Green Tea Forum

lafost2 · Brown Belt Joined: 01 Sep 2006 Posts: 54

I have a question regarding the Tokonome Teapots and continued use over time. I have read that minerals can build up in the teapots causing the taste of the tea to be affected. Does anyone know if this is true? I usually use spring water from one of the units that dispenses hot and cold water. I am not using distilled water, but it is bought spring water in the 5 gallon jugs. Any information on this would be appreciated.

Thanks

syntheticpanda · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 198

Chances are, you will only experience mineral buildup after a LONG period of time. If you use spring water it shouldn't build up too quickly-- usually it's tap water that causes problems.

Anyway, if you do find that you have mineral buildup, try washing with a dilute vinegar or bleach solution. There are plenty of posts about these methods here, just search for "scale" or "deposits."

Ryan · Sensei Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 475

Spring water can indeed be high in mineral content. Actually, the mineral content varies significantly from spring water to spring water...

Though metal kettles do develop quite a bit of build up as they are heated with water, I have never heard of the same situation with teapots, that is interesting.

The teapots may develop build up I suppose, but in my opinion, no way at the rate of a metal kettle. As the teapot is not heated but is only a vessel where water is added.

By the way, distilled water in my opinion will make inferior tea to that of spring water. The natural mineral content of spring water enhances the flavor of tea.

If you were really concerned by this, you could always go the route of a glass teapot which is easier to clean or you could simply clean out your clay/ceramic teapot. Personally, I don't really clean my teapots. I may wipe the inside with a cloth, thats it.

Chip · Posted: Apr 18, 2007 12:44 am Post subject:

It seems that my kyusu that I use very heavily for Japanese green tea really does not suffer from much build up. I may brew tea in it 5-10 times a day. Yes it has a nice tea patina on the inside, but it is not a mineral build up. I simply rinse thoroughly immediately after each tea session and allow it to dry with the spout pointing straight down. I like the patina, it shows its dedication to Japanese green tea.

In fact, I use a glass beaker to pour/measure water from my electric kettle, that always develops scale, yet my pot does not.

I have an old beat up red clay tokoname kyusu that I had used for every tea under the sun including Chinese greens and oolongs. That always seems to develop copious amounts of all kinds of build ups to the point it would flake off.

Do not ask me to explain that...

lafost2 · Brown Belt Joined: 01 Sep 2006 Posts: 54

Thanks for the info. It doesn't sound like this is a problem that I need to worry about. I usually rinse my teapot out and let it drain on its side.