I want to start by thanking everyone for your great response to my new cottage garden content! I was so excited to start this project and I'm just overwhelmed by how fun it's been. This is my largest social media project yet and it's so fun to read your comments. Thank you so so much!

This series also sparked some new questions, which I will try to answer as well as I can.

A lot of you who watched my very first vlog from Oak Hill Cottage spotted my little teapot and wanted to know more. What is that thing, how does it work and where can you get it? You can see a glimpse of it in the video below:

A small cast iron teapot

I absolutely love small teapots. I went to visit my sister in Ireland many years ago and was served tea in very cute little pot. It could only fit one single cup! I fell in love with it. It's just so convenient to have a smaller teapot around. The pot doesn't take up much space and if you have someone over for tea, they can have their own pot. Perfect for me who doesn't like straying to far away from my favorite everyday tea. Shortly after returning home, I got a package delivered. My sister Maja had bought me a tiny bright yellow teapot. I loved it!

Generally though, I try to look for teapots in flea markets. Usually larger ones that I keep stashed away at home. Most of the flea market pots have a hairline crack here and there, but still beautiful and perfectly functional. Sadly though, most of the ones I have at home are broken now. The handle broke on one of them, another one came crashing down from my shelf, and the bottom just fell off (!!??) on yet another. That's why I decided to go to a local tea and coffee shop here in southern Sweden, in Växjö, to look for iron cast teapots.

An indestructible teapot

There are actually a surprisingly large amount of cast iron teapots out there. But most of them weren't my style aesthetically. The ones looked at were often ornate, sometimes even with a little Buddha symbol as a lid. Not for me. But then I saw the one for me, and fell in love immediately. It was a beautiful, minimalist teapot in black cast iron. Enameled on the inside. Gorgeous!

My iron cast teapot was made by the French brand Staub. I paid around 150 dollars (or 14o Euros) for the pot, and it fits around 2 cups (5 dl.)

The best thing about a cast iron teapot is of course that it's basically indestructible. I love it! But there's another great point about it too. I really like that I can put it right over the fire and heat the water there. Or just plop it down on the stove to keep my tea warm. It's so great! The heavy lid stays in place because of the smart design. And it won't fall into your cup either, no matter how careless you are.

I haven't found this square type of teapot in many online stores though, but I'm sure you can find one in a specialized store for tea and coffee accessories in your area.

 

I absolutely fell in love with my little cast iron teapot. The tea seems to taste even better in a beautiful pot too!

 

What kind of teas do I use my cast iron teapot for then? Well, I mostly enjoy black tea that simply tastes like tea. If I go for a flavored tea, then I usually go for cherry, elder flower or different variations on Earl Grey. Did you know that you can make delicious tea from your potted citrus tea leaves? Read more about it here: My citrus flower tea.

/Sara Bäckmo