Great pic. Never mind the funny groove - what about the funny head?

the photo is a hybrid of two photos to get both the spout and pete's head in focus.

i usually admit to doing that kind of thing, so sorry about that !

I think the funny groove is to help prevent the spout from dribbling and dripping. Have know idea of the theory behiind it though.

i think you are right. pete's always dribbling and dripping. (not really).

but what is the theory behind the groove ?

it's a tea making mystery

i think that the design might be a manufacturing error. did pete purchase the pot from a crockery 'seconds' shop?

he got it sent in the internal mail from our office post room.

i think it's a deliberate design. perhaps we should ask Pete to comment on the tea pot's effectiveness.

I found this at www.freepatentsonline.com...

Title: Dripless spout having a V-shaped channel
Document: United States Patent 5169040
Abstract: A dripless spout comprises a surface having a lip over which a liquid to be poured may flow, and a channel formed in the surface and extending over at least a portion of the surface to the lip. At the end of a pouring operation any droplets of liquid remaining on the surface occupy the channel and are held therein. The spout is formed of relatively thin material and may be provided in the form of a spring clip for fitting to a liquid container, or may be formed integrally with a liquid container.

Despite the clever design and theory, it doesn't really work. Because the pot is smaller than the one it replaces I tend to fill it to the max. This causes the water to run up the spout and through the hole if the teapot is at anything other than completely horizontal. Also, when I stop poring the resurge of tea back down the spout drips through the hole. Back to the drawing board.
ps, I can't do much about my head.