This week, Value for Money compares a variety of teapots.

Bodum Tea Press

€55

Highs: This isn't any old teapot, it's a tea press and works like a cafetiere - you put in tea leaves (tea bags can also be used) and, once you depress the plunger, the brewing stops and the tea remains at the desired strength, which makes it ideal if you're fussy about your tea and are inexplicably against strong tea. It's a decent-sized pot, yet not too heavy. The handle stays consistently cool and, because it is made of glass, it is easier to judge tea strength. And the price is just a little inexplicable.

Lows: Traditional it is certainly not, and nor is it the most attractive teapot we've ever laid our eye on. Unless you fancy yourself as something of a tea connoisseur, €55 seems like an over-the-top sum to spend on a teapot. It is a bit fiddly, and cleaning the filter adds an extra task to the tea-making process and one which we could certainly do without.

Verdict: For real tea buffs

Star rating: **

Farmhouse Filter Teapot

€16.95

Highs: This is another (considerably cheaper) pot which has been designed with leaf tea in mind, and the little stainless steel sieve-like filter is pretty effective at catching leaves which would otherwise find their way into your cup. When the tea gets to the right strength, the tea leaves can be removed from the pot. Bought in Avoca, it comes in a range of colours and has a nice traditional feel to it. It is also comparatively cheap.

Lows: The filter only reaches halfway down the pot, so you'll need to fill the pot with water or else it won't work properly. The colour we chose showed up the drips (which might not be a bad thing as the streaks will at least remind you to keep it clean). And, speaking of drips, there did seem to be an inordinate amount of them coming from the spout.

Verdict: Good but a bit fussy

Star rating: ***

Le Creuset Teapot

€32.50

Highs: If we were to judge on aesthetics alone, this teapot would win hands-down every time. It is a warm red colour, looks lovely and homely and is precisely the kind of teapot that would be really inviting on a cold winter's evening. It has a giant-sized handle and can make massive quantities of tea.

Lows: It can't sit on a stove-top because of its ceramic nature, so all that tea will go cold unless it's drunk quickly. The tea splashed out of it in a pretty alarming fashion, so you'll need to take care with the pouring. It will almost certainly last forever but it is heavy - particularly when it's full of tea - and weaker wrists might find they need two hands just to lift it.

Verdict: Very good but very heavy

Star rating: ****

Dunnes Stores Teapot

€6

Highs: This is the cheapest of the pots we came across by a massive margin and if you're looking for a teapot for half nothing then Dunnes is most certainly the place to go. It has a nice simple "bistro-style" design, made tea just as well as models that cost six times more and is almost certainly more widely available than the competition.

Lows: The spout is weirdly narrow and the handle strangely thin. It dripped really badly, possibly because of the oddly-shaped spout, and was hard to hold thanks to the silly little handle - pretty serious black marks against any teapot. It looks like the sort of teapot you might steal from a hotel room, if you were the type to steal teapots from hotel rooms.

Verdict: Very cheap but very good

Star rating: ***

Silver and Diamond Teapot from Avoca

€39.95

Highs: This is a fantastically old-fashioned, ridiculously girly teapot that is a cross between something your great aunt might swear by and a lamp favoured by Aladdin. It may look deeply silly, but it works. The handle stays cool, it's nice and light, beautifully balanced and pours perfectly without a single drop ending up anywhere but the cup - in fact it was the only one of the five teapots that was entirely drip-free. The lid is hinged so it's not going to go missing.

Lows: It does look just a little ridiculous, particularly the large glass "diamond" that sits on top of the lid. And at nearly €40 it was the second-priciest of the options we tried and may prove difficult for many people to track down.

Verdict: Pretty fine

Star rating: ****