I purchased this size and the smaller one for everyday use. Nothing bad to say. High quality stainless basket. The basket and the cover from this size and the smaller one are interchangeable which makes grabbing a clean one easy...

The black graphite is more like a charcoal grey but didn't bother me too much....looks sleek and nice. The infuser is very fine mesh and goes all the way to the bottom of the teapot. I don't have a problem with rooibos tea (finer particles) coming out of the infuser although it can be a little tricky to clean (not hard though) as they can get stuck in the fine holes at times. Just run it under the sink and/or use a brush and this is easy to resolve. The teapot pours well. The only time I've had it spill is when I was pouring with the infuser full and was down to the last few ounces of tea in the pot and was in a hurry so poured too fast (tilted it too high). Basically if you pour as you normally would, you won't have it spill even when the infuser is still in and full. It's easy to place your thumb on the lid (conveniently lined with silicone so not hot and doesn't move around) to keep the infuser in while pouring if desired too. I pour out of this teapot 150-200 times a week and have it dribble maybe once max during that time so I have been extremely happy with how cleanly and easily it pours. Quality of this teapot is top-notch. ForLife makes great quality products as I have a couple different ones, all well made. The lid on this has a silicone ring around which is great because it doesn't rub against the ceramic teapot and seals well. The infuser sits inside of the lid if desired for removal making it nice since it doesn't leak everywhere. The teapot does a fairly decent job at staying hot, but I usually drink it fast so it doesn't sit longer than half an hour, and I also don't preheat the pot but imagine this would help as well if you wanted it to stay hot longer. This teapot is microwavable (without lid and infuser obviously since they are stainless steel) and dishwasher-safe and has done well for me in both cases. It can be a little awkward to clean by hand just because it's tight to get your hand in to clean it well in the spout but nothing a bottle brush can't help, and it does great in the dishwasher if desired too. Overall I'm very happy with this teapot and the quality of it. My only problem is occasionally it will squirt out of the spout if you overfill it when you go to put the lid on while it's brewing but that is easy to remedy. One note, it does seem smaller than you'd think it would be when you order it since 38 ounces sounds like a lot. It does hold this much, just seems smaller than you would expect but very cute and sharp looking!