Small Teapots

Small teapots made using all types of ceramics are well suited to brewing tea since they are easy to maintain and excellent for heat retention. Since porcelain is the hardest and thinnest ceramic type and offers more design flexibility it is generally preferred for more refined and elegant teapots. Chinese and other Asian cultures have traditionally preferred small teapots which westerners refer to as “personal size teapots,” normally holding 2 cups of liquid. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, workers carried smaller “personal tea pots” to prepare tea throughout the day. Since tea was expensive, they brewed the same whole tea leaves several times storing them in their pots and simply adding hot water for tea breaks. Steeping in smaller pots had many advantages: it assured the tea was hot when poured, allowed maximum use of every leaf, limited bitterness and made brewing more precise since the water was infused with flavor faster and could be drained from the leaves all at once. Small volumes of water also provided more temperature control and allowed the tea to cool quickly for drinking. Drinking tea was and continues to be a very social and calming activity, and small pots encourage fellow imbibers to stay and continue conversation through many short infusions. In China and Japan small porcelain cat-shaped teapots have been very fashionable since the late 19th and early 20th centuries.