I’m not much of a coffee person. In fact, I think I can count how many cups of coffee I’ve ever drunk. But I am a tea person. I drink a lot of tea and have many types. At any given time, I usually have more than a dozen loose leaf teas: green, oolong, black, some flavored. As one might also expect, I also have an affinity toward a nice teapot.
Bee House is made by Zero Japan, a Japanese company, and it is one on fine teapot. Little do many people know, it is possible to be excited about a teapot. This really falls under my love of design. Bee House's minimalistic teapots are made out of high grade ceramic and come in many wonderful colors. Being the minimalist I am, I went with the 26oz noble black—a matte black finish that reminds me of carbon fiber than pottery.
Smooth to the touch, it not only looks fantastic, it feels great too. While functionally a teapot can do it job really well, part of good design, especially when it is something one will touch, the tactility of said object is very important. It not only adds comfort to an already ergonomic design but also one wants to use it—keep it clean, functional, and share it with others. And, tea, after all, is meant to be shared so should the experience of tea serving.
The top is metal and clips on. Easy to remove, one can clean it and the pot itself separately. Inside, a metal, mesh basket allows steeping of loose leaf teas.
I have found that this particular ceramic holds heat very well. My old tea pot, also ceramic, would cool much more quickly. One tip, due tot he heat capacity of the pot itself, I tend to steep tea far less time. I use to keep tea in the old pot for hours and never had my tea get too strong. In my Bee House, black teas I rarely steep for more than three minutes, and green or oolong, for five minutes if the water is at the proper temperature.
It has become a favorite kitchen item of mine. It is not only beautiful and functional but part of my daily life. There are thousands of teapots out there but ever since I saw these round globes at Argo Tea, I’ve loved them. And seeing the noble black in person, I loved them even more. One knows something is great when opening the box and softly saying, “wow.”
Price: $35