For tea enthusiasts, finding the right tea pot can elevate the whole experience. The best tea pots are not only great at steeping tea, they're also aesthetically pleasing and capable of brewing the right amount of your favorite variety.
When it comes to tea pots, there are a wide range of materials to choose from, and each offers something different:
- Glass: Glass offers the visual appeal of being able to see the tea brew — nice if using tea blooms — and tends to be dishwasher- and microwave-safe, making it a practical option for the frequent steeper. However, it's poor at retaining heat.
- Ceramic: For the best heat-retention, a ceramic pot is the way to go. For black and pu-erh tea connoisseurs, this is a particularly smart pick since those teas require higher brewing temperatures than other tea varieties.
- Cast Iron: For a particularly durable pick, cast iron promises to stand the test of time. It's also good at retaining heat, though may be prone to rust without proper care. For that reason, the best are coated with enamel to prevent oxidation.
- Stainless Steel: Another durable option that won't rust, many stainless steel models are actual tea kettles, and not tea pots. The difference being that tea kettles will warm the water, but tea pots steep the tea. If looking for a model that both heats and steeps, there's a hybrid pick below.
So, keep in mind that for most of the picks below you may need a separate stovetop or electric kettle to boil water for tea, as ceramic, glass, and cast iron are not stovetop-safe.
It's time to shop for the best tea pot for you. All of the pots below are highly rated on Amazon.