Steep Your Tea with Decorative Ceramic Teapots

Over the last several centuries, there haven’t been a lot of changes in the basic ceramic teapot. They did get larger; mostly because tea became both more available and more affordable. Originally they had a built in strainer at the inside end of the spout, to catch the tea leaves before they fell into the cup. Many of your Chinese teapots are still made that way.

It is interesting to note that, while the United Kingdom considers tea to be the national beverage, it was not among the first countries to adopt the brew. From China it traveled to Portugal, and then made its way through Europe before the British started using it.

Ceramic teapots are not just great for brewing the perfect cup of tea…they are also a wonderful accessory to your kitchen or dining room. They come in so many styles, colors, and patterns that it is impossible not to find just the right one to help carry through you decorating theme and accent your colors.

From a pragmatic point of view, teapots also need to have good balance, have a lid in the top that doesn’t fall out when you are pouring your tea, and have a well designed spout that doesn’t dribble all over your table.

When pouring tea, which is a very serious ceremony in many cultures, the pot need to look graceful while not being too delicate, and must be sturdy enough to hold boiling hot water without being too heavy to lift and pour with one hand.

A ceramic teapot manages to be both beautiful and elegant while still performing as a fine tea brewing machine. It has a very specific structure, which is not too tall or too wide. The base has to be large enough for the teapot to sit securely on a surface. If it is too tall it can get top heavy, and when it is too wide it makes pouring difficult for you.

The thickness of the pot itself is also important. If the ceramic is too thin, the pot can break when you pour boiling water into it. But if the walls are too thick, there isn’t enough room to brew a decent pot of tea, and it becomes too heavy to lift using that handle.

The handle is strong enough for a reasonable pot when it is placed halfway around the teapot from its spout.

You will note that a good ceramic teapot will have a spout that is smooth inside and is narrower at the tip. The angle has to be correct, and the tip of the spout should be higher than the top of the pot. This makes for easy pouring. The lid is designed to keep it in place when pouring your tea. You shouldn’t have to hold the lid with your other hand.

If you check online, you will be amazed at the variety of patterns and colors available to you in ceramic teapots!