Are the cast Iron Teapots at Teavana good quality?

Ok, first off… I know that cast iron teapots are not the best thing to use for all teas. The only teas I would probably make in it is pur-er, black, or herbals; I would most likely use my glass teapot for whites, greens, and less oxidize oolongs. I also know that if you are going to use one you need a thermometer to check the temp. Also just to keep my water warm will I make a couple different steepings in another pot….. and cause it is pretty.

The main thing I want to know is if the ones sold at Teavana(yes i know they kind suck at times, but i do like their tea ware, except the yixing which is meh.) are of good quality. As in: Not a lot of rust issues, enamel chipping, stuff like that. I know they are really expensive, but I did a little bit of research and the brand they sell is very good quality.

P.s I also know that they are not for boiling the water in(at least not these ones) and to not use metal utensils in it.

13 Replies
momo said

I’ve had one now for almost 2 years and it has no rust, no chips, nothing of the sort. The only issue is that if you just leave water on the outside after rinsing, the paint can somewhat wear off and form a ring around the surface you leave it on but wiping it down has eliminated that at least for me. The one negative review they actually left up on their site about the one I have talks about that but just a 5 second pat down on the exterior after rinsing it does enough for me.

As long as you take care of it you shouldn’t have many problems. Let everything dry before putting it back together, don’t use soap in it, just rinse it, etc. That’s pretty much all I do to take care of it and those problems should be avoided, it’s definitely a nice pot.

I have this one: http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/teapots-teapot-sets/cast-iron-teapots/p/cherry-blossoms-japanese-cast-iron-teapot

Kittenna said

Oooooh, pretty :)

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Question here – I have not purchase or used one of these – why are they not for boiling? What are they used for exactly?

momo said

There are ones that are made for use on like an induction plate/burner but they’re definitely not the ones at Teavana. Even then I’d think I’d be worried about the possibilities of cracking. But these are more for just steeping the tea so you’d boil the water in a kettle or pot and pour it in.

Traditionally, the tetsubin or Japanese cast iron teapots were used to boil water over the open fire. Contemporary good quality tetsubin most often are coated inside with porcelain enamel to minimize rust. As posted by others, cast iron teapots can last a lifetime and best cared for by rinsing and drying with a cloth after use.

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chadao said

Hi, Ze_Teamaker. First off, I completely agree with what you said about cast iron. I might add that I prefer all oolongs and pu’ers to be brewed in yixing over cast iron any time, just because of the small size, near-perfect amount of heat retention, and the fact that it releases flavor of older brews into the current brew.

To answer your question, here are some things to consider:

They rust easily, if you do not care for them properly. There is one cast iron pot that I use every day at work that has rust on the bottom of the spout because we let it sit wet in open air all day.

The enamel chips off with the slightest ding. I once dropped the lid of a cast iron pot. It was not a sever drop. Nonetheless, there was a large chip in the enamel where it made contact with the floor.

Even so, I wonder if all cast iron pots do this? IMHO, I prefer smaller pots than the ones that Teavana sells, regardless of them being cast iron or some other ware. I prefer lots of leaf in a small (4-8oz) brewing capacity, such as a gaiwan. This always gives me a better flavor. I wonder if there are any cast iron pots this small?

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Go points. I do plan on getting a couple of Yixing teapots; really good ones, like the kind were they tell you how hot it was fired and stuff. I am still new at buying good lose teas so I am still trying a lot. That being said the benefit of cast iron is that it doesn’t absorb the flavors, so I can use a bunch of different teas.

I don’t think they make cast iron post that small. The smallest I see are usually 20oz. You could us one to keep your water hot for before you pour it into your yixing and stuff. Also wile I think all cast iron pots do chip if you use metal utensils or drop it, the ones that cost more will probably be more resistant; I would not quote me on it cause I have no evidence, just assumptions.

It is definitively not going to be my work horse teapot. I am going to get a Brown Betty teapot for that… that is if the craftsman ship comes back up. The one I want to get is the 40oz tea pot with the tiger on it(I love them). It will be nice to have when I have guest over or when I want to be fancy and brew a big pot of tea.

http://www.teavana.com/tea-products/teapots-teapot-sets/cast-iron-teapots/p/tiger-tea-pot-copper

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ashmanra said

I love mine! I have the black and gold dragonfly pot in the large size. I use it over the warmer, make a big batch of tea, and it stays hot for hours. I love it so much, I want to get the matching small one for smaller batches as well, but that is for later when I haven’t spent so much on tea as lately! :)

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Takarabune said

Teavana carries Iwachu testubins, which are the best in Nanbu ironware. The Republic of Tea carries the brand, too, but make sure the catalog/web description states “Made in Japan.” I own several, and can’t imagine the tea experience without ’em!

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Dustin said

Go on Amazon and search for Teavana Teapots. There are several for sale there, some with reviews and I don’t think Amazon tampers with reviews unless they are inappropriate.

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ashmanra said

I am pretty sure these are the same ones sold by Zen Tea, at least the ones on the Zen website look just like mine. Also, I used to see them on the Mariages Freres site.

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K. said

Thank you for this discussion thread. It has been very helpful!

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I found a 10oz cast iron tea pot.

http://www.sensationalteas.com/tetsubin.html

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