The only thing that can make a good cup of tea better is having one of the best teapots to pour it from. Since teaware is some of the ultimate functional decor, why not choose one that fits your taste and style? “If you’re using a teabag, a cup or pot doesn’t make a huge difference,” says Lisa Li, founder of organic whole flower tea brand The Qi. “But a teapot allows loose leaf or herbal teas to expand and release different flavors,” resulting in a more aromatic experience.
Technically speaking, teapot spouts are also designed to pour more precisely and usually have better heat retention than your average mug or cup, since they typically have a lid or cover. With so many different types of teapots and materials to choose from, we’ve sourced the designs that enhance your tea-drinking experience while also adding some flair to your kitchen or dining room. We’ve got luxe picks, minimalist designs, and traditional pots to suit any and every taste—just have the stove ready to go.
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Ginori 1735 Orientale Teapot
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Best Glass
Menu Glass Kettle Teapot with Tea Egg
This format teapot designed by Norm Architects can hold 50 ounces of hot water. Use it at your next tea party or whenever dehydration strikes.
Best Stainless Steel
Take a cue from supermodel Paloma Elsesser and curate stovetop gear that doubles as design eye-candy. This Alessi kettle brings a modernized look to a classic steel kettle with its dramatic shape and colorful handle that ensures you won’t get burned trying to make your morning chamomile. Not to mention, it’s an especially great get if you already own a piece or two from the brand’s collaboration with Michael Graves.
Best Ceramic
Ginori 1735 Orientale Teapot
This is not your grandma’s teapot. The Italian porcelain house has been manufacturing porcelain for centuries, and underwent a makeover under the creative direction of Gucci’s Alessandro Michele. Get the entire tea set with matching cups and saucers and your future grandchildren will argue about who gets it for years to come.
Best Smart Teapot
Balmuda’s electric kettle will make your daily coffee or tea routine feel like a relaxing ritual. With a press of a button, the electric pot is able to hold a specified temperature for up to 30 minutes, allowing you to enjoy continued sips at your ideal temperature. Drawing inspiration from traditional Japanese teapot designs, the elongated handle adds some visual interest while being an ergonomic detail that ensures a precise pour every time.
Best Designer Teapot
For this teapot, different shades of borosilicate glass have been intricately shaped into a sculptural vessel, creating a modern art piece for your table. It would fit right at home amidst all your colored glassware, but would also look beautiful displaying a small floral bouquet.
More AD-Approved Teapots
Crate & Barrel Ohom Leiph Inkstone Heated Tea Pot
Not only does Ohom’s pot look great, the smart base allows you to keep water warm while you’re sipping on your current cup (plus it’s also a wireless phone charger). We like it in the verde green because it reminds us of a juicy granny smith apple.
Made in Portugal, West Elm’s Costa Nova pot is timeless and elegant. We like that the stoneware is dishwasher safe for practicality and that it’s part of the brand’s larger Costa Nova collection, which includes matching tea cups and everything else you need to set the perfect tea party.
MacKenzie-Childs Royal English Garden Tea Kettle
You’ve likely seen the ubiquitous checkerboard version of this Mackenzie Childs kettle, but we think this floral pattern has some English cottage charm that’s perfect for capturing cozy vibes.
Wyatt Tea Set by Ralph Lauren Home
The leather accents give the feeling that this set belongs on the breakfast table in a New England country estate or on a yacht decked out with a full kitchen staff. You’ll feel very sophisticated taking your tea with cream and sugar from the stainless steel design. We recommend snagging the matching tray to make the set feel complete.
Neville Tatham Slipware Teapot and Creamer
This earthenware set looks like it would fit right in at an art museum. The artist behind it, Neville Tatham, uses terracotta encased in a high-gloss glaze to create one-of-a-kind pieces that feel like works of art for your daily routine. The paracord handle adds another layer of texture while supplying some protection from a too-hot handle.
Fellow Stagg EKG Pro Electric Gooseneck Kettle
You might know this kettle from Travis Barker’s matcha station, though there’s plenty of other places you’ve likely spotted the popular design. Fellow lets you control its smart kettle through the app, meaning you can have boiling water ready to go the minute you wake up or walk through the door after a night out.
Brew some black tea in this glass teapot to complement the smokey-hued infuser. The spherical lid is designed to spin around itself, not fall off the table so you’re equipped with a little party trick while you serve tea. This glass number is also dishwasher safe.
Frieling 18/8 Stainless Steel Teapot with Infuser
Made of 18/8 steel, the Frieling teapot’s functionality and sleekness makes it great for everyday use. It has a long, micro-etched stainless steel filter that keeps out the sediment, making sure your tea is smooth, without any unwanted metallic notes.
Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa’s teapot for an Italian homegoods company takes a traditional teapot silhouette and casts it in stainless steel and thermoplastic resin. It comes with a removable infuser basket and doubles as a tea kettle if you have an induction stovetop.
With its bamboo handles and its matte stoneware, this minimalist teapot combines Japanese and Nordic design. It holds about five cups of water, and you can round out your collection with matching tea accessories, like a sugar bowl.
Everyone’s favorite Japanese ceramics brand makes a teapot with a very large removable infuser basket, ensuring you get the most out of your tea leaves.
We don’t know what we like more about this teapot: the bulbous shape, which reminds us of a roosting robin, or the seafoam colors that add an extra shot of calm. The vitrified porcelain is dishwasher- and microwave-safe, and while there is no filter, Mud does sell removable brass and silver strainers to complete your tea-making set.
Check out the elongated handle on this tangerine stunner, designed to protect your fingers from high temperatures and steam.
Royal Copenhagen Princess Teapot
This one might actually be on your grandma’s shelf and with good reason. With its iconic hand-painted decorations, this porcelain teacup feels timeless and elegant without feeling too royal.
Sophie Lou Jacobsen Bloom Teapot
Take advantage of the French American designer’s signature undulating designs in this elegant teapot created especially for The Qi. The feet and lid are colored, but the body is clear—and without a filter, it’s perfectly suited for whole flowers and other blooming teas (Lisa recommends handwashing it to avoid damage).
Kaico Kettle by Makoto Koizumi
A handsome tea kettle with clean lines that’s nice enough to keep on your stovetop.
COSORI Electric Gooseneck Kettle
An electric kettle for boiling water, fast.
FAQs
Size matters…or does it? How big of a teapot do I need?
If you’re brewing tea for one or two people, a smaller teapot may be sufficient. Lisa suggests a 12- to 15-ounce teapot for a single-drinker. If you’re brewing for larger groups or tea parties, you can still use the same size teapot, you’ll just need to refill more frequently, so be prepared to have a tea kettle handy. Otherwise, you can go for something bigger.
Pay attention to your teacups too. The more classical Eastern way of drinking tea is out of smaller vessels that generally only hold two to three ounces. “Tea is meant to be savored with small sips,” Lisa says, adding that you’d get more “cups” this way as opposed to a standard mug.
As far as how many cups of tea you can expect to get from a teapot—that depends on the type of tea. Higher-quality loose leaf or herbal teas can handle a second or third steeping, sometimes even more. Lisa cites the hearty pu-erh tea as one such example, which can withstand a sixth or even a seventh brew.
What are the best types of teapots?
Teapots come in a wide variety of different materials, and the benefits and drawbacks pertain to how easy it is to clean and care for, how well it retains heat, and how it affects the taste of the tea.
As with other homewares, stainless steel is your workhorse. A stainless steel teapot is durable, keeps your drink at high temperatures, and it’s easy to clean: Just throw it in the dishwasher. Design choices with stainless steel can be more limited, though, compared to teapots made of glass or stoneware.
Should I use a ceramic teapot?
Ceramic teapots are the most versatile and wide-ranging in terms of design and durability. This category covers everything from sturdy earthenwares and glazed stoneware to porcelain and bone china, which is more delicate and fragile.
One special material when it comes to teapots are unglazed stoneware and clays, which can take on the flavors of the tea over time. “It’s almost like a wok—that kind of philosophy where you season it” Lisa says. “Over time, your teapot is incredible.” Historically, Yinxing teapots are among the most expensive and rare—named after the particular region of China where they’re made, from a mixture of local clay minerals. Lisa explains that “Artisans had to have trained in order to reserve or have the ability to purchase a very limited quantity of this clay to make this teapot.”
Are glass teapots any good?
Hot water and glass might seem like two things that don’t go together, but they can actually work like a charm. Glass teapots are made of heat-resistant borosilicate, which is less fragile and more resistant to thermal shock than other types of glass.
“Glass is really lovely for herbal or tisane,” Lisa says, as they allow you to see what’s happening inside and get the full effect of changing colors and blooming leaves or flowers (though one drawback is that glass teapots won’t retain heat as well as other materials).
Traditional Japanese teapots and tetsubin are made of cast iron, which has great heat-retention. However, cast iron teapots, like pots and pans, are heavy and require extra maintenance. If you’re looking for cast iron, one with enameling can help make cleaning and caring for it a little easier.