What do you know about this teapot?
j h
shared information and experience. Already I have begun tasting new teas
though not yet beyond what I find at the Indian and Chinese supply
houses in my neighborhood. Thank you.
I also enjoy using a variety of teapots but this one, found at a resale
store, is a stumper. It is made of glazed pottery and the backstamp says
'PV MADE IN FRANCE'. The classic teapot bottom holds just one measuring
cup. An inset fits into the top, which has a double perforated bottom,
ie small holes on the inside and gashes on the outside in a pattern. A
perforated inside cover rests about 1/3 of the way down and the regular
lid fits the top of the inset as well as the pot when the inset is
removed. It reminds me of a miniature drip coffeemaker but is a teapot
in shape and coffee grounds would clog the inset/basket.
So how would tea be made in it? Is it meant for whole leaf teas that are
brewed more than once? I'd expect that the Indian cut teas would clog
the inset. Is this pot familiar to anyone? Thanks for your input.
(Sorry, unable to post photos). Jan
Space Cowboy
It is more of a Western design than Asian. Yours apparently comes
from France. Im going to say it is less than 10 years old because of
the wraparound slits in the infuser. I didnt see that before until
some years back. You can make any loose tea in it. Almost top off
the pot with hot water, fill the infuser with tea, lower into pot,
then cap with lid. The pots can handle the finer grades of tea for
easier infusion better than the larger leaf which might expand. You
may have to grab the handle and hold the lid for the occasional gentle
swish. I dump the infuser by tapping the infuser on a hardsurface
with a napkin.
Youll learn alot more drinking what the rest of the world consumes for
tea found in the ethnic stores. Ill say the Indian and Arabic markets
have been stable in the commercial brands. Still you wont find a
better Ceylon than an Arabic brand like Royal World or a
representative darjeeling like Liptons Green Label with the Indian
Board Seal of Approval in the lower right hand corner (the gal getting
high on DJ or MJ? leaf).
http://i36.tinypic.com/1zgb6u0.jpg
I will say there has been a big change in what you can get
commercially from Chinatown which Ive shown in a couple of posts
recently.
Jim
j h
unit does not fit inside the 'teapot' but sits on the rim where the lid
goes after the infuser is removed. So it appears to work like an
old-fashioned coffee drip-o-later. (Maybe it really is a coffee maker
but the bottom serving unit is a classical round teapot shape.)
Timing the brewing will be interesting since I don't know how long it
will take for the hot water to drip through. Need to take a deep breath
and try it out.
Yes, ethnic suppy houses are amazing in their selections. Here in my
upstate NY city there are many Asian and Indian stores, two within
walking distance, and more tea choices than I will ever work my way
through. Our large home-owned supermarket has a Tea Bar in their
flagship store and there are many premium loose teas for purchase as
well as tea brewed by the cup
Thanks for your response - hope the structure of the pot is more clear.
Jan
Space Cowboy
mechanism to release the brew into the pot. I imagine your infuser
looking like a funnel. I can imagine larger leaf multiple infusion
and one time infusion for fines and the like. Sounds like one of a
kind pot. If you ever catch up on teas at the Asian stores the
discount stores like TJMax usually have a selection or two of British
blends.
Jim
Scott Dorsey
>Ah - I need to clarify my odd little teapot's structure. The infuser
>unit does not fit inside the 'teapot' but sits on the rim where the lid
>goes after the infuser is removed. So it appears to work like an
>old-fashioned coffee drip-o-later. (Maybe it really is a coffee maker
>but the bottom serving unit is a classical round teapot shape.)
Are you sure it doesn't normally fit inside the pot, but is removed and
put on top of the rim after the tea is brewed?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
j h
include into responses which forces folk to read back in the thread.
Sorry. And I can't post a photo which would help immensely.
Now as to the odd 'teapot's' structure: the infuser cannot fit inside
the 'teapot'. It is a cylinder; the bottom is indented 1/4 inch, and
fits exactly onto the rim of the 'teapot' where it rests. The lid fits
either the 'teapot' or the infuser. The bottom of the infuser is cut in
two ways: the outside is a pattern of small slits, the inside is a
pattern of holes. And the infuser has a perforated inside piece which
rests on an interior rim about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom. The
'teapot' bottom is the classic fat round shape.
The pot appears to be glazed pottery, off white with a maroon floral and
leaf design; very pretty. Back stamp: PV Made in France. I'd hoped the
pot was not all that unusual and someone would recognize it and more
importantly could tell me how it is best used. At this point I have a
sinking feeling that it is, after all, a single serve drip coffee maker
which would make it an ornamental oddity in my home!
Thanks for all the help with the puzzle.
Jan
Space Cowboy
http://tinyurl.com/yflemxb
I found out P.V. stands for Parry & Vieille factory.
Jim
j h
is apparently regular size (10 3/4 in. tall altogether); mine is half as
tall, has only an 8 oz. capacity and no handles on the infuser. Thanks
for the research and the name of the factory. The EBay pot seemed a bit
pricey considering it was rather beat up (my Goodwill find was 2 bucks,
perfect condition).
EBay does not support my internet service (webtv) so I could not have
found the pot on my own. As it was I was cut off while using the link
you supplied. Now to see if I can make good tea with the pot. Jan