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greenisgood
Black Belt
Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 112
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 Posted: Mar 14, 2008 6:46 am Post subject: New Yixing Questions |
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| I know there are a million methods to get a new yixing ready for use (including that of inaction) but I am just wondering what others on this forum have done sucessfully. I really don't want to put my teapot in a pot of boiling water both because I don't want it to inadvertantly chip or break from bouncing around in the bubbles and I don't think that any pots I have are free from food residue (and don't want my carefully brewed oolong to taste like spagetti sauce or ramen seasoning). I read a method on the Seven Cups website that involves just filling with water/brewing tea and letting it sit. For my first yixing I really didn't do anything but give it a rinsy rinse with boiling water before using it normally, but now that I feel more educated, I'm trying to sort out the information for the best plan of action. Any suggestions? |
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FataliTEA
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 10 Sep 2007
Posts: 168
Location: Locked inside a deep-steamer.
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| Posted: Mar 14, 2008 9:23 am Post subject: |
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| Before using it, just rinse it out vigorously. If you're talking about seasoning it, then that's a whole different story. |
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syntheticpanda
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 07 Nov 2006
Posts: 198
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| Posted: Mar 14, 2008 12:15 pm Post subject: |
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Seasoning is, in my opinion, unnecessary. If it has a strong clay taste at first that really bothers you though, you might want to throw some used tea leaves and boiling water in there, and let it sit. Otherwise, just use it! It will season itself naturally over time.
Running some boiling water through it, as fatalitea suggests, might not be a bad idea, though. |
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greenisgood
Black Belt
Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Mar 14, 2008 12:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah thats what I did with my first pot, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something. I wasn't about to get out the toothbrush and prepare an all-day cloth-lined pot boiling session, just wondering if theres any easy and beneficial procedures that should be done. But I suppose when in doubt, make tea. |
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britt
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Mar 15, 2008 2:26 am Post subject: |
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| greenisgood wrote: | | Yeah thats what I did with my first pot, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something. I wasn't about to get out the toothbrush and prepare an all-day cloth-lined pot boiling session, just wondering if theres any easy and beneficial procedures that should be done. But I suppose when in doubt, make tea. |
Yixing clay is very porous and can easily pick up and hold bacteria, so it's really a good idea to boil it for 15 minutes or more. Many sellers of Yixings recommend this procedure. One Japanese teaware dealer who does drink some Chinese tea also recommended boiling the Yixing teapots before the first use.
I boil them for 15 minutes and I put a pair of wooden chopsticks through the handle to keep the pot from hitting the walls. This may or may not work depending on the size of the Yixing and the pot you boil it in.
Some I season afterwards, others I don't. I fill with tap water for 4 hours, then with boiling spring water until it cools. I then pretty much fill the Yixing with the type of tea I feel is already pretty good in that particular pot, add boiling water, and wait for it to cool. I do this a second time with the same leaves and a third time with fresh ones.
I have also stopped rinsing Yixings with tap water, as mine is heavily chlorinated. I now rinse them with hot spring water.
I've used this procedure twice and it has worked very well, once for Wu Yi oolong in a purple clay pot and once for Taiwanese high mountain oolong in a red clay "Hong Ni" pot. |
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greenisgood
Black Belt
Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Mar 15, 2008 8:04 am Post subject: |
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| Bacteria? I would think that any kiln firing would more than kill any bacteria in the clay. I think wet leaves in between steepings would carry more bacteria, than clay ever would; and so far I've gotten sick way less often when regularly drinking tea than not. I would think the boiling process would remove some junk from the clay at most but I think I'll probably just rinse with boiling water and maybe do the seasoning technique. |
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britt
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: Mar 15, 2008 9:04 am Post subject: |
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| greenisgood wrote: | | Bacteria? I would think that any kiln firing would more than kill any bacteria in the clay. |
I'm sure the kiln heat does kill the bacteria. I think the point is that the porous nature of the clay means it will hold any bacteria it comes into contact with after it leaves the kiln. I've read this a lot. I think it is meant as a precautionary measure. This is not a knock on the Yixing clay, as the porous nature of the clay is what's supposed to make a particular tea taste so good when it is brewed regularly in one of these teapots.
The other issue I've heard of is that many modern Yixings have dyes and chemicals added to the clay and that boiling them may help neutralize the additives. If I thought I had one of these, I would not bother boiling it because I'd throw it away before I'd use it. I don't know how to tell for certain whether the clay is genuine and pure, so I let a trusted seller do the homework for me.
I stopped purchasing new Yixings for these reasons, and gave away what I had to someone who wanted to put them on a display shelf. I then found a dealer of used Yixings that I trust. I still boil them because the clay is porous, not because of anything else. I season them because I don't know what kind of tea, if any, was brewed in them so I start from scratch.
The above is just what I have found and what I'm willing to do for safety's sake or other reasons. Everyone will have their own preference, but a good start is to purchase from someone you trust and hope your judgment of them is good. |
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greenisgood
Black Belt
Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 112
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| Posted: Mar 15, 2008 2:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah stuff from China...but I think the possibility of a few toxins from a new pot (really, what's a couple more these days? a drop in the bucket) is worth it to me for the joys gained from a brand new teapot which can be seasoned and treasured as my own for a lifetime. There is some peace of mind from getting a used one but that takes research and trust of the seller and somehow doesn't seem as satisfying for me. I think I'll try the boiling thing if I can find a cooking pot that I can drink out of without a taste, but otherwise I'll just take my chances. Thanks for the advice on seasoning. |
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