Short yes, stout, yes, drippy no
December 6, 2024 6:33 PM Subscribe
How do you pour tea without dripping it?
I have a little ceramic teapot I use at my desk at work. I am finding it impossible to pour without the tea running down the bottom of the spout and dripping all over my desk.
I've tried pouring very slowly. I've tried pouring quickly. I've tried only filling the teapot to a mug's worth.
What's my best move here? Better equipment? Smoother technique? Sommelier style pour-wipes with a teatowel? Maybe something at Coursera?
This is a humbling problem and I thank you for your kind attention.
I have a little ceramic teapot I use at my desk at work. I am finding it impossible to pour without the tea running down the bottom of the spout and dripping all over my desk.
I've tried pouring very slowly. I've tried pouring quickly. I've tried only filling the teapot to a mug's worth.
What's my best move here? Better equipment? Smoother technique? Sommelier style pour-wipes with a teatowel? Maybe something at Coursera?
This is a humbling problem and I thank you for your kind attention.
If you already tried changing your technique, then your problem is the teapot itself. Some teapots are just poorly designed. Get a new teapot; try it out with water and return it if the problem persists.
I have had luck with the "Brown Betty" style myself. Another option would be getting a tea strainer and pouring the boiling water from the kettle into your cup and bypassing the teapot entirely.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:53 PM on December 6, 2024
I have had luck with the "Brown Betty" style myself. Another option would be getting a tea strainer and pouring the boiling water from the kettle into your cup and bypassing the teapot entirely.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:53 PM on December 6, 2024
Heat your water in a ceramic mug in the microwave for 2 minutes, 30 seconds. No pouring needed!
posted by limeonaire at 7:04 PM on December 6, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 7:04 PM on December 6, 2024 [1 favorite]
A Japanese friend of mine who is a practitioner and devotee of the Japanese tea ceremony once told me that there was a fortune awaiting anyone who could come up with a dripless teapot which was compatible with the rigorous aesthetics of the ceremony.
So you are definitely not alone, but it’s not an easy problem!
posted by jamjam at 7:16 PM on December 6, 2024
So you are definitely not alone, but it’s not an easy problem!
posted by jamjam at 7:16 PM on December 6, 2024
Yes it's a dud teapot. Get another, try it and return it if it drips; a good teapot won't drip.
posted by anadem at 8:32 PM on December 6, 2024
posted by anadem at 8:32 PM on December 6, 2024
Teapots are sometimes considered the final boss of ceramics for a reason. There are so many more badly made teapots in the world than there are good ones, and with ceramic ones it’s even harder to find one that pours well. Avoid basically any of the kind that sit atop a large mug and form a cute little gift, and the sort with unremovable strainers which are impossible to clean and usually pour badly anyway. I have a Brown Betty teapot and it’s okay but I never use it. I highly suggest getting a nice electric kettle and a large tea ball for loose leaf in your mug. And, you could get one of those ember mug heating pad thingies if you want a silly gadget - I don’t mind drinking my forgotten cold tea, but my friend who loves to always have very hot coffee uses hers constantly and is obsessed with it, and it’s stood up to a few years of regular use at this point. If you want to go lower tech, the yeti insulated mugs keep liquid very consistently to temp and you could either brew in the mug or fill it up once and have a lot of tea with no pot.
posted by Mizu at 9:19 PM on December 6, 2024 [4 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 9:19 PM on December 6, 2024 [4 favorites]
Best answer: There exist a couple variations on drip catchers
One that's like a tiny leg-warmer for the spout, and one that also holds the lid in place. Possibly a solution?
posted by DebetEsse at 9:19 PM on December 6, 2024 [2 favorites]
One that's like a tiny leg-warmer for the spout, and one that also holds the lid in place. Possibly a solution?
posted by DebetEsse at 9:19 PM on December 6, 2024 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Chinese restaurants always have those little silicone bits on the tops of the spout that somehow prevent dripping. I don't know where you get those.
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:39 PM on December 6, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 9:39 PM on December 6, 2024 [1 favorite]
Best answer: The silicon bits can be bought from a restaurant supplier, but you may need to buy them in bulk.
You are looking for a tea spout cover guard.
The old fashioned tea cosy was partly designed to solve this problem.
High end china retailers (Wedgewood, Royal Doulton, etc.) used to provide them when you bought the teapot.
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 10:55 PM on December 6, 2024 [2 favorites]
You are looking for a tea spout cover guard.
The old fashioned tea cosy was partly designed to solve this problem.
