Customer Reviews

Brown Betty 4 Cup Teapot - Look for "Original Staffordshire Brown Betty" Embossed on the base of the Teapot for Quality and Authenticity - Made in England Not China

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I purchased 8 of these teapots in 4-, 6-, and 8-cup sizes for home use and as gifts for friends. I assumed that, since they are labeled as 'Made in England', they would reflect the high quality one expects of ceramics made in the British Isles. However, these are the cheapest, flimsiest teapots money can buy. They were largely unavailable for a month or two in 2007 as the manufacturer made more. Apparently, the company was bought out and taken over by a new owner, who then started manufacturing these cheap excuses for a teapot. When these new teapots were released in early 2007, I noticed they were much lighter and flimsier than those made by the previous company owners. So I put each new teapot on a postal scale and weighed the new ones against earlier versions I already owned. Sure enough, the postal scale indicated that all of the new teapots are appreciably lighter as a result of being made with considerably less clay. I wrote a letter of complaint to the manufacturer and have never received a reply. Long story short - I have already had one teapot develop cracks throughout the inside of the pot, meaning the tea seeps into the clay and can develop mould, and I had the handle break off the other pot. I just started my third of these teapots today - the 8-cup version. I heated the pot with hot tap water to warm the pot, after which I filled it with water from the kettle. Then I stood back and listened to all of these popping/cracking sounds as the glaze began to crack throughout. Sadly, this company appears to be the last manufacturer of British made teapots, but the quality is non-existent. They're quite cute, granted, just don't expect it to last for any length of time. I'm on my third teapot now in the span of one year. Please don't blame any of the typically wonderful, helpful suppliers of these teapots. I have found sellers to be very good about standing behind their products - unfortunately, both sellers and buyers are being cheated by these poorly made, cheap quality knock-offs of the original brown betty teapots. Instead, direct all of your complaints to the manufacturer, Cauldon Ceramics. In the meantime, please don't waste your money like I have.

I have to agree that these pots are not anywhere near as good as they were before (I've kept a 4-cup of this brand for personal use for many years.) They don't pour well as the spout isn't properly formed. You have to hold it over the sink when pouring... forget about having it on your good dining table! Mine finally broke and I am so glad that I can throw it out and get a new one. At this price and this pedigree, you should be getting a good solid everyday pot. When I was last in England I didn't see one "brown betty" and I can see why. This pot has reached the status of tourist junk.

Excellent product - bought as a gift for my mom. The actual store and shipper (Olde Church Emporium) good to work with. Super quick delivery. The only reason this gets 4 stars instead of 5 is that the lid was broken on first delivery, due to very poor packaging (packed loosely with only paper). Upon trying to go through return/claim at post office (package insured by shipper), nothing but problems after 2 trips to P.O. and 2 phone calls to Olde Church. Fortunately, the shipper just sent me a new lid.

I recieved this pot as a gift. I use it often and enjoy it. Just big enough for me.

I received this teapot in the mail today. It was intended as a Christmas present for a friend, but I could not resist. So I washed it, made a pot of tea, and so now I have to order another one for the gift. The tea stays hot and it makes just the right amount for me. A wonderful addition to my kitchen, and a source of comfort on a winter afternoon.

I bought a 4 cup Brown Betty for my mother at Christmas and it was great - nice weight, made great tea,
kept it hot etc. After waiting 6 months for more stock to come in (I think I got the last one in the city for my mom), I was finally notified that they were in, but when I went to pick one up, I was horribly disappointed to see that they weighed a noticeable amount less, looked poorly finished and of a much lower quality. I'll never
buy one now and will email Cauldon to let them know why.

I have always wanted a Brown Betty teapot, and was VERY disappointed to read so many negative reviews. I even contacted a vendor of Brown Betty's who explained to me that the pots were being made with less quality, and were often breaking. I read some of the reviews on Amazon of people saying their pots cracked and shattered, or the handles broke off. I asked that vendor (not this one on Amazon) if it was worth buying the pot. He told me that it was like a lottery and that the pot I bought might work perfectly OR it might have the same disastrous results. I decided to take the chance. I bought the 4-cup pot (because it was cheaper here) and was nervously excited when I took it from the box. I've had the pot for almost a month now, and it has worked perfectly! I've taken some extra steps that will hopefully prevent any problems, such as I warm the pot twice before steeping the tea, instead of the traditional once, first by using hot tap water, and then the boiled water. I also hold the spout and the handle, so that there is not much pressure on the handle (since some customers have said their handles broke off). I check the pot each time after use for cracks inside, and so far, nothing. this pot has worked perfectly for me, and I hope it does for a long time!

Purchased 2 Brown Betty's: 2 & 4 cup capacities. The Brown Betty retains heat better than other tea pots I own. The capacity is overstated, in that a cup is 8 ounces. The 4 cup version capacity is barely 3 cups. The biggest flaw is in the poor design of the spout. The spout drips at all times during pouring regardless if the pot is filled to 3 cups or only 1 cup. Tea must be poured over the sink; inconvenient and frustrating. I've gone back to using other teapots with the addition of a tea cosy. The Brown Betty's are now being used as a catch all. Cauldon Ceramics should change their marketing slogan to read "Made in England Just Like Made in China."

I own the 2-cup version of the Brown Betty. It looks nice and makes a nice 'cuppa' but the big flaw is in its design. The spout is constructed in such a way that dripping when poring out your tea, is simply unavoidable. Not recommended.

The spout was not configured to prevent spilling down the front of the
teapot on to the table. Also the handle is a little small for a comfortable grip.