At Long Last!

At long last I finally had the opportunity this week to order a teapot for myself! My husband received a gift card from Amazon.com for a schoolbook he turned in and told me I could order anything I wanted with that card. I have wanted a real teapot for so long, and now for the first time since my play set as a child, I have my very own. I exercised much deliberation about my first teapot- color, size, brand. After my research I decided on a British-made Brown Betty and it arrived today along with a new book I will read for the first time (Walden, by Henry David Thoreau).
It stands to reason that the British would know the proper way to make a cup of tea. ;) Cauldon Ceramics explains very well the reasons I decided a Brown Betty Tea Pot suited my purposes, "During Queen Victoria's reign, tea became a symbol of Britain's greatest period of expansion and stability. Every home owned a teapot, even if it was a basic "Brown Betty". Tea was no longer a refined, upper class beverage but a basis of a whole meal.

While Charleston dancers and many Victorian glamours have disappeared for the scene, the humble "Brown Betty" teapot has still remained a firm favourite. Its origins go back to the end of the 17th century and to the birth of the British Ceramic teapot; although in 1700 an ordinary small unglazed teapot made of Red Clay from the Bradwell Woods area in Stoke-on-Trent was a luxury item costing about 12 shillings.

Our Brown Betty Teapots are still made from Terracotta and used by the Elder Brothers in 1965. Their method of making was by "Jollying' but in later years it became 'Slip Casting giving a smooth finish and even thickness. Rockingham Brown Glaze complies US FDA and California Proposition 65. The pots are microwave and heat resistant.

Succeeding generations of English men have proved that the Brown Betty, as these Red Ware teapots are affectionately known, make the best pot of tea in the world. The shape of the pot causes the tea leaves to be gently swirled around as the boiling water is added, thus producing an exquisite infusion. The Red Terracotta Clay with its Rockingham Glaze, Coddles the brew and gives the perfect cup of tea."

After opening my much anticipated package, I washed my purchase and began to steep my first pot of perfectly brewed tea. What could be more appropriate than some Twinings herb tea for the first brew of many in my authentic new Brown Betty? ("In 1706 Thomas Twining started selling fine tea in England. Today, Twinings still sells some of the world's best teas from the original store in the Strand, London, and in more than 100 countries throughout the world.") Amazingly enough it did taste so much better than I'd ever had my Twinings Peppermint Herb Tea before. I used some fresh home harvested honey (my Hometeacher had given my family) to sweeten my tea and had some crackers and my homemade Blueberry Jam to accompany it. I've heard that good rituals can bring a sense of well-being and security and are a necessary element in a stable lifestyle. I can definitely see the benefits of incorporating a relaxing routine such as enjoying a pot of tezane on a daily basis.