The Journal of Australian Ceramics Vol 50 No 2 July 2011

Arc hive: Pottery in Australia. Vol 28. No 4. Dece mber 1989
article: Peter Timms
Teapots
A Pedantic Epistle
Quite frankly, I sometimes wonder how many of our
potters are really seflOUS lea·dnnkers, the sort who
knoYr', for example. to turn the pot three limes. an .
clockWIse. before pounng. For while you can lind
teapots In almost any form Imaginable these days,
)O.ire not bkely to find one thai's SImple. well designed
and capable of makJng a good cuppa 01 course
many people WIll pour a mug of some weak slop from
a highly amusing teapot In the form at a monkey's
bum or some such thing and say, "Look allhal l
Nothing wrong Wllh Ihal cup of tea," and of course
they're perfectly entitled to th",r Opinion
But a real conf"lOl:sseur's cuppa IS a different kettle
of fish altogether and can only come from a properly
desrgned pot
Frrstly, the pot should be sphencal or near .pheflcal
In form. ThiS IS SO that when you do lurn II three limes
antl-dockwlse a sp.raJ motJOnIS set up counter to the
fOfce created by the eanh s rotaT on rather I ke thaI
In the bathlub whtlln you pull the plug but n lh 5
case ffiOVlrtg upwards rather than dONn....ards
(Presumably you would lurn lhe pot ctockW'se n the
northern hemISphere On the eQuator smany·pa.ntS
It'stooh~ lodnnk lea anyway) 11"5 a mflOf It not to
say pernock Iy peon!. t know HeM''''''' ,I you lean
toward a hlppte mental ty you III • at least enJOY
making such ,nhmate contact w th the g ani forces
d natUfe even II you don·, no! ce led Iferencc
makes to the taste cJ the tea The sphere shoulC
really be slightly squaShed so Its WIdth IS greater
Than .ts heghl The InfUSIon process from the
leaves althe bottom through the water IS !nus
an ever·bfOadenlOg sPIral Th1s really does make
a beiter-tasting cup
fan Jones
Photo cathy Laudenbach
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98 THE JOURNAL OF AUSTRALIAN CERAMICS JULY 2011