High end china retailers (Wedgewood, Royal Doulton, etc.) used to provide them when you bought the teapot.
posted by Barbara Spitzer at 10:55 PM on December 6, 2024 [2 favorites]
Ceramic is really hard to find without dripping. I think it’s difficult to get the spout thin enough to pour well without having it prone to chip. Metal teapots pour much better but it’s hard to find nice ones but not impossible. Brushed steel Arne Jakobson style for modern - insanely expensive but a perfect pourer, Falcon enamel for traditional - these are very inexpensive and last forever, pour really well. I have all of these and more! But personally don’t like either much in the workspace and have a glass one for this exact situation and reason, it was actually a present from a client and it’s a good one! The pattern is like this but simpler with a metal infuser. The thing to look for is the finer spout. It’s been surprisingly robust. Good luck!
posted by tardigrade at 1:09 AM on December 7, 2024
posted by tardigrade at 1:09 AM on December 7, 2024
If you place a spoon handle at the spout and the end of the spoon into your cup, it gives the liquid a guide for flow. You can use the end of the spoon to catch any tiny drips or tie a bit of cloth around the teapot at the base which catches any tiny drips and keeps the teapot nice and warm.
posted by effluvia at 2:48 AM on December 7, 2024 [1 favorite]
posted by effluvia at 2:48 AM on December 7, 2024 [1 favorite]
There's a lot of consideration that needs to go into making a ceramic teapot dripless, and I suspect manufactured ones are less likely to achieve it because of the sharpness required at the spout. This Reddit for potters discusses some strategies for making a dripless spout (which'll help you be more discerning in shopping), and there is a tip about putting a bit of butter underneath the spout on the outside to help break the surface tension of the spout so it "cuts" off the water stream evenly. (I've not tried the butter tip myself, but hopefully it works!)
posted by ellerhodes at 6:39 AM on December 7, 2024 [2 favorites]
posted by ellerhodes at 6:39 AM on December 7, 2024 [2 favorites]
I had a drip catcher something like this one that worked, though in my case it was just an inside guide for the liquid without the outside curl. I've really struggled for the right search term for this sort of thing, but it's a metal spring thing that goes inside the spout.
Hopefully revealing its secret existence will give you something to look for.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:09 AM on December 7, 2024
Hopefully revealing its secret existence will give you something to look for.
posted by How much is that froggie in the window at 8:09 AM on December 7, 2024
One of the best advice I was given when I was learning how to make ceramic teapots is that the further the pouring spout curves over into a nearly half-circle the less dripping will occur. In other words, the abrupt, short or nearly horizontal spout sometimes seen on designer pieces will usually drip.
The full curve of the most functional spouts often doesn't appeal to the most design-driven teapot designers, which is why the search for the best teapot pouring spout is nearly eternal.
posted by citygirl at 11:43 AM on December 7, 2024
The full curve of the most functional spouts often doesn't appeal to the most design-driven teapot designers, which is why the search for the best teapot pouring spout is nearly eternal.
posted by citygirl at 11:43 AM on December 7, 2024
I was going to say something similar to ellerhodes about a fat underneath the spout, though recommending a smear of olive oil right below the point where the water comes out; because lipids are hydrophobic, the water-based liquid will come out more smoothly as it "avoids" the oil. I think I saw the trick on a ceramicist's video once or perhaps during a ceramic class I took but cannot remember where exactly I learned it.
This trick can also stop the drip for a while, as long as you're not thoroughly washing your teapot between uses it'll last quite a while before needing to be replenished.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:43 AM on December 7, 2024
This trick can also stop the drip for a while, as long as you're not thoroughly washing your teapot between uses it'll last quite a while before needing to be replenished.
posted by urbanlenny at 11:43 AM on December 7, 2024
If you can find an English teapot stamped "Pristine" on the bottom, you'll have a nearly dripless design. I think they're all vintage now, but you can probably find one on e-bay.
My grandmother's trick was to rub a bit of butter under the spout. Not a clump, but just a thin coating. The grease creates a hydrophobic barrier, and makes the tea less likely to dribble down the spout.
posted by amusebuche at 8:13 PM on December 7, 2024
My grandmother's trick was to rub a bit of butter under the spout. Not a clump, but just a thin coating. The grease creates a hydrophobic barrier, and makes the tea less likely to dribble down the spout.
posted by amusebuche at 8:13 PM on December 7, 2024
Response by poster: Hi folks. Just to tie a bow in it, I got these silicone sleeves (the "leg warmers" that Debetesse mentioned) and I can now pour with full confidence.
And thanks to Mizu for the lovely line "teapots are sometimes considered the final boss of ceramics."
posted by Sauce Trough at 10:18 AM on December 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
And thanks to Mizu for the lovely line "teapots are sometimes considered the final boss of ceramics."
posted by Sauce Trough at 10:18 AM on December 13, 2024 [1 favorite]
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posted by vegartanipla at 6:52 PM on December 6, 2024 [24 favorites]