Best Loose Leaf Teapot and Tea Sets for Serving

The Assam works like a French press turned to tea. Leaves go in a stainless steel basket that hangs in the glass, you pour the water in, and when the color looks right you press the plunger. That pushes the leaves to the bottom of the basket and out of the water, so the brew stops and the last cup is no stronger than the first.

At 34 ounces it pours four good cups, and the clear borosilicate glass shows you the color, which is the best guide to strength for a new tea. Every part goes in the dishwasher.

Glass loses heat faster than porcelain, so a second round needs a tea cosy or a quick pour. Skip it for formal afternoons; the plastic lid looks like what it is, a sensible kitchen tool.

The catch. Glass cools quickly, and the plastic lid keeps it a kitchen pot rather than a table pot.

Afina is a collection by the designer Christian Haas for Villeroy & Boch, a German porcelain maker founded in 1748. The teapot holds 17 ounces, which is two generous cups or four small ones, and has a filter for loose tea so there is no separate strainer to find.

It is premium porcelain made in Germany, and it goes in the dishwasher and the microwave. The white body is quiet enough to sit with any cups you already own, and the fine raised lines on the surface keep it from looking like a hotel pot.

Skip it if you regularly serve more than two or three. It is a pot for a small table, not a party.

The catch. Too small for more than two or three people at a time.

Iwachu is the best known foundry in Morioka, the northern Japanese city that has cast Nambu ironware for centuries. This is a cast iron teapot for serving, coated inside against rust, with a removable stainless steel mesh basket for the leaves. It holds 22 ounces, three or four small Japanese cups.

The weight is the point. Once warmed with hot water, the iron holds its heat a long time, which suits green and oolong teas meant to be steeped more than once. On the table it looks like what it is: a cast object with some presence, not a kitchen tool.

Do not put it on the stove; the coated teapots are for serving, and a kettle does the boiling. Empty it, rinse with water only and dry it while warm. Skip it if you want something light enough to pass around the table.

The catch. Heavy, hand care only, and not for heating on a burner.

Bone china is the right material for a teacup. It can be thrown thin without being fragile, so the rim is fine against the lip and the tea tastes cleaner than it does from a thick mug. New Country Roses is Royal Albert's updated version of its famous rose pattern, here in pink, with a 22 carat gold edge.

It comes as a cup and saucer, gift boxed. Buy two for a tea for two, or collect them one at a time as presents; it is a pattern people add to for years.

The gold edge means no microwave and a gentle hand in the sink. Skip it if roses are not your house; plain white porcelain suits a spare table better.

The catch. Sold one cup at a time, so a full set for six adds up, and the gold edge rules out the microwave.

Royal Albert introduced its 100 Years collection in 2006 to mark its centenary, reissuing one pattern from each decade. This set takes the first five: Regency Blue from 1900, Duchess from 1910, Spring Meadow from 1920, Mint Deco from 1930 and English Chintz from 1940. Each cup holds 6 ounces.

The pleasure of it at a tea table is that no two cups match, yet they belong together, tied by the same shape and gold banding. Guests remember which one they had. It arrives in a presentation box, which makes it a serious wedding or anniversary present.

Hand wash only, and keep it out of the microwave. Skip it if you prefer a matched service; buy single cups in one pattern instead.

The catch. Five cups, not six, and the gold banding means no dishwasher or microwave.