My Chinese friend also insisted that you should never wash the inside of your tea pot. Let it get really dark brown.

I made this tea cosy many years ago, and don't even think about it, it's automatic to plop it on top of the pot. I should dig out a couple of others I have around here. Maybe my daughter would like one, now that she's living on her own at college. I don't know if she has a tea pot--I'll have to check. :)

SRS