TeaChat

What do you think of glass teapots, like those in Dragon tea house's ebay store? Does the glass alter the taste noticeably? I already own a gaiwan, but sometimes I just wish I had a teapot for Chinese teas, especially when I have to make larger infusions if I'm not the only one I am brewing for.

Glass is neutral in terms of taste, so they're good to use for everything.

As far as I am concerned, glass pots are ugly but can be practical.

Poohblah wrote:As far as I am concerned, glass pots are ugly but can be practical.

Depending on the type of tea you are brewing, a glass pot will allow you to see the leaves unfurl / re-infuse. Some people enjoy this.

Best wishes,
sherubtse

I love the glass, it makes getting a feel for brewing a tea much easier for me. The one downside is that they don't retain heat well. I didn't think this would be an issue, but I don't use mine much now because of this.

brose wrote:The one downside is that they don't retain heat well.

I find this is actually a virtue of glass. That's one reason why I call glass "practical". Thick ceramic pots tend to cook the leaves.

Sherbtse - yes, you're right. But a glass pot without anything in it is not terribly good to look at. That is all I mean.

I have a couple. On one hand, they are practical, especially for the occasional flavored or scented tea. On the other hand, it's hard to put into words, but I feel tea from glass teapots feels rather lifeless and sterile compared to a gaiwan.

They're cheap enough, so grab one and see for yourself.

A note about the dragon tea house glass teapots. I bought one that supposedly 150 ml, turns out more like 210ml. Same with the 100ml one, turned out to be 130ml. Also bought their 50ml gaiwan, turned out to be 85ml. So just use caution. They are perfect for greens

Easy enough to steep some tea in a glass, glass jar, etc. to try glass before you buy the teapot.
When I travel, I often use tea "pearls" for "grandpa" style steeping in hotel water glasses. It is fine for me for some tea.

ethan wrote:Easy enough to steep some tea in a glass, glass jar, etc. to try glass before you buy the teapot.
When I travel, I often use tea "pearls" for "grandpa" style steeping in hotel water glasses. It is fine for me for some tea.

+1. The Chinese do this often. Glass tea tumblers are very popular over there. Great for casual sipping.

Poohblah wrote:Sherbtse - yes, you're right. But a glass pot without anything in it is not terribly good to look at. That is all I mean.

Yes, you are right, of course. My comments weren't meant as a criticism of yours, but rather as an example of how they can be "practical".

Best wishes,
sherubtse

When I travel, I often use tea "pearls" for "grandpa" style steeping in hotel water glasses. It is fine for me for some tea.

I do this too! It works pretty well, and it's much better than having no tea at all.

Using a double walled glass teapot like mine actually maintains heat very well. I like using it for my odd brews or sometimes when I want to demonstrate what good tea looks like to a friend.

Well I guess I will be getting one of those... it's nice there is a cheap option for a teapot that still does the job!

Zubo wrote:Well I guess I will be getting one of those... it's nice there is a cheap option for a teapot that still does the job!

Cheap, maybe. But very fragile.

I found my little glass teapots to be quite solid for routine use. I did break some when I was just getting started seriously with tea, but it took me a while to figure out my teaware care routines--caving in to the need to 'sink liners' for the porcelain sink, changing the dish-drainer setup to make it less cat-vulnerable, just handling the pots and lids with more assurance, and I was breaking other teawares at similar rates until I got that down.

I regularly use a large glass teapot to fill up my tea thermos for one of the satellite offices, and my smaller glass pot gets used sometimes when I just want to watch the tea leaves dance.



They're a little harder to keep really sparkling, because every drip and bit of tannin buildup shows, but they're still functional and aesthetically appealing teawares.