Best Teapots in 2020: Buying Guide & Review

Are you a tea lover and looking for a kitchen appliance that enables you to brew your tea with a particularly intense flavor? Then a teapot is the right choice for you. But which factors should you consider when buying?

In our best teapot guide of 2020, we present you the best and latest models from the respective categories. 

We will also give you important tips and tricks on the subject of tea preparation. 

Whether teapots made of porcelain, glass, cast iron, clay, ceramic or stainless steel, you will find the best teapots on the market with us.

Best Teapot Essentials

• Teapots are ideal for making tea with the help of tea leaves or a tea mixture. Well-known manufacturers of teapots include Bodum, Willow & Everett and Teaposy.
• Glass teapots and porcelain pots should be used for white or green tea, and ceramic pots for black tea.
• When choosing the right teapot, the material, the capacity, the weight and the choice of your tea type play an important role.

Willow & Everett glass teapot with the best price-performance ratio

The Willow & Everett glass teapot is one of the absolute bestsellers among tea makers. This is not only due to the low price but also to the corresponding performance that the product brings with it. A worthwhile, low-risk investment for people who are new to teapots.

The Willow & Everett glass teapot is literally one of the gigantic tea makers. This makes it particularly suitable for families who want to prepare large quantities of tea. The teapot holds a maximum of 1.8 litres and weighs only half a kilo. A good ratio and with dimensions of 25.4 x 21.2 x 20.4 cm easy to handle, even when completely filled.

The vessel is made of heat-resistant glass, whereas the lid and the sieve are made of stainless steel. This enables the preparation of loose tea and tea mixtures and easy pouring into the cup.

CnGlass Glass Tea Kettle – the best glass teapot

It seems like the spirit of the classic teapot has been risen, paired with a few modern extras. Because the CnGlass Glass teapot is made entirely of glass and with its classic shape is reminiscent of older kettles. 

The artful processing of the glass gives the tea maker a modern touch and makes it a real eye-catcher.

The dimensions are 20.8 x 17.8 x 17 cm and a capacity of about one litre, it has a comfortable size. It weighs about 600 grams and is in the good average range in this regard.

So if you don’t have shaky hands and are good at handling glass, there is actually not much in the way of a purchase.

Hiware Glass Teapot – The best teapot for everyday use

The Hiware Glass Teapot impresses with its easy handling and unusual shape. Because this is less reminiscent of a pear, as in classic teapots, but of an apple.

Apart from the unique design, the Hiware Glass Teapot offers some extras. What distinguishes the Hiware Glass Teapot from comparable products is the press filter system. This will stop the brewing process by separating the water from the tea leaves.

The spherical vessel is made of borosilicate glass. A material that is ideal for tea makers because it is tasteless and heat-resistant. This enables long-term and high-quality tea preparation. The filter is made of BPA-free plastic and is therefore harmless.

However, he is a bit smaller than his colleagues. With dimensions of 14.2 x 19.4 x 14.8 cm, it only holds 1litre of liquid. Accordingly, the weight is very low at just under 400 g.

Hwagui Japanese Cast Iron Teapot – the best cast iron teapot/kettle

The visually appealing Asian cast iron teapot is available in 600 ml, 800 ml and 1200 ml. 

It is suitable for gas, electric, ceramic and induction hobs. To protect against burns, the jug contains a thread on the handle and a plastic ball on the lid.

The iron kettle can enrich the hot water with iron, which can counteract high blood pressure if it is absorbed. 

In order to keep the tea warm even longer, a warmer can be bought. This teapot contains a removable, fine-mesh strainer for loose tea.

Bodum Bistro Nouveau Tea Pot – the best little teapot

With its cylindrical shape, the Bistro Nouveau is less reminiscent of a classic teapot. However, it prepares your tea at least as well as conventional varieties.

With dimensions of 13.7 x 13.3 x 18.7 cm, the tea maker is one of the smaller models. The weight and capacity are accordingly. With a weight of 399 g, the Bistro Nouveau holds 1 litre. Ideal for a few cups of tea.

The glass surface allows you to watch the tea unfold its effect. 

You can see your tea slowly colouring the water with its specific colour. The filter that makes this possible is made of BPA-free plastic.

Teapot Buying Guide: Thing to Consider

How does a teapot work?

The primary goal of a teapot is to prepare your tea so that it tastes as good as possible. The specific design enables the aroma of each type of tea to be optimally absorbed by the tea and offers a unique taste experience.

You can also decide what effect your tea should have based on the brewing time.

Sequence	Method
Step 1	Fill the teapot with hot / boiling water.
Step 2	The steeping time also depends on the heat of the water. The hotter, the shorter the steeping time. In addition, the same temperature cannot be used for every tea. Black tea needs hot water while green tea needs slightly cooler water.
Step 3	Add the tea leaves. The more tea leaves you add to the water, the stronger the tea will taste.
Step 4	Now you have to let the tea steep first. It should be noted that with a long brewing time, the tea gets a more intense taste. With a steeping time of 10 minutes, the tea has a calming effect, if it is only 2-4 minutes, the tea is more waking up. Again, you should pay attention to the type of tea.

