Anytime I post about the benefits of dandelion root or lemon balm tea along with a photo of something I’m sipping on that day, I’ll get a ton of comments like “Love that herb so much but seriously TELL ME ABOUT THAT TEAPOT.”
In my kitchen, there’s almost always a full teapot sitting in a corner. Sometimes it’s ignored by everyone but me, and sometimes it’s gone by mid-morning because all the teens poured a cup. When my family gets a cold or sore throat, the teapot gets refilled many times each day. If I need to leave a note for someone, I always put it next to – you guessed it – the tea kettle.
All that to say, the teapots in my home get a lot of use, and not every one I own made this list.
My first glass teapot was too fragile to actually boil water in, so I still use it only for steeping and serving. Over the years, though, I’ve collected several more, and I’ve learned that the “best” glass teapot really depends on how you plan to use it.
Some can go straight on the stovetop, while others have measurement markings that make it easy to brew a precise amount of an herbal blend. One has a built-in thermometer for teas that are sensitive to water temperature, and another has enough capacity to serve the whole family.
So for this guide, I’m highlighting what each one does especially well, along with any drawbacks I noticed and who I think it’s best for.
A quick note: Teabloom offered to send me some teapots to test, so I handpicked the six that I’ve reviewed here. I’ve also purchased and tested several other brands, some of which are also on this list. As always, the opinions below are my own.
Quick Picks
Best for herbalists + batch brewing
Precision All Brew
This one makes measuring so easy and can brew big batches. I reach for it all the time.
Best for serving + everyday brewing
Formosa Multi-Brew
The shape catches light in a way that makes it one of my favorites for serving.
Best for delicate green & white teas
Virtuoso 2-in-1
Comes with a built-in thermometer for precision brewing. Ideal for temperature sensitive teas.
Why I Prefer Glass Teapots 🍵🍃
For me, one of the biggest advantages of glass is being able to see what’s happening while something steeps. With herbal teas especially, I can watch the color deepen and get a visual sense of when the brew is thoroughly infused . . . plus there’s something satisfying about watching leaves, flowers and roots infuse into the water.
Also, I don’t know how it works in your house, but in mine the leftovers that are stored in glass containers get used, and the ones stored in stainless steel get ignored until I throw them away. The same principle applies here. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve brewed a cup of tea in an individual cup with a stainless steel infuser for someone, only to come back the next morning to find it still sitting there.
Glass teapots are beautiful, non-toxic and practical because you can see exactly what you brewed . . . and remember to drink it. 🙂
The ones I recommend are made with borosilicate glass, which handles temperature changes better than ordinary glass and makes it a much more practical choice for everyday tea brewing.
Precision Brew Large All-Brew Beverage Maker
Best For: Herbalists + big-batch brewing
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Capacity: 68 ounces / 2 liters
Works Well With: Loose-leaf tea, herbal blends, blooming tea, fresh herbs, fruit tea & more
Materials: Borosilicate glass + Stainless steel + Food grade silicone seal + Tritan knob
Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but based on the shape I think it makes more sense to hand wash
This was the first teapot I tested from the collection Teabloom sent me, and I loved it so much that I had a hard time making myself move on to the others.
One of my favorite features is the measurement markings along the side. If an herbal tea recipe calls for a specific amount of water, I can measure it right in the pot instead of grabbing a measuring cup, filling it several times to reach 6–8 cups, and then drying and putting it away afterward.
Also, the extra-long infuser reaches nearly to the bottom, so I don’t have to make a full two-liter batch just because I’m using an extra-large teapot.
When I do want to make a lot, the 68-ounce capacity is amazing. It’s the largest teapot in this guide and easily holds enough for my family to share.
You can also remove the infuser entirely and use the filtering lid to strain larger herbs, fruit, spices and other ingredients as you pour.
The downside: I’m not especially patient about rinsing infusers, and extra long ones usually hang onto a few little bits of tea. The holes are very fine – which is great for keeping tea grit out of your cup – but it also means you can’t easily blast those last pieces out by rinsing from the outside.
When the infuser is dry I just shake it out and – voila – the few leftover bits are gone.
For me, that’s a very small tradeoff for a teapot that makes large batches so easy to measure, steep and serve.
Formosa Multi-Brew Glass Tea Maker
Best For: Serving + everyday brewing
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Capacity: 51 ounces / 1.5 liters
Works Well With: Hot tea, iced tea, fruit infusions, herbs & cold brew
Materials: Borosilicate glass + Stainless steel + Food grade silicone
Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but based on the shape I think it makes more sense to hand wash
Functionally, the Formosa is very similar to the Precision Brew above. It has a removable infuser, a filtering lid that can strain larger ingredients as you pour, and enough capacity to make several cups at once.
The biggest difference is the design.
It’s a little smaller than the Precision Brew and doesn’t have measurement markings, so it’s not the one I’d reach for when I’m trying to make a very specific amount of an herbal blend. But the shape is beautiful – even more so in person – and it’s the one I reach for when the teapot is actually going to stay on the table.
There’s also something really pretty that happens while it steeps: I’ve noticed tiny bubbles forming along the inside of the glass that make the tea look almost effervescent, even though it isn’t.
I’m not sure whether that’s because of the shape of the pot or something else, but visually it’s lovely.
Virtuoso 2-in-1 Tea Kettle & Steeper
Best For: Green, white & other temperature-sensitive teas
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Capacity: 34 ounces
Standout Feature: Built-in thermometer
Materials: Borosilicate glass + Stainless steel + Food grade silicone
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
Most herbal teas are pretty forgiving when it comes to water temperature, but others . . . not so much.
Green tea, white tea and lighter oolongs are generally brewed below boiling. Water that’s too hot can pull out excess bitterness and astringency and overwhelm some of the more delicate flavors.
