Teapot
A small air hole in the lid is often created to stop the spout from dripping and splashing when tea is poured.
In modern times, a thermally insulating cover called a tea cosy may be used to enhance the steeping process or to prevent the contents of the teapot from cooling too rapidly.
When tea preparation switched to infusion (during the late Yuan dynasty),[2] an ewer-like vessel was first used.
[2] There are early examples of teapots, like the ones made in Jun ware and the eight-lobed celadon pots of the Song-Yuan times.
[5] They use a higher ratio of leaves to water, which enables the brewer to control the brewing variables to create several small infusions.
[6] Teapots made from pottery materials such as clay have been hand-fired for tens of thousands of years, originally in China.
Some Gongfu practitioners designate their unglazed pots for specific types, sometimes even particular tea varietals.
From the end of the 17th century, tea was shipped from China to Europe as part of the export of exotic spices and luxury goods.
European teapots at the time were made of silver, with the earliest preserved English one at the Victoria and Albert Museum, dated 1670,[16] looking identical to the earlier coffee pots.
[17] At the same time, copies of the Chinese earthenware teapots were produced (Fulham Pottery in London had already been manufacturing these in 1670).
[18] It was not until 1708 that the first successful experiments by von Tschirnhaus enabled Böttger and the Meissen factory in Dresden to start the operation in 1710[19] and produce good copies of Japanese Kakiemon and Imari porcelain.
[20] When European potteries in Holland, Germany, and England began making tea wares, they initially imitated the Chinese boccaro designs.
[16] However, many English potteries decided not to risk money on the new material and continued manufacturing earthenware and stoneware pots; the famed creamware services made in Staffordshire reached popularity in the second half of the 18th century.
[21] At the turn of the 18th century, the design and decoration of the European teapot started to deviate from the Chinese tradition, with the pear shape, or pyriform, being the first major novation.
The other popular shapes in the 18th century were "globular" (sphere-like vessel on a raised foot) and a vase (or urn, Louis XV style), with the latter being a rare comeback to the wine-pot origins of a teapot.
The original demand for "China" porcelain tea sets was eventually replaced, at least among the wealthy, with enthusiasm for silver pieces that were produced extensively by the end of the reign of George III.
Among the many artists in Boston, there were four major families in the city's silver market: Edwards, Revere, Burt, and Hurd.
[24] Modern infusers originated in 1817 when an English patent was granted for a "tea or coffee biggin", a metal basket at the bottom of the teapot.
[37] The use of wood to repair a broken ceramic handle started soon after the introduction of tea to Europe: the vessels were expensive and were not thrown away once damaged.
Making the external surface of the spout more hydrophobic and reducing the radius of curvature of the inside of the tip so that the flow detaches cleanly can avoid dribbling.
