The ForLife stump pot is pretty wonderful. I received it as part of a set I had purchased with tins of Harney & Sons Paris and Earl Grey Supreme teas (to be reviewed in the future). The stump pot comes in a variety of colors with two matching cups. Mine is white and it is my favorite set thus far. The white allows for an untinted photo of the tea, which is particularly useful for the review photos. All of the colors look nice, though. I particularly like the turquoise, gray, and mandarin ones.
The pot is relatively easy to clean and the infuser fits perfectly. The area that is most difficult is the spout, but with a small brush (think pipe cleaner), it is easy to clean.
The infuser has very small holes, which are great for preventing the leaves from making an escape into the rest of the pot. The handle easily flattens to allow the lid to close and gives no trouble when I lift it back up to pull out the infuser. The infuser handle is plastic, which prevents it from getting too hot to touch. It does not make contact with the tea during steeping or pouring.
The flat lid is particularly useful because it provides a perfect resting place for the tea cup. The tea cups also stack together nicely. On a cluttered desk, I like that I do not have to make room for the pot and cup to rest separately. The pot holds about 16 ounces of liquid and retains the heat longer than a regular mug.
The infuser has very small holes, which are great for preventing the leaves from making an escape into the rest of the pot. The handle easily flattens to allow the lid to close and gives no trouble when I lift it back up to pull out the infuser. The infuser handle is plastic, which prevents it from getting too hot to touch. It does not make contact with the tea during steeping or pouring.
The flat lid is particularly useful because it provides a perfect resting place for the tea cup. The tea cups also stack together nicely. On a cluttered desk, I like that I do not have to make room for the pot and cup to rest separately. The pot holds about 16 ounces of liquid and retains the heat longer than a regular mug.
I have noticed some wear on the lid where the teacup sits. It is nothing major and does not remove from the other wonderful qualities. I've been using the pot several times a day for a couple of weeks now and it is holding up very well. My main concern is breakage if I drop it. It is primarily high-fired ceramic, after all, and my kitchen floor is made of hard tiles. The pot, itself has not shown any signs of staining so far and I have brewed teas that are bright red, dark brown, bright yellow, etc. The pot and cup are as white as they were when they came in the box.
Overall I'd give this set 4 stars. It is a nice size, has clean lines, and functions very well. The cups can stack and rest on top of the pot. It is very close to a five-star product (I really love this pot!), but with the slight wear on the lid and mild difficulty cleaning the spout, it is not perfect. There may never be a "perfect" teapot by those standards, but I do like to leave room for improvement.
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