Care & Materials

Care & Materials

What they are made of and how to look after them

All twelve pieces are the same stoneware, fired the same way. Only the shape and the glaze change.

The materials

  • Body: stoneware, fired twice: once bare, once glazed.
  • Glaze: lead-free, applied by dipping, inside and out.
  • Foot: left bare, so you can see and feel the clay. It darkens slightly when wet and dries back.
  • Strainers: the teapot's is part of the pot; the mug's basket is glazed stoneware too. No steel, no plastic.
Glaze test tiles in Celadon, Ash and Iron on a workshop shelf
Test tiles in the three glazes, used to check each batch.

The three glazes

Glaze Look What to know
Celadon Glossy pale grey-green, slightly translucent Fine crackle lines in the glaze are expected and can darken a little with tea over months
Ash Satin oatmeal white with iron speckles The palest, so it shows tea marks inside soonest; baking soda lifts them
Iron Glossy near-black, rust brown where it thins Shows hard-water marks most; dry it after washing

The four shapes at a glance

Shape Holds Size Weight
Round Teapot 600 ml to the brim, about 500 ml of tea 12 cm across the body, 18 cm spout to handle, 11 cm tall 0.85 kg
Pour Jug 350 ml 8.5 cm across, 9.5 cm tall 0.35 kg
Brewing Mug 350 ml, about 280 ml with the basket in 9 cm across, 10 cm tall, 12.5 cm with basket and lid 0.55 kg
Tea Cups, pair 150 ml each 7.5 cm across the rim, 6.5 cm tall 0.30 kg the pair

Sizes and weights are approximate. Every piece is thrown and dipped by hand, so allow a few millimetres either way.

Everyday care

  1. Empty the leaves and rinse after each use. For the teapot, a jet of water from the inside clears the strainer holes.
  2. Top-rack dishwasher use is fine; washing by hand keeps the glaze looking newer for longer.
  3. Let the bare foot dry before you put a piece away on a shelf or in a cupboard.
  4. Warm the teapot with hot water before you brew; it keeps the tea hotter and spares the pot a sudden shock.
Looking into an open Round Teapot at the strainer holes behind the spout
The teapot strainer: rinse it from the inside.

What to avoid

  • The stovetop, an open flame and the oven. These are for brewing, not heating.
  • The freezer, and pouring boiling water into a piece that has just come out of the fridge.
  • Bleach and scouring pads, which dull the glaze.
  • Knocks against a tap or a stone worktop, which is how most rims chip.

Tea stains

Tea leaves a brown film on any glaze in time. Fill the piece with warm water and a teaspoon of baking soda, leave it for an hour, then wipe and rinse. For the teapot strainer, a soft brush dipped in the same solution reaches the holes.

If a piece chips

If something arrives chipped or broken, email photographs within 7 days of delivery and we replace it or refund you. A chip that happens later is not dangerous on the outside of a piece, but stop using a cup or mug with a chipped rim.