Pros: Beautiful Holds heat well Comes with screen to catch tea leaves Pours like a high end teapot (no dribbles, very smooth) Cons: Mine came with a permanent screen and I thought I was getting the model with the removable screen. If you drink tea daily, having the permanent screen is probably perfect for you. However, I'm not a daily green tea drinker and I'm worried about not being about to get it clean enough between uses. My spouse did not like the outer texture, it's almost like a fine grain sandpaper on the main body. The handle is smooth. I liked the pot's texture though. Both of the cons are purely personal preferences and do not take away from the overall quality. I really do wish I had the removable screen model though. This is a small tea pot, good for a single mug or two maybe three small teacups, if you are doing the ceremony-style. After it's done brewing, you will want to pour all of it. Especially without the removable screen. I find it gets too bitter if it steeps for too long. With good green tea leaves, you can do another steep or two with fresh water.

This is a really beautiful Japanese red clay tea pot. For such a small pottery item, the price tag is pretty hefty, but if you're looking for authenticity in your Japanese tea drinking, you're likely to come as close as you can at home with these tea pots. My video shows a side by side comparison brewing method. Both cups have loose leaf organic Himalayan green tea steeped in 175 F parboiled and filtered water. The left cup has the leaves steeped in a mesh ball; the right cup had the tea steeped in this Japanese red clay pot. The left cup was stronger and earthier in the finish, the right was lighter and smoother in taste. I don't know that these results will reflect your own experiences with Japanese green tea. But I'm sure if you're a fan of "The Book of Tea" or of Japanese tea ceremonies, you could really enjoy this little artisan tea pot. The drawbacks of this pot are that cleaning can be a hassle, especially if you want to share more than one cup of tea. I only got about 6 oz of tea out of my pour. I guess Japanese tea ceremonies usually have people drinking small cups of tea anyway (I don't know). And oh yeah, the cost of this tea pot is a luxury too.

Overall, very charming little teapot. - Traditional style with modern twist. - I'm impressed by the 'all around mesh' system and it's quality. Not flimsy, very nicely finished. It allows tea leaves to move freely in the pot. I was afraid cleaning may be cumbersome but that's not the case. Just rinse it out. No problem. You can also use a sponge and no bits get stuck on the mesh. - Lid fits beautifully. Doesn't move around, doesn't rattle. Fits like the last piece of puzzle. I have to admit, it is satisfying. You need to place your hand over the lid when pouring. Using both hands when you pour is both correct and elegant. - Size: Petite. See the pic. sitting next to popular measuring cups. I mainly use it for myself so this size is great. - The prettier (flowers) side is not for yourself but rather, to entertain your guest's eyes. That's their way. I rarely have guests. I have to turn it around -after pouring- to entertain myself. lol - Drips, 1 drop. This teapot is basically 5 stars BUT it drips. Just 1 drop but it drips. I figured, if I don't rush (pour gently), the first pour is NO drip. Maybe the second pour is clean, too, that is, if do it just right. After that, the tiny droplet on the spout tip gets bigger each time you pour and eventually gravity wins. I have other teapots which does that (both inexpensive and expensive) so it's not a unique problem to this product... but I also have teapots never drips. So I take a star off. You might be luckier than I am. - Best for right-handed user. I think this teapot is best for right-handed. Being a traditional product in Japan -many products used to be designed/made for right-handed users in mind-, I don't see this as a negative as I am right-handed myself. I just want to point it out so left-handed user can evaluate before purchasing. I imagine left-handed can still use it, it may not be the most comfortable arrangement.