screened out already in the teapot flask. Such models are becoming more and more popular - not a single tea leaf will fall into your cup, and the container can be easily taken out and filled with fresh contents.
The third option is a special tea french press. In such teapots, tea leaves are pressed down to the bottom with a special press, the same press provides control of brewing. As soon as you lower the piston-press, as soon as the tea leaves are pressed to the bottom, the brewing process is suspended. The tea no longer gets stronger.

And, as a bonus, a few more nuances that will help you make the right choice:

It is enough to rinse the teapot with cold water - do not use detergents;

It is better if the kettle lid has a latch - if it is tilted too much, it will keep the lid from falling out.

Cast iron teapots are gaining more and more popularity - although they can be found infrequently. The material retains heat well and does not leave a "metallic" aftertaste in the drink;

To make tea drinking a real pleasure, good tea is not enough. You also need a good kettle! And a good kettle is one that is made of the right material, has a strainer at the base of the spout, fits your size, holds a drop, holds a lid, has a hole in the lid to let steam out, and at the same time you really, really like it. But first things first.

6 Signs of the Right Kettle

1. Strainer at the base of the spout. At the base of the spout, there must be a strainer that prevents tea leaves from entering the cup. When choosing a kettle, remove the lid and look inside. The best option is if instead of one hole you see several, and quite large ones. Small ones will be clogged with tea leaves.

2. Optimal volume. Calculating it is quite simple - one brewing should be enough for one full-fledged tea party, yours or your family's (depending on how many people you are counting on). After that, nothing should remain in the teapot - so that there is no temptation to drink old tea. For one person, a volume of 300 ml is usually sufficient.

3. The teapot is holding a drop. That is, immediately after you stop pouring tea leaves, it should stop pouring, and not dripping into a saucer or onto a tablecloth. Unfortunately, there are more and more "incontinence" teapots now, and they are so beautiful in appearance that it is very difficult not to buy them.

4. Reliable cover. It should be firmly attached to the teapot. To do this, in Eastern teapots, the lids are recessed and have a wide inner rim that securely holds this part from accidental drops. In European models, a small latch on the lid serves the same purpose.

5. Hole for steam outlet. Any teapot lid should have a small hole. Where exactly it will be - in the center or nearby - it does not matter. With it, you can check how tightly the lid of the kettle closes. To do this, close the kettle and plug the hole in the lid with your finger. After that, holding the lid, gently blow into the spout of the kettle. If the lid is tight, it will bounce slightly when you blow.

6. Comfortable handle. According to the width of the palm, irregular shape, with an extension at the top.

How to care for the kettle:

Do not leave the kettle with tea leaves until the morning: drank tea - washed
- do not rub it from the inside, just rinse with running water
- dry an open kettle without wiping or covering with anything
- do not store the kettle near strong-smelling objects

What material should a good teapot be made of?

Porcelain

It is considered an ideal material for a teapot. The main advantage is that porcelain heats up quickly and strongly, and also keeps the temperature of tea better than glass and ceramics - the drink remains hot for at least 15-20 minutes. Most often, black tea is brewed in it, using clay teapots for green tea. But if you are not yet ready to acquire a whole arsenal of different teapots, stop at the universal one - porcelain.

Clay

The best choice for any Chinese tea. Most often, green, yellow, white, oolong teas are brewed in clay teapots. Porous clay retains heat for a long time and quickly becomes saturated with the specific aroma of tea (if you do not wash the teapot after each tea drinking until it is clean), so it is best to brew only one type of tea in one teapot.

Glass

The most attractive option: through transparent glass you can observe the "secret life" of tea leaves. A glass teapot could be considered a universal replacement for a porcelain one, if not for three "buts". Firstly, such a teapot quickly becomes untidy. The natural tea sediment that forms on the walls is always in sight - which means that rinsing alone is not enough. You have to rub with soda. Secondly, transparent teapots are rarely pure glass - they often have plastic, wood or metal parts. Cheap materials can be deformed by heating or have their own smell, which is absolutely inappropriate here. And thirdly, glass teapots may not have a strainer.

