Sowden Oskar SoftBrew Tea Maker, 1/2-Liter

Pours beautifully, steeps well, looks good, well made.I use it for whole leaf indian black tea.The basket clicks in with a push and takes a little (not a lot) of strength to remove, so if you have bad hand arthritis or other hand problems you might not like it.

The concept is a good one. Unfortunately, the strainer in the pot definitely leaks loose tea into the pot. I used the pot multiple times, hoping it wasn't the case, each attempt ended in the same result, loose tea in the pot. I had such high hopes for this pot. My daughters and I love tea, and will usually do morning and then afternoon tea together, so the idea of pot with the strainer was extremely appealing. I have the Ingenuitea, which I love, except for the plastic aspect. It works great, no loose tea in the cup! This is why I was so excited to buy the Sowden pot, no plastic, if the strainer only worked properly. The cost of it would have been irrelevant, despite the small size, if it actually strained the tea as promised. I thought perhaps it was the brand/variety I had used, so I tried a different brand/variety each time. If you don't mind paying around fifty dollars for a smallish pot, that doesn't strain the tea properly, it is a nice pot in appearance...I was going for functionality, rather than beauty.

The pot itself is awesome, but the filter is crap. The holes are too big, so the loose tea gets through them and into your cup. I'm actually using a different mesh tea steeper. The original steeper MIGHT work for larger loose leaf tea, like some oolongs or jasmine, but black tea, and rooibos slip right through the holes.I would suggest Sowden Oskar just stick with their lasered steeper (the one that comes with their coffee pot) for all of their pots.

Bought this for daily use and have used it for several months. The filter works great and makes excellent tea.

We love this teapot and use it every day. It has the perfect infuser -- it's very sturdy and the holes are the perfect size to ensure a good brew while not allowing leaves to get into the tea. The infuser is easily removed and the teapot cover fits perfectly. Well balance and a good handle so it's easy to pour.

I didn't realize this was for steeping tea, not heating water or I would have made another selection.

This tea pot is a great size, nice and large. It's also easy to clean and pours well. We're very pleased with our new tea pot!

Love it. Design is beautiful, feels great in the hand, works like a charm, perfect size.