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The Brown Betty Teapot

BobHander | Sep 21, 2010 |

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Whereas once the brown Betty teapot was one of the best teapots around for brewing black tea, these days it does get rather mixed reviews. This teapot has been traditionally made from red clay found at Stoke on Trent in the UK. The original teapots that were made were tall and slim similar to the coffee pot, however later types were fashioned with a very large round middle and this is the way they've been made ever since.

The brown Betty quickly became one of the most prized types of teapots and was considered to be the best to use for brewing black tea. Many people declared that the tea brewed in these teapots tasted much better than tea brewed in other regular teapots. Some people say it is because they were made with very thick clay and the teapots thus retained a lot of heat. Other people say it was because of the actual shape of the teapot that the tea brewed was so good. The round wide body gave plenty of space for water to circulate around the tea leaves thus extracting the best flavor from the leaves.

The teapots you buy today remain the same in shape and size as those that became very popular during the reign of Queen Victoria. It is a large round teapot glazed with a deep chocolate colored glaze which is why it is called the brown Betty teapot. These teapots are now only made by one manufacturer in the UK, Cauldon Ceramics. Similar types of teapots are also made by manufacturers in Japan, China and Malaysia.

It actually appears that teapots made by other manufacturers are actually now of a superior quality to those that are made by the original manufacturer. Many people have reported that the original teapots have problems with the spouts, the lids do not always fit very well and the glaze cracks very easily even if the pot is warmed first before pouring in boiling water. If you are still insistent on buying an original Brown Betty teapot that is made in the UK look for the manufacturer's markings on the bottom of the pot. Most pots should also have a small Union Jack sticker, proving that it was made in the UK.

When looking at Brown Betty teapots for sale, you will find that they are sold in varying sizes. You can find an 8 cup teapot, a 6 cup teapot, and a 4 cup teapot. In fact you can even find 2 cup brown Betty teapot. When judging what size teapot you need, remember that they are measured in teacup sizes and one teacup is only 6 ounces. If you drink your tea in larger size mugs you may want to adjust the size accordingly.