It is better not to use metal teapots for brewing tea. The tannic acid contained in the leaves reacts with the iron, resulting in a metallic taste to the drink. By the way, this does not apply to coffee.

To make the right choice you will be helped by the specialists of the shop "Tea coffee ...". Here you can always choose for yourself any accessories for tea and coffee, and you can also find a wide variety of coffee, cocoa, including rare and exclusive varieties.

One of the virtues of the hospitable people of our beloved homeland is hospitality. Guests will always be greeted with smiles, fed, if appropriate, and, of course, given tea. In our country, this is not a stiff Chinese action, but a good-natured tradition, without which reception of guests is inconceivable.

Now tea bags are used almost everywhere in tea drinking, but many owners are switching to loose tea, which requires brewing in a teapot. Today we will tell you which teapot is better to buy and how to choose it.

Types of teapots

It happens that you come to the store, it would seem that you know why you came, but when you saw the choice presented, your eyes immediately ran wide.

So that this does not happen to you, and you would decide in advance which teapot is better to buy so that it meets your needs, we will analyze what teapots are, their advantages and disadvantages.

Glass teapot

The glass teapot has taken a strong position in the market due to its inexpensive price and a large number of design options.

Glass is combined with various materials, which gives manufacturers the opportunity to “play” with colors. All kinds of drawings are applied to teapots, both hand-painted and industrial-scale appliqué.

A glass teapot can be chosen for any, even the most sophisticated interior, there are very stylish models, there are simpler models.

Basically, this is not a very high price segment, although everywhere there are exceptions.

If you opt for glass teapots, then you will need a heating pad for the teapot, because glass has a high thermal conductivity and quickly gives off heat to the environment.

Glass teapot

porcelain teapot

Porcelain teapots are expensive and very beautiful. This is usually an author's work or a limited series, if it is a production.

Since childhood, we know that porcelain is very thin and therefore valuable, because with a small wall thickness it has a sufficient margin of safety. But this does not exclude the fact that it must be handled very carefully.

Porcelain heats up quickly and retains heat well, which is why tea is well brewed in it and reveals its aroma.

A sudden change in temperature can cause a porcelain teapot to crack, so warm the teapot with warm water before pouring boiling water.

porcelain teapot

Cast iron kettle

Cast iron teapots are a rarity at the table in our country, although such teapots have many advantages.

They have the fashionable shape of Chinese teapots, cast iron is durable and you don’t have to worry that it will crack from careless movement. It stands steadily on the table due to its considerable weight and flattened shape, but it definitely needs a stand so as not to leave melted marks on the table.

A cast-iron teapot heats up perfectly and retains heat, it makes sense to brew such teas in it that require long brewing and languishing. This kettle is 100% suitable for such purposes. In addition, it can be put on the stove and brew tea on fire.

For special originals, a cast-iron teapot can be taken outdoors and brewed tea on a fire. Very romantic and atmospheric.

cast iron teapot

French press

A French press is a good option for a teapot. Despite the fact that the shape and overall performance remains the same from model to model, the body around the glass flask has different designs and materials, which makes it possible to match such a kettle to the interior or to the character of the owner.

A wide variety of volumes of French press teapots allows you to use it both for a large company and for work, where you make tea only for yourself.

The filter built into the piston will not let a single tea leaf into your cup and will achieve maximum strength from the tea due to the press.

Since the flask where the tea is brewed is glass, you will need a heating pad for the kettle, otherwise you will not be able to get the best taste from the tea.

french press kettle

Ceramic (clay) teapot

A ceramic or earthenware teapot is very well suited for brewing any type of tea. It has a rounded shape, which allows the tea leaves to open freely. Also, this shape concentrates the taste and aroma inside the teapot and keeps the heat there.

