HARIOCD Chacha Kyusu-Maru-Pot for Brewing Tea 700ml, Glass

I've recently become a big fan of home made fruit, herb and spice infusions to keep up my water intake, particularly as the weather turns colder and drinking cold water just seems too chilly a prospect.I've been searching for a dedicated pot to use for these, untainted with the flavours and tannin stains from a black teas pot.A lot of the pots with integral strainers were the wrong kind/shape to hold items which can be bulky, such as pieces of fruit, and also can be too bitty and light to avoid getting caught in the spout if you don't have a basket - rosemary needles, fresh thyme twiglets.And several of the pots which should in theory have been fine, according to other reviewers were not that well thought out, and leaked as you pouredAnd then I found this. I already have a Hario coffee grinder, so know that the make is one for good design.And so this tea pot has proved to be. 'Teas' which don't use tea can come in a range of beautiful delicate colours, depending on the fruit, herbs, and spices used.So, the visual aesthetics also were important to me. A glass pot the obvious solutionIt's not a large pot - you get 2 mugs, or 3 cups from a potfull. The lid fits well, the mesh basket is perfect for my needs, and the just indented spout makes for very easy cleaning -the wide mouth also aids this.Obviously, a glass teapot needs more careful handling than a great chunky metal or thick ceramic one, when cleaning etc.And I expected to wait for this to arrive from Japan (given some feedback from some reviewers on the lengthy wait) but it was here in a few days.

Looked at quite a few different makes of glass tea pots but this one seemed to be well reviewed and I now know why, its quite small and I got the 700ml one, it does hold nearly 700ml and makes two good sized cups. It pours perfect and does not drip even if you tilt impatiently, the infuser is very large and roomy which sits quite low, brews perfectly and is well made, it doesnt feel brittle like I've read about some other well known glass teapots. All in all I am extremely happy with it and would recommend it.Update 2So I found out that Hario do two very similar Cha Cha Glass Teapots, this one "Cha Cha Kyusu Maru" and the "Cha Cha Fukami" (No joke)This one the Kyusu has a flatter lid that just sits on the rim of the pot, the Fukami has a indented lid that sits slightly inside the pot.The difference I have found is that you can get just a little bit more water in the Kyusu than the Fukami.I bought the Kyusu 700ml which will fill two western mugs with a tad to spare, I also bought a 300ml Fukami but because of the lid it will not quite fill a mug fully.Also using the Gong Fu method its a little harder rinsing the leaves off the Fukami lid than the Kyusu lid when rinsing the tea first time.They are both really good teapots!I bought the 450ml Hario Cha Cha Kyusu Maru Teapot CHJMN-45T, this one is perfect for one person and you will get a mug of tea out of this teapot, so the 700ml version is perfect for 2 and this one for 1.

So far so good!

Despite the long delivery time this teapot was worth the wait. The large basket makes it ideal for brewing great loose leaf tea, as the leaves can circulate and move around in the water.I use mine for peppermint tea everyday and find two heaped teaspoons brewed for 6 minutes in boiling water creates the perfect pot.It's a doddle to clean and can probably be put in the dishwasher although I'm yet to try this as I'm to impatient to wait for the dishwasher to go on before craving my next cup.Very small bits of tea do make it through the strainer but they usually settle at the bottom so as long as you don't pour out every last drop, only a minimal amount will find its way into your cup. Also do take the strainer out before pouring or water may cause tea leaves to find their way out of the strainer and into your cup.I may have deducted half a start simply because the lid will slide off when pouring if not held on. But really this is no big deal. I highly recommend this to anybody who loves a good brew, plus in the long run you save a fortune compared to buying those fancy tea pyramids!

The Hario 700ml makes a lovely pot of tea that is perfect for an individual drinker. It shipped directly from Japan and took just over a week to arrive. Made entirely of glass, it was obviously securely packaged and arrived safely. The glass is not thick or heavy. This is a light and delicate pot, but the glass but certainly seems strengthened and durable, or is at least designed to be tough.The glass lid fits neatly, but doesn't click in anywhere. It shouldn't slip, but you might feel more secure keeping a finger on top while pouring. The steam from the hot water will gather and condense on the lid. I personally rinse the tea-pot with a little hot water before adding and brewing the tea. I found that the Hario glass keeps the heat in well, and it certainly won't go cold before you finish the pot - not at 700 mls anyway.Most importantly, it just makes a lovely cup of tea. White tea, green tea, rooibos - the large round mesh filter is so fine that not a grain of a leaf gets through. The tea never looks murky and pours clean. Taste is perfect every time.