Teapots 101

August 27th, 2007, 10:31 am

Teapots

Teapots may be used to brew black teas, herbal teas, green teas, or any number of specialty teas. Teapots should be distinguished from tea kettles, as the former is used exclusively for steeping tea and the latter is used for heating water. Teapots have been around for well over a thousand years in Asia, but it wasn’t until the Europeans discovered a way to make (hard paste) porcelain that teapots would start being created in Europe. Teapots have been done in every possible design trend and most interestingly, the novelty design teapot was first introduced way back in the 1820s.

Clay

Ceramic teapot is prepared from clay that is heated at a high temperature in a furnace. The body of clay that remains permeable even after firing is used for creating terracotta flower-pots. All the tea pots are made from red sand clay which is found very deep in the ground.

China

Teapots are available in ceramic, glass, clay, stainless steel, bone china, etc. Bone china is made using a different type of clay containing feldspare that makes the china a translucent white. Light does not pass through earthenware like it does bone china. Bone china is made using a different type of clay containing feldspare that makes the china a translucent white.

Teas

Most black teas are best brewed in stoneware teapots rather than teapots made of metals or porcelain. Lighter teas such as herbal infusions and green teas work well with porcelain teapots. Oolong tea, a tea midway between green and black teas, is best brewed in an Yixing teapot, a special type of clay teapot produced in the Jiangsu province of China.

Why use Tea Forte’s Silken-Tea-Infusers?

July 12th, 2007, 10:11 pm

Silken-Tea-Infusers are individually hand crafted, and provide the world’s finest method to brew a cup of tea. The open weave of the fabric allows the water to flow freely around the teas, allowing the tea leaves to unfurl and the flavors to mingle in the large open form of the infuser. We use only exquisite whole-leaf teas and rough cut herbs and our unique design allows the subtle flavors of these fine teas to infuse into the water. It’s like brewing a pot of tea in your cup!

Unwrap the protective cover and stand the infuser in your cup. Pour boiling water in and exquisite tea starts to brew, the infuser maintains its elegant form, and the upward lifted leaf and cotton stem creates a handle. A feast for all the senses, Tea Forte is quite possibly the finest, most elegant cup of tea of all time.