The thermal conductivity of ceramic teapots is not as high as that of glass ones, so they are able to brew excellent tea without the help of special devices that retain heat.

Such a teapot absorbs the taste and aroma of tea and releases it in subsequent brewing, so it is better to use one type of tea for one such teapot. However, no one forbade experimenting with tastes either.

ceramic teapot

metal teapot

Metal teapots are made from stainless steel. Such teapots can be put on the fire and get strong brewed tea, but it will have a strange aftertaste that can be identified as metallic.

Such teapots can look stylish and suit the volume, but there is no escape from the alien taste, so you should not give preference to a metal teapot.

metal teapot

gongfu

The Gongfu teapot has a number of distinctive features from the classic vision of teapots. It has a glass body, but at the same time the container itself is divided into two compartments: upper and lower. Tea leaves are poured into the upper one and hot water is poured. At the end of the time set for brewing, a mechanism is activated that opens the passage between the upper and lower compartments, where only the filter remains. The brewed tea passes through the filter into the lower compartment and is drained or poured into cups.

Such a scheme of tea brewing brings together the Chinese traditions of tea drinking, where the first time or two brewed tea is drained and drunk only from the third brew, and new technologies that have simplified and speeded up the process of the tea ceremony.

gongfu kettle

Electric kettle

An electric teapot can be attributed to another technological kitchen gadget along with a slow cooker, toaster, yogurt maker and so on.

The main catch is the price, of course, it is much cheaper to buy a regular kettle than an electric one. In addition, it does not suit everyone in style, and sometimes a ceramic teapot creates much more comfort and a spiritual atmosphere than an electric one, which is so appreciated by our people.

But such a kettle also has undeniable advantages, which appeared precisely due to the fact that it is electric. Do you need a certain temperature to make tea? Please. Tea is scheduled for eight, but it is preceded by dinner and conversation, from which you can not tear yourself away? Timer at your service.

It is very convenient that the functions of boiling water and brewing tea are combined, that is, instead of two actions, one is performed, which significantly saves time. And the keep warm function is also useful to many.

Electric kettle

How to choose a teapot?

In addition to the types of teapots presented, it is important to know some more points that may affect the choice. Based on your requests and the properties of a particular teapot, the choice will be conscious and knowledgeable.

Form

It is not for nothing that almost every home has round-shaped Soviet teapots. It is this form that contributes to the maximum disclosure of the drink, better infusion, as well as uniform distribution and preservation of heat.

The "pot-bellied" shape is indispensable for brewing good, expensive teas, the taste of which is really worth enjoying. In addition, the spherical shape determines the correct opening of the tea leaf, which makes the drink even more fragrant and rich.

For everyday brewing of popular loose leaf tea of ​​any well-known brand, any kettle, including a French press, is suitable. Although it does not have a special form, it has a lot of other advantages.

Filter

The filter in the kettle is a thing, although optional, but very necessary and useful. Nobody likes tea leaves, so there are many different ways to seep tea without them.

Filter in housing design

The first is the built-in filter. These are small holes in ceramic, for example, teapots in the area where the spout is attached to the body, which trap the leaves in the teapot and prevent them from rising up to the spout.

The advantage of such a filter is that it is built-in, no additional devices are required. Among the minuses is the poor permeability of the brewed tea itself, because the brewing famously clogs the holes and blocks the admission of water into the spout of the teapot.

Strainer

For those kettles that do not have such filters, there are strainers. These are metal, not always, hemispherical containers with many holes, which are attached to the outside of the spout by means of metal "whiskers" and trap the tea leaves that come out of it along with the tea. These strainers were used by our grandparents, but this method is still not outdated, but, on the contrary, has become fashionable as an old school.

The advantage of such a device is that it can be changed from teapot to teapot if the previous one becomes unusable. It can be quickly cleaned and rinsed in case it becomes clogged, while the tea in the teapot remains as it was.

