Brown Betty Teapot
The other day, I was having tea with my friends (mint, sweetened with a dash of honey). We were talking about trivial things like politics, TV shows, and clothes. Then we got around to talking about tea sets. My friend was looking at my teapot and said “By the way, where did you get your teapot? It’s quite useful and it would be nice to have one so elegant when guests come around.”
Elegant and useful. What a lovely way of putting it. Not to sound too full of myself or the humble little teapot, of course. Actually, it was quite reminiscent of Mrs. Potts from ‘Beauty and the Beast’. Except of course for the eyes and mouth and tiny embellishments. And the fact that my teapot is brown. My teapot is a Brown Betty.
I have had the teapot for quite a number of years, in fact. My mother had it before me and her mother before her. It was a thoughtful present from her dear friend. Grandmother and Grandfather were quite pleased. They loved tea a lot. Morning, noon and night, with every meal, they had tea. Especially afternoons. They would sit by each other in comfortable silence, occasionally speaking, but most of the time they were content to be where they were, drinking tea and eating bread or biscuits with Grandmother’s homemade jams and jellies.
Back to the conversation, I thanked my friend for the compliment and told her what I had found out about the teapot. A Brown Betty teapot is quite special. They use special red clay that retains heat better and use a special glaze made from manganese and iron. This glaze is responsible for its warm, iridescent brown color. Its rounded design actually allows tea leaves to swirl through the water and release more flavor with less bitterness.
I also told her that the authentic Brown Betty can only be imported from England. More specifically, in the old Caledonia Mills in Stoke-on-Tent. The first Brown Betty teapots were made at the end of the 17th century out of red clay from this area. They are lovingly handmade out of the same red clay, so no two teapots are exactly the same. Today, though, some Brown Betty’s are made using the slip cast method. My teapot holds 6 cups of my favorite brew, but you can get a Brown Betty teapot with 2, 4, 6, or 8 cups capacity.
When my daughter is old enough, I will pass the dear teapot on to her. And she will probably pass it on to her own daughter one day. I have no idea how many generations my humble teapot will live to see, but now I’m content just to have more cups of tea with it.
Here are some interesting facts to note about Brown Betty teapots:
- English people traditionally believed that Brown Betty teapot makes the best pot of tea because of the red cray used and the shape of the teapot.
- Today, you could own this charming hand made Brown Betty manufactured at the same Old Caledonia Mills at England since the end of 17th Century.
- It’s origins are found at the end of the 17th Century and the birth of the British Ceramic Teapot.
- The original unglazed teapot was made out of red clay from the Bradell Woods area in Stoke-on-Trent. Today, the Brown Betty teapot is still made in Stoke-on-Trent with the same clay from the original area.
- British people believe the Brown Betty makes the best pot of tea because of the type of clay that is used and the shape of the pot. Brown Betty teapots are lovingly hand-made in Staffordshire England, and available in 2 cup, 4 cup, 6 cup and 8 cup.
- These teapots are not intended for use in a microwave or on a stovetop. We recommend an electric tea kettle to boil the water for brewing your tea. Please note – because these teapots are handmade there may be some slight imperfections.