Piao I Teapot (review)

Name: Piao I

Brand: Piao I

Type: Teapot/infuser combo

Review: My friends at Canton Tea Company kindly sent me a Piao I teapot back in June. I confess that I was more interested in sampling their new teas than trying out the teapot, so it sat for a week or two. Eventually I got around to trying it.

It is now perhaps my most consistently used piece of teaware. I love this thing

The Piao I consists of a glass carafe, polycarbonate infuser basket, and lid. To use the Piao I, just add hot water and tea leaf to the infuser basket, allow tea to brew, and then push a button at the top of the infuser to release the liquor into the carafe. Some of its advantages are:

• Decanting: Decanting tea with the Piao I is extremely easy, and does not require a separate “holding” container for tea. Infuser/teapot hybrids are usually designed so that the tea must either be decanted immediately into a cup/teapot or the drippy infuser basket must be removed from the teapot and set elsewhere. The Piao I is self-contained: After you decant, the tea remains in the pot for you to pour as you wish. There is no risk of scalding due to a malfunctioning or accidentally jiggled valve, no drippy mess from a leaky infuser basket. and tea does not become bitter and disagreeable because your cup is too small to hold all the tea in the infuser. (Incidentally, the push-button mechanism is quite convenient: I’ve been known to coax eggs to an appropriate curd on the stove with one hand while decanting my tea with the other using the Piao I.)
• Storage: If you have small teacups, the Piao I does a fine job of holding your decanted tea until you are ready for more. If you are a multiple infusions type of person, the separate, lidded infuser lets you put your leaves in the fridge until you want to use them again.
• Preparation: The Piao I makes it easy to rinse your oolongs and pu’erhs. It is also great for preparing iced tea by the glass. Just fill the bottom with ice, double the amount of tea in the infuser, add water, and decant when brewed.
• Portability: The polycarbonate infuser basket and lid can be carried with you when you travel, and you can use the basket to decant tea directly into a mug or cup in your hotel room.

Like loose leaf tea? Then you will probably like the Piao I.

Tips for Cleaning: The chamber below the infuser basket is sealed up. I strongly recommend cleaning the Piao I infuser basket by running a lot of hot, soapy water through it as soon as possible after use. I’d also advise against brewing flavored teas in the Piao I, as I suspect that residue from the flavoring essences could accumulate and taint the flavor of teas brewed in the basket.

Where To Purchase: In the UK, you can buy the Piao I in several shapes and sizes from Canton Tea Co. In the United States, you can buy the Piao I on Amazon or from Pure Puer Tea.

Item provided by retailer?: Yes

Affiliate links in this post?: Yes

Tagged as: Piao I, tea, tea infuser, teapot, Teaware