Teapots are the essential teatime tool for all types of tea lovers. Whether you’re an occasional sipper or a tea enthusiast, making a pot of tea represents the most important qualities of the simple drink: it’s shareable, meditative, and calming.
Being able to brew 2, 4, or even 6 cups of tea at once is the perfect way to embrace the community aspect of tea and connect with people over delicious cuppas and good conversation. Plus, teapots are functional and one of the best ways to steep tea. The lids keep in all the amazing aroma and the space inside a teapot allows loose tea leaves to unfurl, bloom, and expand while steeping for the best flavor.
In this comprehensive guide, learn all about the best teapots to discover which type of teapot is perfect for your teatime routine!
Sips by is a personalized tea discovery subscription. Each month, we match tea drinkers across the U.S. with delicious teas from over 150 global tea brands that we’re sure they’ll love. Members receive 4 teas chosen just for them in every box. Learn more about our tea subscription service.
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TYPES OF TEAPOTS
LOOSE LEAF TEAPOT
Technically, all types of teapots can be loose leaf teapots, but certain teapots make brewing loose leaf tea a breeze. Teapots with strainers, filter teapots, or infusing teapots will have some type of tea filters built-in to the teapot. Usually this is a large fine mesh basket that can be easily removed after your tea is done steeping. These are convenient for easy clean-up when making loose leaf tea, simple pouring, and it helps you to not over steep your tea.
PORCELAIN TEAPOT
Porcelain teapots are one of the most classic teapot styles, made from clay fired at the highest temperature. Porcelain teapots have a glass-like quality and are often painted with beautiful patterns. If you go out to an afternoon tea or a nice restaurant and order tea, you’ll most likely have it served in a decorative porcelain teapot. These special teapots are fine and delicate, yet easy to handle as the heat rarely transfers to the handles.
CAST IRON TEAPOT
Cast iron is one of the most durable teapot materials. Cast iron kettles and teapots were crafted in Japan in the late 16th century, becoming an integral part of Japanese tea ceremonies. Cast iron metal teapots are differentiated by an enamel lining, and are incredibly durable and have great heat retention. They can be used to brew any type of tea, but they are perfect for brewing Japanese green teas like Sencha and Gyokuro. This type of teapot can last you a lifetime if you take care of it properly. To clean a cast iron teapot, you should only rinse them out with warm water and wipe dry, never using soap.
Pick up some delicious loose leaf tea to steep in your favorite teapot with your own Sips by Box.
GLASS TEAPOT
Glass teapots are the most aesthetically pleasing teapots. Because they’re completely transparent, it makes them perfect for steeping color-changing teas, herbal teas with flowers like Tea Fiori's Tuscan Dreams, or large leaf teas that will unfurl in the steeping process. Also, if you enjoy blooming teas, glass teapots are a necessity to fully appreciate the steeping process of those novelty teas. The downside to glass teapots is that it’s best to clean them as soon as possible after finishing your tea as they can stain easily.
METAL TEAPOT
Stainless steel metal teapots are sleek, durable, and classic teapots. They are often dishwasher safe and typically come with attached infusers for convenient loose leaf brewing. While some metal teapots can give a slight metallic taste to your tea if it sits for too long, most high quality metal teapots are neutral to taste.
STONEWARE TEAPOT
Stoneware is one of the best teapot materials and these teapots are made from ceramic, a medium-fired clay. Stoneware teapots are easy to shape so they come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, and when glazed, they come in many colors and patterns. If your stoneware teapot has a glassy glaze, it will be quite non-porous with thick walls and zero flavor transfer. Generally, they are more durable than porcelain or earthenware teapots. Stoneware teapots are great for steeping all types of teas, but work especially well for darker teas that you would want to re-steep.
Pick up some delicious loose leaf tea to steep in your favorite teapot with your own Sips by Box.
TEAPOT VS TEA KETTLE
WHAT IS A TEAPOT?
The first teapots were Yixing (pronounced “E-Shing”) pots made in China dating back to 1500 AD, but were likely made before then. They were crafted from purple-red clay and were the first pots made specifically for brewing tea. The British imported teapots from China in the mid 1600s and their popularity spread worldwide. Since then, teapots are now made in more shapes, sizes, materials, and colors than we could ever imagine. Keep reading to find the best teapot styles for you!
The main difference between teapots and tea kettles is that teapots should only ever be used for steeping tea and never for heating or boiling water.
WHAT IS A TEA KETTLE?
A tea kettle is a pot specifically made for boiling water. The two main types of tea kettles are stovetop kettles and electric kettles. Stovetop kettles are usually made from stainless steel or copper, like this Raven Stovetop Tea Kettle. The benefit of electric tea kettles, usually made from metal or glass, is that they boil water extremely quickly so you’ll have your cup of tea ready in minutes!
