After searching all over Internetland for the potentially perfect teapot I found this one. Never having ordered from Samovar, before now, I wasn’t sure what I was getting into. I pulled the trigger during the final hours of their after-Thanksgiving sale. There was a glitch in their ordering system but after a few very pleasant emails back and forth with Ellen, I was very happy that I tried out this tea company. The teapot is beautifully simple, and perfect for my needs. Because the teapot did not come with an in-the-pot strainer, like so many do, they included a free strainer that you hold over your cup to strain the tea as it is coming out of the teapot. I prefer this way of straining tea as I don’t like crowding tea leaves in an in-the-pot/cup strainer. I like the tea leaves to be able to have as much room as possible to fully hydrate. Thank you Samovar, and especially Ellen, for such a great shopping experience. I will be back.