Traveling Down History Lane with Tea

Today teapots come in just about any color, shape and size. They have a variety of shapes like houses or animals while some are ornately painted and gilded with gold. Plain style teapots and oriental style pots are likewise popular on the shelves of department stores. The teapot is a commonplace item in the household today, but it has a relatively short history as compared to the tea it holds.

Drinking tea came about in the 3rd century BCE in China but the teapot did not come into existence until the beginning of the Ming Dynasty in the 1300's. Bowls, instead of pots were used to make and drink tea. At this juncture, tea came in a cake used for health purposes. The healer broke a bit off, placed it in a bowl and poured boiling water over top. Once the sediment settled to the bottom of the bowl the liquid was slurped out.

The first teapot was made in the YiXing region of china where the clay is purple in color. These pots were very small and only held about one cup of liquid. No cups necessary – just consume the tea right out of the spout! Because of the color of the clay used in making the little kettles, the pots were an amazing color from lavender to maroon. They had very thin walls and were very delicate and beautiful. These continue in production today and are some of the most prized teapots of all. The reason for this among tea lovers is that the unglazed walls hold the flavor of the tea that is made. Some people say they don't always have to put any tea leaves in the pot to make a good pot of tea.

While the first teapots were made in the orient the most popular came from Europe. The first pottery teapots were rather heavy and unattractive. Spouts were replaceable because they frequently broke. A large breakthrough in teapot making came when hard-paste porcelain was discovered by a German alchemist. This new China could withstand the temperatures needed to brew tea without having the spout break from the heat.

By the 1700's teapots were made and ornately decorated with paint and gold edging. Silver tea services also made their appearance. Queen Victoria only took tea in a silver pot. The first silver pots were rounded and later on the straight sided pots were made. In the 1770's oval shaped silver pots became popular and in the 1780's feet were put on the bottom so the pots would not burn the wood of the table. The only problem with teapots of this period was that they were extremely expensive and the common people could not afford them. Tea was the most popular drink in England and most English still had the old pottery pots that did not brew tea as well. Because of popular demand several china companies began to make more affordable pots.

During the 1800's pots took on whimsey being formed like cats, dogs, sewing machines and other objects. The pots were not very practical but did become collectible. All through history, teapots reflected both the current style and local culture of the makers. Ornate teapots were made during the Baroque period and modernistic designs were produced in the 1960's. In the 70's there was a new resurgence of making pots in interesting shapes and artists began to make them from glazed pottery in unique designs and beautifully painted as a work of art. These too were more to sit on a shelf than to make tea.

Today teapots are made in many different styles from ornate to the simple and utilitarian. They come in all sizes from 8 cups to a single serving. Interestingly enough the oriental style teapot is most sought after and those first pots made from purple clay from YiXing are very sought after among collectors. The diversity of teapots is exactly what endears them to people who enjoy collecting all around the world. You can have a collection by color, by era, by theme… and use them all some day for a grand tea party.

Sarah Page is a writer for Unity Teapots, a specialty Asian teapot store for glass teapots and Yixing teapots.