Check out these cute and functional teapots and tea kettles!
TYPES OF TEAPOT STRAINERS
If you’re steeping tea bags in your teapot, you don’t need to worry about loose leaves floating around as you can just take out your tea bags once it’s done brewing. However, when making loose leaf tea in a teapot, you’ll need a teapot strainer, a teapot steeper, or a teapot infuser to make sure your leaves don’t get into your teacup while pouring. Some teapots come with removable infuser baskets already inside the teapots, but don’t worry if your favorite type of teapot doesn’t have one! There are tons of options to help keep your loose tea leaves contained.
If you want the benefit of your high quality loose tea leaves but don’t want the mess, try these large biodegradable filters that are just like making your own tea bags. Or, if you only want to strain your leaves after it’s done brewing, try a teapot strainer that rests on your cup or can be held over it when pouring and catches all of your leaves. Tea infusers are made from fine mesh or have small holes so they can be filled with most types of teas and dunked into your cups or teapots like a tea bag. These types of reusable infusers come on a stick or a chain for easy removal. This adorable gold star infuser is perfect for small 2-cup teapots.
Try out these cute and functional filters, infusers, and strainers.
BEST TEAPOTS & TEA KETTLES
BEST TEAPOT FOR LOOSE TEA
Sips by’s Glass Teapot with Infuser is the best teapot for making loose leaf tea. This little teapot is both whimsical and practical. Cute designs take your tea party game to the next level, while the infuser makes preparation easy and mess-free. Dress up your kitchen or tea table.
BEST STOVETOP KETTLE
Fellow's Raven Stovetop Tea Kettle takes your tea game to the next level. This sleek and modern stovetop tea kettle is the perfect accessory for any kitchen. Both high design and highly functional, Fellow’s stovetop tea kettle includes a thermometer and an integrated tea filter, so you can heat your water and steep your tea in the same teapot.
BEST ELECTRIC KETTLE
The Stagg Electric Tea Kettle has all of the features we recommend to brew your favorite types of tea. This electric kettle has a gooseneck spout and variable temperature control to help you take your brew game to the next level.
BEST 2-IN-1 TEAPOT & TEA KETTLE
The Fellow Raven Stovetop Tea Kettle is a modern stovetop tea kettle that's the perfect accessory for any kitchen. Both high design and highly functional, Fellow’s stovetop tea kettle includes a thermometer and an integrated tea filter, so you can heat your water and steep your tea in the same teapot. The Fellow Kettle comes in matte black and polished copper. Make tea and look good while doing so.
BEST CLASSIC TEAPOT
This glass teapot is the perfect teapot with an infuser for tea lovers. Pick a moon, heart, or star porcelain lid to personalize your teapot!
HOW TO MAKE TEA ON THE STOVE
Learn how to make tea in a pot on the stove or in a stovetop tea kettle in minutes!
HOW TO MAKE TEA ON THE STOVE
Makes 2-4 servings // Prep Time: 10 minutes // Cook Time: 3-5 minutes
What You'll Need
- 4 cups filtered water
- Loose leaf tea/tea bags/sachets
- Stovetop kettle or medium pot with lid
Directions
Fill your medium pot or stovetop tea kettle with 4 cups of water and cover with lid. Set to medium-high heat.
It will usually take 8-10 minutes to start boiling, around 2 minutes per cup of water. Once boiling, remove the pot or kettle from the heat and let cool for 1-2 minutes.
Now you’re ready to steep your tea! Always follow the steeping instructions on your tea package first, but if you don’t have those handy follow our How to Make Loose Leaf Tea guide or watch our How to Steep Tea videos to learn how to steep every type of tea properly. Depending on the type of tea, the general range for steeping will be about 1 tsp per cup of hot water, steeped for 3-5 minutes.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Shop Loose Leaf Tea
Discover the best loose leaf teas as rated by Sips by's tea-loving Members. Across all tea types, from black tea to green tea to herbal tea and more, these are the best loose leaf teas from different tea brands around the world. Find your favorite loose leaf tea - no matter the type or flavor of loose leaf tea you're searching for, Sips by has options you'll love. Discover your new favorite loose leaf tea, as well as disposable tea bag kits to make brewing loose leaf tea easy.
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About Sips by: We’re a female-founded and led startup that makes discovering tea fun, personalized, and affordable. The Sips by Box is the only multi-brand, personalized tea subscription box. Each month, we match tea drinkers across the U.S. with delicious teas from over 150 global tea brands that we’re sure they’ll love. Based out of Austin, Texas, we are adept at savoring a hot mug even when it’s seasonally inappropriate.