Brown Betty vs. Chatsford

Hi, Melinda.

There's a bit of confusion at your end in re: the Chatsford teapot and if I may...

The Chatsford is a brewing system that allows loose tea a lot more room to brew than does a tea ball without your having to contend with a plugged-up teapot spout while straining. It was invented by The London Teapot Co. and you can get a Chatsford teapot or mug in earthenware, porcelain, or bone china from any of the different teapot-makers who have licenses to produce it. For more info:

Personally, I contemplated getting a Brown Betty but after I tried my first Chatsford pot, the convenience was so overwhelming that I bought a second Chatsford in a different size and no longer lust after the perfect teapot. I did, however, buy an extra brew basket for each pot for convenience in switching teas.

My first Chatsford is the white w/ black trim 4-cup bone china from Upton. I was told that it was made in England by [um...sorry, I just had a brain fart]. My second is a plain, bright red 2-cup Arthur Wood (No longer available, maybe anywhere. Not too many websites had it when I bought mine last year.). While I can't tell the difference in taste, if any, the handle of the Arthur Wood pot gets a whole lot hotter and I always have to use a pot holder with it.

There's a good variety of Chatsford teapots in plain colors or floral and other designs so you don't have to sacrifice looks for performance.

I had to eat and check my memory from back when I was considering a Brown Betty.

It seems to me that since the Brown Betty is made of red clay from Stoke-on-Trent, it has to be made in England, in S-on-T, or it would be an imitation since that particular clay isn't obtainable elsewhere.

Or, is it?

The S-O-T clay is white with brown Rockingham glaze. Chatsford makes a teapot with Rockingham glaze but I can't vouch for the clay. A traditional BB is 8 cups. Chatsfords are smaller with built in infuser. BB you use an external strainer. You can buy teapots from S-O-T with Rockingham glaze from other potteries commonly referred too as Staffordshire teapots. I think BB is synonymous with Arthur Wood who is no longer in business. Besides the glaze and clay the other characteristic is the 'pot bellied' walls which is noticeable in larger pots. Nothing defines 'traditional' more than a BB.

Jim

Hi Melinda,

I have been considering the same two teapots. I went through a phase of tetsubin cast iron pots and Jenaer and Bodum glass pots. Now I'm looking for something more practical for everyday use.

Brown Betty is both a style and a "brand." The true Brown Betty is made by Caledonia Pottery in England. They're widely available online and I've been trying to decide where to buy one. I've seen the Peter Sadler "Brown Betty" style pots but the modern ones are now made in Malaysia. The English Chatsford pot that's available through Special Teas.com,

is also made in Malaysia for the Churchill Ceramics Company of England. Special Teas carries replacement filters as well. I've also seen this type of pot marketed as "The Finum" but the price is higher than those at Special Teas. The nylon filter basket doesn't appeal to me because I just bought a Swiss Gold teapot infuser.

I have decided to buy the Brown Betty since I have a white porcelain glazed English style 2-3 cup pot. I'm pretty sure it's made in China or Malaysia--it's a drippy pot and I have to replace it. The heat retention is ok. The Brown Betty is supposed to keep the tea warm longer and has a dripless spout. A Brown Betty seasons like a cast iron pot does and supposedly improves the flavor of the tea. I drink mostly black teas so I think this is the best choice for me. (I plan to use a glazed ceramic pot for herbal or flavored teas.) If you want to use the same pot for single estate, herbal and flavored teas, you might consider the Chatsford style and some OxyClean to get the flavors and stains out of the filter basket each week.

All the best,

Renee

Hey, Melinda.

It might be worth your while to contact this place to find out whether or not this Brown Betty Chatsford is authentic, made from the red clay from Stoke-on-Trent. That way, you might be able to get both in one and avoid having to decide between:

Sorry, but that's not entirely accurate.

Chatsford isn't a company but is a patented design that is licensed to teapot-makers. I've seen them available in 10-cup sizes and more than one website attributes *red* clay from the Bradell Woods area of S-o-T for the BB, not white. The James Sadler (which was bought by Churchill China) BB

*is* made from white clay, but authentic pots, which were originally unglazed, still use the red. On the bottom of there's a BB Chatsford although I can't tell if it's made from the authentic red clay or not.

Although Arthur Wood did close its doors in Oct. 2003, Rayware Ltd in Liverpool bought the intellectual property rights and all remaining stock that same year and a reply from Rayware earlier this year to an inquiry that I made said that they will continue to manufacture and use the brand name for Arthur Wood products as well as launch new designs.

Finally, I question why the BB might be synonymous with Arthur Wood. The red clay was discovered and the first teapots made in the 17th century, but AW didn't start manufacturing until 1884 and others make it, too.

All the best.

Renee,

I have a larger made-in-China teapot that dripped until I bought this little gadget:

HTH.

Oooo...that explains a lot to me, thank you Bluesea.

Yeah. I'm going to have to get a few extra brewbaskets myself...sometimes I like to drink tisanes and some of them impart their smell into a basket and it's tough to get the basket to not smell unless I run it through the dishwasher which is not always convenient (the basket I'm referring to is nylon, not metal).

On further searching I did find many different ones and I see what you mean. Thanks very much, that clears up some confusion.