How much does a teapot cost?

The price of a teapot varies greatly depending on the material and capacity. Depending on whether you are a real tea connoisseur and value good tea, or whether you boil tea from time to time, you should spend more or less on a pot.

Starting at around ten euros, individual top products reach prices of 30 euros – in some cases even 50 euros. 

Glass jugs are usually a little cheaper. For materials such as stainless steel and porcelain, the prices increase due to their special properties.

Which teapot should I use for which tea?

This question will raise some questions for most readers. But the choice of teapot, more precisely the material, actually has an impact on the taste of your tea. 

A distinction is made between glass, cast iron, copper, stainless steel, ceramics, earthenware, silver, brass and porcelain.

So that you can make the right choice, we have summarized the optimal materials for the individual types of tea:

• Green and white tea = glass or porcelain
• Large-leaved tea = ceramic
• (Black tea = porcelain)

As a rule, porcelain pots can be used for all types of tea. You should only be careful not to prepare mild teas in the same container as stronger teas. 

Otherwise, the taste of a mild variety will be affected. It’s best to only drink one type of tea from the same porcelain pot.

What types of teapots are there and which one is right for you?

There are basically three types of teapots:

• Porcelain teapot
• Glass teapot
• Cast iron teapot
• Clay or ceramic teapot
• Stainless steel teapot

Tea is a very popular hot drink. Every tea drinker has their own favourite teas. The drink can have a relaxing, awakening or energizing effect. When or how you drink it is entirely up to you.

According to the teapot, it is important that drinking tea becomes a pleasure only through the right preparation.

He recommends using only domestic tap water, as you already know this taste and finds it neutral. In addition, water containing chlorine should bubble for at least three minutes so that chlorine and lime can settle.

Another tip to improve the taste of the tea is to make the tea strong. It is better to put one teabag or teaspoon too much in the teapot. To improve the taste afterwards as needed, the tea can be served with sugar, rock candy, a lemon, milk or cream.

Tea Maker

However, in order for your tea to develop its full flavor, you need the right teapot. There are many types of teapots on the market and each of them lets you enjoy your tea differently. 

In the following section, we will explain the advantages and disadvantages of the respective jugs and hope to make your choice easier for you.

Pros and Cons of Porcelain Teapot

Porcelain teapots have been around for over 1000 years. They are still very popular. This is mainly due to their appearance. Porcelain pots are very aesthetic and usually have beautiful decorations. This makes them a real eye-catcher.

They have a glaze. This ensures that the surface of the pot does not take on the taste or smell of the tea. That makes it a good universal jug in which you can prepare different types of tea without any problems.

Porcelain teapots are not good insulators, which means that the tea gets cold quickly. In addition, the aroma can quickly evaporate because they are not odor-proof. The beautiful aesthetic comes at an increased price. They are more expensive than other teapots.

Any tea can be prepared with the porcelain teapot. Especially the black tea preparation is very popular.

Pros and Cons of Glass Teapot

Glass teapots are not necessarily traditional, but they are still very popular. Their greatest advantage is that they are transparent so that you can watch the tea. Experts can then tell from the color of the tea alone whether it is ready or not.

Due to the sealed surface, the glass teapot never absorbs the taste or smell of the tea and can therefore be used as a universal pot. Cleaning is very easy as glass teapots are dishwasher safe.

Glass is not a good insulator, which is why the tea cools down quickly. It’s also quite sensitive to heat. If the temperature is too high, this can lead to breaks in the glass.

You should be especially careful when using a warmer to keep things warm. Glass teapots are basically easy to clean, but you can see marks on the glass immediately. Therefore, you need to clean them more often than other jugs.

Glass teapots are particularly suitable for herbal and fruit teas.

Pros and Cons of Cast Iron Teapot

Cast iron teapots have a special look. The surface is particularly suitable for elaborate patterns and ornaments. That turns many of these jugs into small works of art. They have a long tradition in Asia and they are becoming more popular with us every year.

The material ensures even heat distribution and heat storage. This will keep your tea warm for a particularly long time. 

Cast iron teapots have a long lifespan. When buying, you should make sure that the teapot has an enamel layer.

This protects against rust. It also prevents the ingestion of taste and smell. These cans can then be used as universal cans.

Cast iron teapots are slightly more expensive than other types. Cast iron gets very hot quickly, so watch out for burns. 

A pot without an enamel layer is not suitable for several types of tea and rusts quickly. This means that it then has to be cleaned more often, as the rust would otherwise distort the taste of the tea.

Cast iron teapots are perfect for Oolong, black, herbal and fruit teas.

Pros and Cons of Ceramic Teapot

Teapots made of clay or ceramic have a long tradition in Asia. They have been around here for over 1000 years. They have good insulating properties. The tea is kept warm for a long time.

These jugs are very beautiful and get more beautiful over time as they slowly take on the color of the tea. They are also made cheaply and you can get a very attractive teapot for relatively little money.

