Looking for the perfect teapot? Our experts share what to consider | Canada Voices

During the holidays, giving the gift of warmth can feel limited to socks and scented candles. A teapot is a thoughtful alternative – something that conjures images of familial togetherness and elegant afternoon chats.

And in Canada, chances are good it won’t sit unused. According to the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada, 55 per cent of Canadians drink tea at least once a week.

But not all teapots are worth wrapping up. Shannon Scales knows. She drinks tea for a living – it is core to her role running Lady Baker’s Tea, a PEI business that sells more than 60 blends of loose-leaf teas.

“Sometimes you’re taken by a beautiful pattern or a nice design,” she says. “But then it’s frustrating – the lid doesn’t fit well, or the tea dribbles down the front of the pot onto the table.”

When looking for a top-tier pot, Scales says priority No. 1 is a thin lip and a slight pitch to the spout. “The spout is so important to make sure the tea lands in your cup and not on the table.”

A thin lip helps avoid drips because the tea clears the edge more easily. “Water tends to catch and pool on a thicker lip,” she says. “It’s the thickness that causes the dribbling.”

For the best spouts, Scales suggests looking for porcelain. “Porcelain is thin enough for drip-free pouring,” she says. “And it has other benefits. It’s strong but lightweight and easy to lift. Plus, it’s non-porous, so it doesn’t absorb the flavour of the tea and carry that flavour over to the next batch.”

Porcelain isn’t perfect, though. It tends to be pricey and doesn’t retain heat as well as materials like cast iron – though cast iron tends to absorb flavours.

“I have a pottered stoneware pot I love,” Scales says. “It retains heat better. But with stoneware, you really have to look for one where the ceramicist has made the spout nice and thin. It’s just a bit harder to find because stoneware tends to be thicker.”

While Scales focuses on the spout, Ranee Lee suggests considering the person doing the pouring. An associate professor in the industrial design program at Toronto’s OCAD University, she says there’s no single, perfect, one-size-fits-all pot.

“Different users have different needs,” she says. “A large teapot with a handle far from the centre, or one made from a heavy material, might be harder to lift for someone with dexterity issues. A busy professional would need a pot that holds its heat if they don’t have time to finish their tea all at once. A small teapot might not be ideal for someone who likes hosting tea parties.”

As a general rule, a teapot with a two-cup capacity is good for individuals, while four cups and up is better for groups. Scales, however, points out that anything above six cups will be quite cumbersome because of the weight of the water.

Holiday gifting can, of course, feel overwhelming – and the quest for the perfect teapot shouldn’t add to the stress. Rory MacDonald, an associate professor of ceramics at Halifax’s NSCAD University, recommends taking a philosophical approach. “Even if the teapot doesn’t work perfectly, and might dribble, as so many do,” he says, “there’s a high likelihood the recipient will still appreciate it because of what it represents – a gift from a loved one. The meaning of an object often matters as much or more than the technical performance.”

In other words, it really is the thought that counts.

Six buys to try

Look for spouts with thin, precise lips as well as shapes and sizes that suit the user, not just the display shelf.