The downside is that this strainer is quite small and can get clogged up quickly if you are using loose leaf tea. In addition, it gets dirty quickly due to tea sediment, so wash it more often to keep it looking decent.

Replaceable filter container

Next in line is a replacement filter. Replaceable in the sense that it is removed and inserted into the kettle again after it has been rinsed. Quite easy to use, although you need to pay attention to the material from which it is made. If it is a metal, then it is possible that the tea will acquire a characteristic metallic taste. High-quality plastic in this case is preferable.

Such a filter has a sufficient volume and differs from the previous ones in that it does not prevent the passage of tea leaves from the teapot, but is a container into which tea leaves are poured and only pure brewed tea is present in the teapot. The volume of such a filter is usually sufficient for well-brewed tea.

However, keep in mind that there can be no question of any correct disclosure of taste and tea leaves, since in a limited space the tea is tightly to each other and opens as it should.

Replaceable or built-in filter at the spout

There are also filters that, like a mustache, block the exit of tea leaves from the kettle. It can be a separate filter inserted into the grooves near the kettle spout or built-in, located on the kettle lid. A rather convenient filter, if its size is optimal: not very thick, so as not to let the tea leaves through, and not very small, so as not to clog at every convenient and inconvenient occasion.

Volume

You will use the second kettle to drink all the guests, not to suffer from a shortage of brewed tea and not to switch to teabags. Such a kettle can easily be taken with a volume of two liters. The tea in it will be updated quite often and will not lose its properties, because the conventional wisdom is that after three hours of infusion, tea is already less useful and even harmful due to the toxins it has produced.

teapot manufacturers

There are not so many good manufacturers of mass-oriented teapots among the popular mass-market teapot manufacturers, and most of them represent the full range of metal pots, including teapots. Below we will look at the most popular of them.

Mayer Boch

Mayer Boch is a major manufacturer of tableware of all kinds. In particular, it represents teapots of almost any model on the market. The company is focused on satisfying the demand of the maximum number of consumers in terms of assortment, but not always in terms of quality. Since it sells economy-class dishes, it bribes the buyer with price and choice, not quality.

Gipfel

Gipfel utensils, including teapots, have a rather dubious reputation, mainly because they hide the country of origin and from time to time differ in testimony on this matter.

As for teapots, they represent a fairly wide range of metal, glass and cast iron teapots. Prices cannot be called budget, so you should think about whether to purchase Gipfel products.

Taller

Taller is an English company whose reputation is not obscure, like that of previous manufacturers. She specializes in metal utensils and tableware. Among the teapots there are both metal and glass specimens with a metal strainer.

When choosing a kettle from this company, remember about the possible metallic taste in the first, in the second case.

Fissman

The Russian manufacturer of tableware Fissman entered the market not so long ago, but has already firmly established itself and is actively developing its retail network. Teapots are popular models here, including French presses and ceramic ones. The choice of colors and models claims to be stylish, and the prices are budget.

Vitesse

Vitesse has Russian roots, but claims to be called a French company. It produces many types of metal utensils, as well as medium-sized household appliances. As for the quality of products, one thing is clear - the dishes are clearly not eternal, they have a very definite, not very long, service life.

Teapots are predominantly in glass or metal, there are French presses and even one cast iron teapot. Models are quite stylish, the volume is usually small.

wilmax

White porcelain teapots from Wilmax are enchanting. There is a huge number of shapes and design solutions, teapots are different in volume and decorative elements. Remarkably, with all the variety of choices, the color remains exclusively white, which looks very stylish in the presence of the entire range of table setting.

Wilmax specializes only in all kinds of white porcelain products, and the prices are more than affordable.

Where to buy a teapot?

It is better to buy teapots in specialized stores that sell branded tea and coffee by weight, or in good glassware stores.

In hypermarkets, you can also easily find an inexpensive teapot for daily use. Such teapots are produced on an industrial scale, are used everywhere and quite successfully cope with their task.