Melinda

I use Bodum pretty much exclusively right now. I love them because they're so convenient but I do have to try to wrap them up in a towel or something to keep them warm while they're brewing. I don't have a cozy...yet. I haven't had any problem with them breaking. I'm sure they would if I knocked them against something hard enough, but no problems yet.

While searching the web I noticed that there are a lot of sites that are out of certain teapots made in Malaysia that are having delivery problems or the factory is having production glitches or something, they all say that the teapots will be in in mid-november. I can't remember the precise teapot (it was two different kinds I seem to remember.). The Caledonia pottery one is the one Brown Betty I've seen everywhere (local supermarket/specialty store and Costplus World Market to name the two most recent places). I wondered if it was good or not. When I looked on the bottom of the ones I've seen here they all have a red clay showing through (where the pot meets the shelf in the kiln) not white, but looking online I did see either an old Arthur Wood or a Chatsford Brown Betty that was advertised as having a base of white clay.

Special Teas carries replacement filters as

Renee, does the Swissgold infuser fit in the Caladonia Brown betty, do you know? That would be ideal because I am trying to get away from nylon mesh filters, they don't clean for me as well though they are good for very fine teas and rooibos.

Yeah I would want it for black teas too. I make them in my Bodum now which is just fine but there's something so...traditional...about a Brown Betty. Good old standby and all that, lol. Thanks very much for your input!

Melinda

Thanks for the followup on the Arthur Wood legacy. I couldn't imagine the name recognition going down the drain. AFAIK the terra-cotta clay from S-o-T which is brownish orange will fire white. My AW BB has raised white lettering identifying the maker and a white seat. I identify the BB by style as you suggested large pot, bowed walls, glaze, clay, one piece construction. AW made the largest and I have the 10 cup model so if nothing else my BB is bigger than yours. I haven't seen any Chatsford over 4 cups which include infusers and a BB doesn't at any size. AW is always mentioned with construction of terra-cotta clay and Rockingham glaze. I've only seen Chatsford BB mentioned with glaze and no mention of clay. I don't know about BB name origin but AW BB is traditional as you can get. Mineral pigment is often added to clay so a white unglazed clay teapot is quite rare. You'd leave finger prints. What I really know about BB is from talking with US English expatriates in teashops.

Jim

For the time being I'm going to back off claim of AW BB with terracotta and Rockingham glaze. I 'think' it is white porcelain and Rockingham glaze. It looks creamy inside the pot and white on the edges. I only suspect this because AW is really known for floral porcelain teapots. The pot has bowed walls, drip free, one piece, large, S-o-T. I remember the Pristine, Sadler, Chatsford with solid brown throughout so much so I thought they looked artificial. So the terracotta should fire dark. There aren't that many BB on Ebay to see pictures of bottom and lid. Rockingham glaze is a 'universal' popular glaze from England.

Jim

Hi Melinda,

I have a ten ounce brown betty that it won't fit, but it -just- fits in my

16 oz dribble pot...that pot is shaped like a Brown Betty. I use it with that pot all the time. The opening on the pot is 2 1/4 inches across. I dunk the SG teaball a few times before removing it to make sure that the infusion is complete. This teaball works great with Rooibos and I use it all the time for that. I bought it a couple of weeks ago and haven't had any problems with staining or flavor transfer yet. So far I've only rinsed it since I don't want to rub off the gold plating. If some Rooibos sticks in the holes on the inside of the infuser, I use the sprayer on my sink on the outside of the infuser and then wipe out and rinse the remainer. I bought this infuser through Stash Tea:

It's about three inches long--the hook and chain are just shy of 5 inches.

I've found a retailer with fair prices on the Brown Betty...Mark T Wendell company. I haven't ordered just yet but I'm probably going to order by Monday. I sent for a print catalog since their website doesn't state if the BB's are from Caledonia Pottery. I sent an email to customer service and was told that they are. The print catalog states that they are as well (I got that last night). I will be buying some large Teeli filters for my larger pot and peppermint tea since I don't want to use the Swiss Gold for mint and it's most likely too small for the biggest pot I have--which I only use for company anyway.

I'm planning on making some tea cozies this winter...I have to design a pattern first. If you want to send me your email address, I'll let you know once I've finished one for the Brown Betty.

Renee

Thank you! I'll have to get that so I can keep this pot...

I'm not Renee, but that helps me with my drippy pot. So, thanks!

The James Sadler BB used to be red clay with Rockingham glaze but now is white clay. I don't know when the switch was made.

Actually, All Chatsford teapots and mugs come with an infuser basket. The Chatsford line (trademark of the London Teapot Company) is 100% infuser based. The baskets are made in England. The ceramics have been made by a variety of potters. The original earthenware teapot was made by Arthur Wood, and theirs is the only 10-cup infuser version made to date. I believe Upton is the only source of this teapot at present, and I believe they purchased the last production lot of AW's 10-cup Chatsford.

I am not aware of bone china products by AW, but they did a wide variety of earthware decorated teapots, including several patters for the Chatsford line.

... vjw

Probably at a department store near you 'The Main Ingredients Teapot'. I got mine last year at Dillards during the holidays 1.5L white stoneware with infuser for $20.

Jim

It explains a lot to me too - why I'll never ever buy one of their teapots.

-- First we'll kill all the spammers _Second_ let's kill all the lawyers.