Im curious about the marketing of mini tetsubin as teapots too. In japan Ive only ever seen them used as kettles. Water boiled in an iron tetsubin is supposed to be healthy, delicious and ideal for tea.
I bought a Chinese electric hotplate that came with what I, at first, thought was an unimpressive, really flimsy, cheap, kettle. Of course I soon found that it was perfect for gong fu tea as it conducts heat very fast, boiling water almost instantly, also it is extremely light so you dont accidentally ‘ding’ the spout against delicate cups and teapots.
Tetsubin typically have flat lids that easily slide off and also a metal hinged handle that a) gets very hot and b) is hard to control with precision. I personally like to keep them well away from my gong fu ceramics.
