For many years they were left in the darkest nook of the kitchen cupboard, but now they’re moving back into the limelight: teapots. And they have the potential to become shooting stars. At Ambiente in Frankfurt, the world’s largest consumer goods fair, almost every booth boasted one. Be it Naoto Fukasawa for Alessi (a metal teapot you can take off the stove and place straight on the table), or the “Wan” set Sebastian Herkner created for Rosenthal: The pace among designers is definitely not being set by the large, massive teapots à la Alfi, but by the small plumpish pots in the lineage of those used for the Japanese tea ceremony, which have a far smaller volume. Following the hype about coffee, tea is emerging as the new zeitgeist beverage, promising brief relaxing support for the body and mind. Informed urbanites have long since stopped ordering a latte macchiato with caramel syrup and instead opted for “white happiness”, a blend of white and green tea that has to brew a bit before you serve it. Meaning the gourmet’s delight has a practical side to it as well. It slows things down and for a brief moment opens up the range of our senses. And if you add the visual pleasure of stylish packaging, then the moment of pleasurable sipping is perfect. Spelling an end to coffee-to-go and the beginning of tea-to-sit.