Choosing between a glass teapot and a cast iron teapot is less about which is better and more about how you like to drink your tea. Both brew loose leaf tea well. They simply feel different in the hand, on the table and at the sink.
Glass teapot: watch your tea brew
A glass teapot lets you see everything: the leaves opening, the colour deepening, how much tea is left. That makes it easy to judge when the brew is ready, and it is the natural choice for flowering teas, which are made to be watched. The Round Glass Teapot has a low, wide body with room for a tea ball to open.
Glass is also simple to live with. It doesn’t hold on to flavours, so you can move from green tea to a herbal blend with a simple rinse. Wash it by hand in warm, soapy water, and avoid sudden changes of temperature, such as rinsing a hot pot under cold water.
Our glass teapots run from 350 ml to 1.3 L. For clean lines, look at the Tapered or the Square. For something softer, try the Ribbed Glass Teapot or the Glass Teapot with Wooden Handle.
Cast iron teapot: weight and warmth
A cast iron teapot is the opposite experience: dark, heavy and quiet. Once warm, cast iron holds its heat well, which suits long conversations and second cups. It is heavy, too. The Plum Blossom weighs about 0.7 kg in its smallest size, and the Flat and Golden Tree about 1.5 kg, before any water goes in.
Care is different from glass. Rinse with warm water only, without detergent, then take off the lid and let the pot dry completely. Cast iron left wet can show a little rust, so drying is the one habit that matters.
The designs are Japanese-inspired: the raised pattern of the Hobnail, the low line of the Flat Cast Iron Teapot, the painted Plum Blossom and the Golden Tree.
Cast iron vs glass teapot: a quick comparison
| Glass | Cast iron | |
|---|---|---|
| Look | Clear and bright | Dark, textured, Japanese-inspired |
| Weight | Lighter | Heavy: from about 0.7 kg empty |
| Good for | Watching the brew, flowering teas | Holding warmth, slow pots |
| Cleaning | By hand, warm soapy water | Warm water only, then dry fully |
| Infuser | Removable, included | Removable, included |
| Sizes | 350 ml to 1.3 L | 300 ml to 1.2 L |
Which teapot should you choose?
- Choose glass if you like to watch your tea, change teas often or want a lighter pot.
- Choose cast iron if you like a pot with presence that holds its warmth, and don’t mind a little care after each use.
Every glass and cast iron teapot here is a teapot with infuser: you lift the leaves out when the tea is ready. Heat your water in a kettle. Some pots can also go on a gentle hob, and each product page says which.
Not sure about capacity? Read what size teapot do I need, then browse all our teapots.