On the vexed question of what teapots should be made of ... I don't wish to question anyone's taste or jundgement, but perhaps I can give my take on why I don't like the stainles steel variety.
Over the last few years, almost every cafe, restaurant and tavern here in the UK has gone over to using these blots on the tea-time landscape. They typically have a hinged lid, which rapidaly works loose, leaving a gap for the steam and heat to escape through. The spouts are minuscule, which means you only have to tilt the pot to a very slight angle in order for the beverage to come slurping out over your scones. And the fact they are made of metal means they are unpleasantly hot to the touch.
Their only redeeming feature is that you can stack several dozen of them into an industrial dishwashing machine. Also, they're cheap. That's why the catering industry likes them.
And I know it's irrational, but I genuinely believe the tea tastes better when made in a genuine china or earthenware pot, which is surely what nature intended.
My ideal pot is made of earthenware, and has an long curved spout. To pour the tea, you have to explicitly tilt the pot to a meaningful angle. You can't do that by accident. The tea stays warm longer, and the container has absolutely no effect on the taste.
For good, strong tea, I use a good, strong pot -- a dark brown one, of the type that used to be ubiquitous over here, but now has to be hunted down in specialist cookware shops. For delicate china teas, I prefer my delicate emerald-coloured china pot. The only metal around is the tea strainer.
Anyway, that's my opinion. But I will always respect other people's tea pot preferences (especially when they are offering me a cuppa).
Mike
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Mike Lewis (Edinburgh, Scotland)
My Visual FoxPro site: www.ml-consult.co.uk