That’s what the Virtuoso is designed for. It comes with a thermometer built right into the lid, so you can keep an eye on the temperature as water heats instead of boiling it first and then trying to guess how long it needs to cool.
The temperature range varies by tea, but as a general reference:
- Green tea: often around 160–180°F
- White tea: often around 160–185°F
- Lighter oolongs: often around 180–195°F
- Black and most herbal teas: generally much closer to boiling
If most of what you make is herbal tea, I don’t think a built-in thermometer is a must-have. But if you regularly drink green, white, oolong or other teas where brewing temperature makes a noticeable difference, I think it’s worth having.
Lotus Insulated Double-Walled Glass Tea Press
Best For: Fresh herbs + whole-leaf teas
Stovetop Safe: No
Capacity: 34 ounces
Standout Feature: Press-style brewing with plenty of room for herbs to spread out
Materials: Borosilicate glass + Stainless steel + Food grade silicone
Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but they recommend handwashing with a soft sponge and warm soapy water
Most of the teapots in this guide hold tea and herbs inside an infuser basket. The Lotus is different: you add the herbs or tea directly to the pot, let them steep freely, then press, pour and drink.
I especially like this style for fresh herbs, which can be bulky. Instead of packing them into an infuser basket, they have the whole pot to spread out and stay in contact with the water as they steep.
It’s also nice for large whole-leaf and flower teas that plump up once they’re wet.
The Lotus is best for fresh herbs, larger dried herbs and whole-leaf teas instead of extremely fine blends. A very fine stainless-steel infuser generally does a better job of containing tiny particles from finely cut herbs.
That said, I’ve used it with dried herbs too, including my Lymph Love blend, and it worked beautifully and cleaned up easily.
The Lotus is currently out of stock, but Teabloom has an option to sign up for a restock notification.
Wilmax Thermo Glass Teapot With Removable Stainless Steel Spout Filter
Best For: Blooming tea, whole-leaf tea, fresh herbs & larger roots
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Sizes Available: 32 ounces and 54 ounces
Materials: Borosilicate glass + Bamboo + Stainless steel + Silicone Seal
Dishwasher Safe: Yes
The Wilmax Thermo Glass Teapot is gorgeous and stovetop safe, but its filtering system is very different from the fine-mesh infusers in most of the other teapots on this list.
Instead of a basket, it has a stainless-steel spring filter inside the spout. You can’t see it in the photos, but it’s the same as the one pictured in the next teapot on this list.
I’ve brewed quite a bit of burdock root and dandelion root tea on the stovetop in this pot, and the spring filter does a great job of keeping the roots out of my cup. It doesn’t filter out finely cut and sifted herbs very well, though, so I’d stick to using it for blooming teas, loose-leaf teas that expand as they steep, fresh herbs, citrus peels and roots.
The underside of this lid is also stainless steel, which I prefer over porous materials for something that is regularly exposed to steam.
One important thing to know about stovetop-safe glass teapots is that you need to follow the manufacturer’s heating instructions rather than treating them exactly like a metal kettle. For this one, Wilmax recommends removing the lid and spring filter while heating the water.
The water takes a little longer to come to a boil than it does in my regular kettle, but not by much.
CnGlass Teapot With Removable Stainless Steel Spout Filter
Best For: A more affordable alternative to the Wilmax
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Sizes Available: 20, 30, 40 and 50 ounces
Materials: Borosilicate glass + Bamboo + Stainless steel + Silicone Seal
Dishwasher Safe:
This teapot is very similar in design to the Wilmax England listed above but at a lower price point, so I ordered it to compare the two. I got the larger version of this one (50 ounces) and they feel basically identical in construction.
Like the Wilmax, the CnGlass uses a spring-style stainless-steel filter in the spout rather than a fine-mesh basket. That means I wouldn’t choose it for finely cut and sifted herbs, but it works well for blooming tea, whole-leaf tea, fresh herbs, citrus and larger pieces of roots or berries.
The underside of this lid is also stainless steel, which I prefer for something that is regularly exposed to steam. Overall, I think it’s comparable with the Wilmax – I haven’t noticed any differences in durability or performance.
Balance Glass Teapot
Best For: A tidy, hassle-free tea routine
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Capacity: 40 ounces
Standout Feature: The lid doubles as an infuser rest
Dishwasher Safe:
This little teapot has a small, hidden feature that makes it perfect for people who love tidy countertops.
When your tea has finished steeping, you remove the stainless-steel infuser and set it directly into the inverted lid – no hunting for a saucer or dripping tea across the counter.
Everything stays together, easy peasy.
Siena Glass Teapot
Best For: Simple, everyday brewing
Stovetop Safe: Yes
Sizes Available: 20, 30 and 40 ounces
Materials: Borosilicate glass + stainless steel
Dishwasher Safe:
Of all the Teabloom teapots I tested, the Siena is probably the closest to what most people picture when they think of a classic glass teapot.
I think it’s simplicity is the appeal – it’s crafted with borosilicate glass and comes with a stainless-steel lid and removable infuser, and the 40-ounce version is large enough to make several cups without feeling oversized.
If you don’t need a thermometer, measurement markings, a press or a built-in straining lid – and you just want a beautiful glass teapot you can reach for every day – the Siena is a great option.
Want more research-backed natural remedies?
No problem, I’ve created a free ebook for you – Kitchen Apothecary: 25+ Natural Remedies Using Ingredients From Your Pantry – as a gift for signing up for my newsletter. You’ll also get updates when I post about safe essential oils for pregnant/breastfeeding mamas, exclusive gifts and coupons (I was able to give away a jar of free coconut oil to anyone who wanted it recently!), plus other goodies.
Sign up using the form below.
