How to make that perfect cup of hot tea or for that ice cold glass of sweet tea? It’s the perfect beverage to soothe away the day. I cover the reasons to a choose a ceramic tea pot: non toxic, gives clean taste, insulating, versatile, stylish, and easy to clean, as well as how to make tea in a ceramic teapot.
Tea has many benefits and the history of tea drinking heralds back from 100s to 1000s of years ago. No one is certain of the time or place tea drinking became a thing, but according to Chinese legend, it started with its discovery by Emperor Shen Nung, who lived 2737–2697 B.C.E (that’s 5000 years ago!).
The American iced tea tradition started with the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. So tea drinking has been around for a long time. Ceramic makes the best teapot for green tea. Green tea especially, being a delicate flavor, finds a place in a ceramic tea pot. Matcha tea also.
Why Ceramic Makes the Best material for teapot
Here are 6 main reasons to why ceramic makes the best tea brewing pot. Note: In refering to tea pots here, ‘porcelain’ and ‘ceramic’ mean the same.
Non toxic tea kettle
Ceramic is the best tea kettle material because it is a natural, it’s a healthy option for a non toxic teapot. People have been using pure ceramic to prepare and store consumables for centuries without known side-effects — Check out my write-up on electric ceramic kettles.
It’s a good idea to choose natural and pure ceramic materials in your choice of beautiful tea pots. You want a tea pot designed to be consistent and safe, made free from BPA, lead, heavy metals, and other chemicals that can leach from pots with plastic parts and metals.
As far as the ceramic glaze on tea pots and any food containers, for that matter sold in the US, the shiny glazed finish is by law required to be lead free. That goes for ceramic French presses also.
Clean taste
Ceramic is non reactive. Boiling water and brewing tea in a ceramic tea pot avoids any metallic taste from metals that can leach into the water and spoil the taste when using metal teapots or kettles.
Best teapot for keeping tea hot or cold
Ceramic is insulating and this makes it the best teapot for keeping tea hot or cold.
Using a ceramic teapot means you’ll avoid revisiting the kitchen to heat up or chill your favorite tea.
Ceramic tea pots can retain temperature for long periods of time. This is due to the insulating properties of ceramic.
You can enjoy entertaining and topping up from the tea pot at the table. Many tea pots are designed elegantly for this purpose.
Versatile
Quality ceramic makes them safe for the oven, microwave, and freezer. The SWEEJAR brand markets this versatility.
SWEEJAR Ceramic Teapot — Available at Amazon
Easy cleaning
The best part is the cleaning. Ceramic tea pots are easy to clean.
You can put them in the dishwasher. Though, I much prefer to rinse my teapots by hand, which is just as easy to do.
Stylish appeal
The look of a ceramic tea pot makes it appealing for the table. Much better to have a stylish ceramic tea pot when entertaining guests.
Cons
When full, some folks may find the ceramic types heavier than aluminum or stainless steel kettles (though not as heavy as cast iron) and might need to use two hands when handling a full kettle.
How to make tea in a ceramic pot
How to use a ceramic teapot to make tea: First, add as many teabags to the pot as the number of cups it holds. Or, if using loose tea leaves, add a single teaspoon measure per cup. Second, pour in boiling water and third, let it seep for a few minutes. Read on for extra tips…
How to make tea with tea leaves
To make tea with tea leaves, a good rule of thumb is 1 teaspoon of loose leaves per cup of tea and then one teaspoon for the pot (1 per cup + an optional 1 for the pot). Of course, adding an extra one for the pot is optional and will depend on how you like your tea.
Add the tea leaves to the ceramic pot and then add boiling water for the desired number of cups. If the ceramic teapot holds 4 cups then you’d add 4 teaspoons (plus one for the pot). Get to know the size of your tea pot and make adjustments accordingly. Let the tea draw (or seep) for a few minutes before serving hot or allow it to cool then chill for ice tea.
About temperature and time drawing the tea for that perfect cup of tea…it depends on the tea variety. Here’s the info…
How to make perfect cup of tea — per tea variety
As a general rule, for all types, bring water to boil (212 ºF/100 ºC) for both loose leaf tea and for tea bags. Then allow the tea to brew. According to the School of Tea, the following are the best brewing temperatures and times:
- White Tea: 2-3 minutes at 158–176 ºF (70–80 ºC)
- Green Tea: 2-3 minutes at 158–176 ºF (70–80 ºC)
- Oolong Tea: 2-3 minutes at 195–203 ºF (90–95 ºC)
- Black Tea: 3-5 minutes at 203–212 ºF (95–100 ºC)
- Infusions: 3-5 minutes at 203–212 ºF (95–100 ºC)
You can buy smart kettles that have multiple settings so you can make the perfect tea, or coffee.
Milin Electric Kettle with 6 levels of temperature — Available at Amazon
Of course, the quality of the water does make a difference and a poorly washed teapot can affect the taste of your tea as might the stain remaining in the cups.
According to the School of Tea, “water that contains high levels of minerals, especially calcium, or magnesium (hard water), water that is chlorinated, briny, or desalinated sea water, or has been boiled several times is not good enough for brewing tea”.
But then, at the heart of a perfect cup of tea is the invisible ingredient — the love and caring that goes into making and enjoying a comforting soothing experience.
Bottom line on making tea in a ceramic teapot
I enjoy tea made in a ceramic teapot using loose leaf teas, but you may like using tea bags (check out my article on how long tea bags last). All forms are suitable for brewing tea in a ceramic tea pot. Even iced green tea.
FAQs
How do you use a ceramic teapot?
Using a ceramic teapot is quite easy. Simply add a teabag or a teaspoon of tea leaves per cup, then add the boiling water and let it seep for few minutes before serving hot. Or, if making ice tea, let it cool and then pour into a glass container for chilling.
Can you put a ceramic teapot on the stove?
Putting a ceramic teapot on the stove is not ideal, either for teapot or the tea. It’s best to avoid direct heat and open flames to prevent cracks in the teapot and for the perfect cup of tea, boil the water first and then add it to the ceramic teapot.