Last year I bought a new teapot that I’ve since been using daily. It was inexpensive, and sure enough, it turned out to be cheap as well. The retailer that sold me this item no longer carries this particular model in stock, which is probably for the best for everyone. I, however, would’ve wanted to leave them a review of the pot, but now I’m just going to have to post it here instead.

The teapot

Let’s start with the design. The handle is made of a thin sheet of metal with hard edges, so especially when full of water it’s quite uncomfortable to lift and hold. Due to some unfathomable brainfart, the designer has decided to attach the spout halfway up the side of the pot, while the pot bulges out below it. This has the effect that when you tilt the pot to pour the last of the tea, some is always left at the bottom, because to reach the spout inlet in that position it would have to flow uphill.

The lid is not much better: it needs to be put in place very deliberately, so that the little tab at its rim goes in first, or it won’t sit properly. (The tab is there so that the lid doesn’t fall off when the pot is tipped. However, if the pot is too full, the lid won’t prevent the liquid from overflowing when tipped. I suspect a proper teapot wouldn’t do that either, but this one I’m willing to accept as user error.)

What about the materials, then? The welding work is so abysmal that I strongly suspect the pot initially had a tiny leak: I’d fill it in the evening, and find it wet underneath in the morning. Luckily it’s not made of stainless steel, because it seems that the rust that formed around the leak actually sealed it. Still, I’ve learned to only fill it just before using it.

I think a fitting punishment for the designer of this unfortunate piece of cookware would be for them to have to use it every day for the rest of their life. 1/5, would not buy again.