Cast Iron Tea Pots Are Special but Inexpensive Gifts
Everybody is always searching for that one birthday, Christmas, or other holiday-type of gift which would be totally unique and memorable, something the “giftee” has never received or even thought about buying for personal use. One such item might be a Japanese cast iron tea pot, a beautiful and long-lasting piece of functional art that would contribute to the home as well as brew some very tasty tea. The cast iron tea pot is also a great conversation piece, since its invention goes back to ancient China where cast iron was first invented and used to create weaponry and religious effigies. In addition, this type of tea pot would also make a wonderful wedding present and potential heirloom the bride could pass on to her daughter.
The most celebrated cast iron tea pots are the Japanese ‘tetsubin.’ You can find them online as well as in live stores. You can see them in various shapes; sometimes spherical, sometimes oval, sometimes square and even, occasionally, flattened. There are even those which are shaped like Mount Fujiyama with a flat base and the sides tapering as they reach the top. The iron itself is often embossed with images of flowers, bamboo plants and dragons. The modern ones are glazed with a porcelain coating, a fact that allows cast iron tea pots to be colored and designed in many interesting ways. Porcelain also keeps them from rusting. Because this tea pot exhibits such a wide variety of aesthetically pleasing designs and hues, there are many enthusiastic collectors who have an extensive collection of both antique and modern “tetsubins”. You can either purchase one cast iron tea pot at a time or buy them in sets of three, four, or five. Newer, individual pieces can cost around $25, while an entire set may be valued at over one hundred dollars.
The relative costliness of cast iron tea pots is due to the complicated process of making it. First a mixture of iron and carbon fuel is smelted to produce pig iron. Then the pig iron is melted again. This time, scrap iron and bits of steel are mixed into it. When everything is evenly processed, the molten metal is poured into the tea pot mold. The way that the tea pot is cooled spells the difference between a quality cast iron tea pot and a reject. Just as important is the quality and purity of the metal that was used for the vessel. The absence of those two factors can produce cast iron tea pots that are poor in quality and are not durable. And the expertise involved in preparing the materials for the pot partly accounts for the value of the pot.
Starting with pig iron, which as to be re-melted, the manufacturers then have to mix scrap iron and small amounts of steel in with the melted pig iron, which is then poured into a mold for the tea pot. The cooling process is what gives the cast iron tea pot its fine quality as a tea brewing implement because if it is not uniformly cooled, the tea pot will have a rough surface and visibly imperfect cast. Contamination is another problem occurring in the process, such as porosity or flaws in the metal, which can produce a defective product. The ability to properly mix cast iron and fashion a beautiful cast iron tea pot is something that is learned only by practice and experience. Sizes of each tea pot can vary from small to a large pot which can contain over twenty ounces.
Giving someone the gift of a cast iron tea pot, along with the bamboo utensils necessary to clean it without causing any damage to the interior, would be an impressive offering and would also show the person receiving the gift that you actually took the time to find something artistic, unique and functional. Although you might find a store to purchase a cast iron tea pot in your area, it would be much easier to locate the cast iron tea pot you want on the internet. By shopping online at tea pot stores on the internet, you will be able to choose from a variety of reasonably priced cast iron tea pots that are decorated with many different colors and details, from delicate flowers to Japanese inscriptions, to vividly drawn dragons.