You’ve probably seen these all over tea shops these days. I even saw one for sale at my local grocery store the other day: Cast iron teapots. What’s the deal with them?

Of all my teawares, cast iron is my favorite. Some people can’t stand them for being bulky, heavy, and hot. I find them to be one of the most versatile teapots for every kind of tea, not to mention the most durable. They’re insulating, nearly indestructible, and actually pretty affordable.

Cast iron teapots originated in Japan and are often referred to as tetsubins. The word tetsubin technically refers specifically to Japanese cast iron kettles, not tea pots; but in English we often use the word to describe both. You can tell the difference between a cast iron kettle and teapot by looking at the inside; teapots are enameled inside and will have a shiny finish, whereas kettles are not enameled on the inside. For the sake of this post, I’m only going to be discussing cast iron teapots which are meant for brewing tea, not kettles which are meant for heating water.

The Benefits of Cast Iron Teapots and Teaware

Insulation and Heat Retention

Cast iron is known for retaining heat longer than other teapot materials such as ceramic, glass, and clay. Cast iron pots have a property I like to call “heat wicking” that contributes to their ability to insulate and retain heat. When you pour hot water into the pot, the pot will initially wick heat away from the water, heating the pot and cooling the water. Once the pot is heated, it insulates and retains heat wonderfully. For this reason, a pre-heat of the pot is an essential step: Before steeping your tea leaves, fill the pot with water that’s the correct temperature for the tea you want to brew, let it sit until the pot is hot to the touch, then pour it out before putting your leaves in and brewing tea. This will pre-heat the pot and it will insulate well. Many people prefer cast iron for high temperature teas like herbals and blacks because it maintains heat so well through the brewing process, ensuring the tea steeps as close as possible to ideal temperature all the way through the infusion.

The cast iron cups aren’t just there for the sake of matching, either; they’re an essential part of the set. Thanks to the “heat wicking” nature of the iron, pouring tea into a cast iron cup will immediately start to cool the tea down to a much more drinkable temperature. You won’t have to wait too long for the tea to cool to a drinkable temperature, the cup will help regulate the temperature very quickly.

Durability

Cast iron is incredibly durable and resistant to dents, dings, chipping, and cracking. Unlike glass, clay, or porcelain, you don’t need to worry about treating these pots delicately (although they are pretty heavy, you wouldn’t want to drop one on a granite counter or nice tile floor, or your foot for that matter.) Although drastic temperature change isn’t great for the enamel long term, they’re much more resistant to it than glass or porcelain. If you’re like me, you worry that it’s inevitably that you’ll break one of your beautiful yixing or tokoname pots someday, but fortunately with cast iron you’ll never have to worry.

Price

One of the best parts, they really aren’t very pricey considering you basically get a family heirloom. A quick Amazon search will easily find you pots and sets for under $30 or $40 USD, which is great for a sturdy, quality pot. Something like my bamboo set will run you under $35, and even 5 piece sets with 30+oz pots can cost under $40. You really don’t need to get that pricey $100+ set in the tea shop. It’s hard to go wrong with cast iron, even cheap ones, and although the cheaper ones may not pour as elegantly and may not have a perfect paint or enamel job, they will certainly last and get the job done well.

The Downsides of Cast Iron

You Have to Preheat

As I noted, because of the “heat wicking” properties of cast iron, a preheat before steeping tea is essential, otherwise if you pour brewing water into a cold pot, it will soak up the heat from your brewing water and your tea will steep cooler than it should, resulting in weaker tea. If you preheat it first, it will already be heated to the same temperature as your brewing water and will insulate it.

Cast Iron Wares Get HOT!

The pot, lid, and cups will be very hot to the touch and difficult to handle. This is where the saucers come in handy with the cups, because the cups are too hot to handle with hot tea. Fortunately no heat will transfer through the handle so pouring isn’t an issue, but removing the lid with bare fingers can hurt a bit.

Rust

Another potential downside is rust. So far I’ve never had a cast iron pot rust after years of use, but it can happen if you let one sit with tea or water for too long. Proper care and cleaning is a must. Don’t let them stand overnight with tea or water, gentle hand washing only with no soap, and air drying (preferably on a rack where water can drain out of the spout) will ensure that the enamel has a long life.

Myths About Cast Iron

I have heard people say they avoid cast iron because trace minerals and iron will end up in their tea and make it taste metallic. This is not true since the interior of a cast iron teapot is enameled, which seals the iron and is not porous. This may be true with a true tetsubin (a kettle that is not enameled on the interior) but a cast iron teapot will not add any metallic flavor to your tea. The only flavor or smell you may notice with a brand new cast iron teapot is the smell of clay. This comes from the manufacturing process which uses molds made of a mixture of sand and clay. The molten iron is poured into the molds which are then crushed and broken off once the iron has cooled, leaving some residual clay smell on the pot that will not negatively affect your first few brews but will fade in a few cleanings.

I have also seen people say they avoid cast iron because they don’t allow you to as much temperature control as stoneware or ceramic. This may be a result of failure to preheat. If you preheat a cast iron pot with water of the correct temperature, your pot will be perfectly heated to the temperature of your tea and ready for brewing.

Overall Thoughts

I think it’s hard to go wrong with cast iron. They are my favorite for serving guests, but also my favorite for a personal pot of tea if I want to slowly sip hot tea during the day or evening. Just a little tealight will keep a small pot hot or a big pot warm for hours. I have several of these cast iron warmers and I highly recommend them to go with every cast iron set. Although the pots insulate pretty well on their own, I highly recommend getting cast iron warmers and tea lights to go with cast iron sets to keep them warm.

Would I recommend them to the casual tea drinker who just wants a cup of tea? Probably not – you’re best off with a mug and a mesh infuser just to reduce the amount of cleaning, since you can’t put cast iron in a dishwasher. But if you’re looking for a versatile pot to serve guests, or something that will keep warm for a long time over a tea light, they get a big recommendation from me.

Bonus uses: I once used a cast iron pot as a clothing iron when I didn’t have a real iron, and once used one to soothe a back ache when I didn’t have a heating pad. That should speak for their heat retention!

I hope that you enjoyed reading! Please feel free to ask me questions in the comments, or if you have anything you’d like to add, leave me a comment as well!

