So while I’m a bit (ha!) of a tea junkie, I must confess that my tea brewing/tea pot equipment is pretty minimal. I have (had) a couple of tea pots that were obtained at church rummage sales, and I bought a small pot for afternoon/testing purposes recently, but other than that: not so much. I recently discovered that my standard pot which is a great stonewear ceramic beast has a defect in the (internal) glaze which I think means that it’s ready for retirement.
Former roommates will remember my general disregard for cleaning tea cups and the like, on the general theory, that a rinse + hot water + acidic tea is really all the cleaning one needs. I, however draw the line at “cracked glaze and exposed porous stonewear.” I have another pot, but it was a whim rummage sale purchase, and it has a wire handle (hard to hold,) a small opening (hard to rinse) and it dribbles effusively. This basically means the only tea pot I have at the moment is an old glass one. Which would be nice, except it looses heat at a truly astounding rate. Tip: glass tea pots not good.
There are a few things that are different about my tea making habits now as opposed to previous eras. First, I use loose leaf and strain either with a hand strainer, preferably some sort of tea pot infuser, or a hand made tea bag. I also, rarely brew individual cups any more. So I think my needs are a bit different than they once were. So new tea pot, here I come.