I have been in search of a good silver teapot for sometime. The Sage of Tea, Lu Yu, more than 1,400 years ago, wrote about metal teapots, which were called “Fu” [鍑fǔ]. Fu was made out of cast iron, which was of course not the best materials for teapots . Porcelain and stone-made pots offer much cleaner inner surface but both are breakable, Lu Yu noted, and he praised silver pots as undoubtedly the best in this regard. “Silver tea pots are the cleanest.” [ 用銀為之，至潔，但涉於侈麗。] Silver is a rare metal and a luxury material for tea pots. It was true then and now.
I still don’t own a good silver teapot but I do have a random collection of vintage metal tea and coffee pots. Many of them are early 1900 Dutch or American-made pewter (錫鉛合金) pieces, which I use for decorative purpose while serving Chinese tea. Old pewter pieces are interesting to look at but not safe to use as they contain lead. Such incongruous mix-and-match of the East and the West, I have found, actually adds interest to one’s tea appreciation experience.
Go to Solid Silver Tea Pot Buying Guide to learn more about how to select a quality silver pot for your taste and needs. Tea Master’s Blog has a great entry about brewing Chinese tea in silver teapots.
