Real Men Drink Tea...But "Cozy" Will Not Do!


My teapots are not targeted toward one gender or the other.  I design my teapots so that both woman and men will find my teapots appealing and comfortable to hold. But men searching for a teapot to purchase are sometimes restricted by a selection that is biased toward more feminine teapots.  This becomes even more problematic when men shop for a covering to keep liquid in a teapot warm ... or what the refined species refers to as a Tea Cozy.

I mean, the name just doesn't cut it with men. Picture this: A big man wearing jeans and a work shirt stained with oil and paint walks into a tea room.  He is visibly uncomfortable walking through the room full of well-dressed woman all in white and colorfully print dresses.  He walks up to the counter. Deep, big voice, "Do you have any Cozies?"  See the problem?

Well, this was solved by my friend Annilese Pitt, owner and designer at Thistledown Cozies.  She designed the HOB.  As she explained to me "hob" refers to the shelf in the back of the fireplace on which to place items to keep them warm. Perfect word and perfectly masculine. Images of sooty bricks, fire, ash; the gritty items associated with a fireplace.

And I took the HOB and designed a teapot to fit it.  See the pictures below.


This 32 ounce teapot fits the 40 ounce HOB perfectly.  The nylon closer with buckle are easy for large male fingers to close and clasp.  And it keeps the tea hot.  The ergonomic teapot handle with my fly-away thumb rest peeks out from the back of the HOB.  More of my teapots are at www.rockpondpottery.etsy.com.


Thistledown Cozies has other version of the HOB like the "Camo", a HOB made of camouflaged fabric.  You can learn more about the HOB and find where to purchase one (or two) at http://www.thistledownshop.com/hobs.html




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