Feeling Guilty About Spouting Off

Yes, I am feeling a bit guilty - or at least ambivalent - about this spout:

It belongs to a lovely sterling teapot. The teapot belongs to us - or at least it did until we recently sold it in what many would think was an unsentimental, rash, mercenary gesture. After all, it's a family piece (albeit from a family member whose monogram we do not recognize . . .), and it's truly beautiful, and we love sterling items - so what were we thinking?

It's even an older, heavier teapot from the 1930s (see the ivory insulators on the handle!), which we also love. But, the problem is that tea from a silver pot isn't nearly as delicious as from a china one ~ gasp! Who could have guessed?

How can this be? What do you think tea lovers? Do you prefer tea from a silver teapot? So, our teapot and the rest of its set have a new home and we're purchasing another sterling item that we love with the proceeds . . . upgrading our collection, if you will.

And I'll be enjoying a cup of Formosa Oolong from my old ceramic teapot in the morning . . . and trying not to notice the empty spot on the sideboard.

Note: If you like this pattern, it's called Plymouth and was made by Gorham and several other sterling manufacturers.