Brown Betty is a classic style as much as anything else, so outside of some
seriously pedantic, likely highly debatable historical points, any of
quality manufacture is as authentic as any other. The size
thing....somewhere along the line a decision was made that a "cup" of hot
beverage, be it tea or coffee was six ounces which likely as not had to do
with the size of cups in fancy china services, since the coffee cups I'm
used to in the US and recall from living in the UK were generally 8-10
ounces for the regular size and what is the limit for the "large" mugs. The
24 ounce was the most common I recall seeing in shops in England if that's
important to you. What I would do is consider how you will be using it. If
you never expect to serve company and will only be taking a couple cups
before it has a chance to go cold even with a tea-cosey, a 2-3 cupper will
likely be sufficient. If a guest/companion/whatever is in the mix then
adapt accordingly and if it's a bit large for everyday needs and only one
pot is in your budget at the moment, then there's nothing that says you have
to make a whole pot every time you use it.

Tea-pots are marvelous little things. They only require care when you use
them and they can be a joy to look at even when you don't. One of them is
likely sufficient, but another one can be a welcome addition....and maybe
just one more.... and even though I really don't need any more, there was
this one I happened to see at Whole Foods today.....

-Doc

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"...it's only the giving that makes you... what you are.."


"Henry" > wrote in message
...
> Hello,
>
> I'm a little bit confused selecting a brown betty teapot. First off, I
can't
> figure out which one is the "authentic" one as various retailers have
> various prices. Also the size is what I don't get. I figure 2 cups would
be
> enough for me, thinking that would be 16oz., I see 2 cup Brown Bettys are
> 12oz. So I guess I'll go to the 4 cup Brown Betty which say 24 oz.. But
then
> I see another store selling "2-3 cups" with or without a claimed 18oz. So
> which one is correct? And is the 4 cup brown betty the standard size to go
> by? Thanks!
>
> HK
>
>