Sorapot

Just received this today. I took off work early just to pick it up.
So I bought this from Amazon for $26.74, which was a steal. I had been watching it closely , it was $94.00 for a long time and then it dropped to $47.10. I had a gift card for $27.00 so I bought it. The description said that it had a few scratches but that was it.
Now looking at it, there is a tiny scratch, which is barely noticeable.
After looking at the reviews I have been wanting the Sorapot for 2 years now…finally got one at an incredible price!
The pot does drip a little and it pours slow then fast…but I can get over that:)

The Sorapot sells for $200, which, in my opinion, is far too expensive for a teapot, even a designer teapot made in the United States and shipped in beautiful, ecologically friendly packaging. I managed to find a deal online and purchased this for $100 + tax and shipping (still a bit much in my mind).

The packaging for this product is beautiful, and the product is as well. The form of it is beautiful and sturdy. I actually cannot use this pot in my office when I’m in a hurry, because every time I’m in the kitchen with it, several people will notice it and start asking me what it is, how it works, and will then launch into a detailed conversation about their experience with tea and their opinions on it. I’ve never gotten a reaction like that based on a teapot before.

It does produce a good brew — giving tea leaves plenty of room to unfurl. It’s easy to get a visual indicator on brew time, because you can see the tea gaining color through the glass pot. And the metal mesh is a good filter — while it doesn’t trap fine particles, it does keep out lots of small particles, including rice from genmaicha and odd bits of herbs and fruits from herbal/fruit blends. It easy to clean out the filter afterward, because it’s so accessible. And the spout pours easily, without much block-up and almost no dripping.

However, there are several issues with the design/construction that would make me think twice about buying it if I had to make a decision to buy it again. For one, dissembling it for cleaning or filling is a hassle. The handle swings open and wide very easily, making it difficult to catch the glass container. I’m constantly worried about fumbling and dropping it and breaking the glass. The pot itself is also pretty heavy, so I’m always slightly concerned about pinching my fingers or skin — or even about accidentally slamming the glass hard enough to break it. Additionally, the glass container is just slender enough to be a pain to clean out. It’s too tight to fit a hand in, making it tough to scrub or dry out.

Also, because there isn’t any way of easily removing the leaves, I find it’s not worth using when I’m only preparing tea for myself — otherwise I end up with bitter tea.