The big advantage these teapots have is the material itself. It gives off minerals when making tea and thus ensures a unique taste. 

The pot adapts more and more to the type of tea used because the surface absorbs the colour and aroma of the tea.

This is why these teapots can only be used for one type of tea, otherwise the taste would mix. Clay or ceramic teapots are very sensitive to bumps and breakage and you should handle them carefully.

They are small and have a low capacity as they are designed to be infused several times in a row. You should use clay or ceramic teapots for making green, oolong, and white teas.

Pros and Cons of Stainless Steel Teapot

Stainless steel teapots are usually less used in private households. They are more likely to be used in restaurants and businesses. Their biggest plus is their good insulation. 

Similar to cast iron teapots, they can keep the tea warm for a long time. They are very stable and unbreakable.

Stainless steel teapots are visually less appealing and are usually only used because of their good insulation. After a while they take on the taste and smell of the tea.

Therefore, you should only use one type of tea with it. They don’t refine the taste of the drink like other teapots. All types of tea are suitable for stainless steel teapots.

Buying Criteria: Factors to compare and rate teapots

Most teapots appear to be relatively similar on the whole. Most customers, therefore, tend to buy the cheapest product. 

Consequently, the disappointment is also great if the teapot does not offer the added value that you expected. In order to save you a bad buy, we have summarized the most important criteria that play an important role in addition to the price.

The most important factors include:

• Item weight
• Capacity
• material
• Is Integrated filter available?

What exactly we mean by these properties and why we have chosen them, we have explained for you below.

Item weight

The weight is of course self-explanatory. This means the weight that the product puts on the scales without content. A good balance should be found here on the part of the manufacturer.

If the teapot is too light, there is a risk that the container will not stand firmly on the surface. This can be particularly dangerous when decanting from the kettle into the container. 

On the one hand, the teapot can slip off the worktop, on the other hand, it has to be held in place when pouring it around. Scalding is inevitable in this case.

On the other hand, the teapot shouldn’t be too heavy, so that the transfer from the tea maker into the cup does not cause any difficulties. It should be noted here that fully filled teapots can put on some weight.

Capacity

The right choice of capacity depends on your daily tea consumption. Or your family and roommates don’t want to do without good tea either, so it is advisable to buy a variant that can absorb more water accordingly.

The capacity of various teapots ranges from 0.5 liters to up to two liters for the largest models. Depending on the decision, you should also ensure that the appropriate amount of tea is put into the filter. You can find out how much you should ideally add in the guide above.

Most of the teapots have a bulbous shape to ensure a higher capacity. This advantage makes the jug more manageable, as it is wider than it is high, and it also looks very appealing.

Material

It has already been mentioned in the guide. Depending on your tea preferences, you should choose the right material for your teapot. Because it has a decisive influence on the taste.

We differentiate between:  glass, cast iron, copper, stainless steel, ceramics, earthenware, silver, brass and porcelain. You can find out which one is best for your tea in the guide . The most common materials used are glass, stainless steel and porcelain.

Integrated filter

An integrated tea filter is essential for a good teapot. Ultimately, this offers added value and enables the perfect tea to be prepared.

The filter is located directly under the lid. The tea mixture is added and takes effect after the hot water is poured in. Alternatively, tea leaves can be used instead of the tea mixture. These have the advantage that they can be used several times.

You can use almost any tea thanks to the integrated filter. Even dried herbs can be optimally prepared into a tea with this auxiliary utensil.

Facts worth knowing about teapots

How do I prepare tea?

When you have found the right teapot, you should pay attention to the correct preparation of your tea. Depending on which type of tea you prefer, the right amount, water temperature and steeping time play an important role.

Variety	Amount of tea/liter	Water Temperature	Brewing time
Green tea	8 – 12g	80 – 90°C	15 minutes
Fruit tea	15-20g	100°C	5 – 10 minutes
Black tea	10-15g	100°C	3 minutes
Herbal tea	12 – 18g	100°C	5 – 8 minutes
Rooibos tea	7-10g	80 – 90°C	3 – 5 minutes

Who invented the teapot?

With tea cultivation early in much of Asia, it is impossible to say who invented the first teapot. First records go back to the 14th century.

The teapot as we know it, with its typical spout and pear-shaped vessel, was first found in the 17th century. 

The English came up with this idea and introduced it in various countries. This led to the worldwide development of a tea culture that was shaped by different traditions.

The long-established structure of the teapot has proven itself to this day and has hardly changed. The design alone has adapted slightly to customer needs.

How do I clean a teapot?

It goes without saying that there are always deposits on teapots. To ensure a long-lasting tea experience, it should be cleaned accordingly. However, you should avoid using aggressive detergents, as these attack the surface material.

Lemon juice is a suitable alternative to washing-up liquid. Ideally, you can pour this with hot water from the kettle into the container and leave it for a few hours.

The citric acid ensures that the deposits dissolve through the tea and that they do not adulterate the taste if you use it again.