Tea porcelain & cookiesIsn't it time you slowed down and enjoyed the fine art of tea time? Come back to a place where people knew how to slow down, relax, enjoy the company of others and brew a great cup of tea. Whatever you pleasure, there is a teapot make especially for you. Find yours today!

Sorry English gents and genteels but the origin of teapots was ancient China. It wasn't until trading with the Far East began in the 17th century that the first teapot made it to the British shores.

Once discovered, the Brits took their tea seriously and praised the health benefits of green tea, calling it a " wonder drink."  So much so that the British traders of the time felt tea more valuable than their opium crops and promptly exchanged their highs for health. Good for the English not so for the Chinese.

The most familiar teapot and reputed best tea maker is the Brown Betty from the 1600's. Made of the original red terracotta clay of Chinese fame, Brown Betty's beauty is only underscored by her simplicity. If you have opportunity to bring this lady into your home, just remember she's doesn't do stove tops.

While the Chinese viewed teapot design as an extension of nature creating pots that resembled animals, birds, fish and fruits, the English, now off the opium, recognized the commercial potential and the power of mass marking. Their designs of houses, televisions and loose women leaned more towards the popular than the tasteful - no pun intended.

Another popular creation was the Blue Willow porcelain by Englishman James Spode. The well-known Blue Willow is styled with English flare and patterned with the Chinese Yu Yuan Garden in Shanghai; making it the perfect blend of these two tea-loving cultures.

Don't mistake the Blue Willow for the Churchill pottery, which is similar in design but with a darker shade of blue. The Churchill is likewise a beautiful pot and famous for its high quality porcelain.

In the 1880s tea took center stage in the U.S. and England when the finest hotels opened Tea Rooms and Tea Courts. High society ladies and lords would join in the afternoon for the now infamous "spot of tea."

Bone china (porcelains fortified with bone ash) also became the standard for porcelain pots. Perhaps to offset it roughness, the designs shifted to the fabulous Victorian beauties such as Grace's Rose, Cottage Rose and Sandra Red. The bone ash afforded the brilliant white background for colorful English flowers and tea never tasted so good. If one of these teapots crosses your path, don't let it get away.