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Hushfield
Brown Belt
Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 49
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 Posted: May 31, 2008 9:31 pm Post subject: Teapot only for one kind of tea? |
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Hi all,
I am completely new to the appreciation of tea. just bought the cheapest teapot I could find (never invest in the more expensive stuff until you're sure you will still be using it a lot in two weeks time ^^). The teapot is a red ceramic, feels rather rough. It had a little accompanying manual in which it said the teapot would gradually absorb the flavor of the tea, and that it would therefore be recommended to use it for only one type of tea.
Is this true, and would it be really problematic if I used it to make e.g. sencha for a few months straight and then use it for other types of tea? (which I don't plan on doing anyway, I am just curious)
Thanks in advance
cheers
H |
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britt
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 22 Oct 2007
Posts: 175
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| Posted: May 31, 2008 11:04 pm Post subject: Re: Teapot only for one kind of tea? |
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| Hushfield wrote: | Hi all,
I am completely new to the appreciation of tea. just bought the cheapest teapot I could find (never invest in the more expensive stuff until you're sure you will still be using it a lot in two weeks time ^^). The teapot is a red ceramic, feels rather rough. It had a little accompanying manual in which it said the teapot would gradually absorb the flavor of the tea, and that it would therefore be recommended to use it for only one type of tea.
Is this true, and would it be really problematic if I used it to make e.g. sencha for a few months straight and then use it for other types of tea? (which I don't plan on doing anyway, I am just curious)
Thanks in advance
cheers
H |
It would help to know exactly what the pot you purchased is. Is it Chinese Yixing, Japanese Tokaname, etc?
Typically, there is truth that unglazed (interior) pots will absorb the flavor of tea over time. The degree depends on how porous (absorbing) the clay is.
An equally important consideration is the construction of the teapot and the characteristics of the tea that will be brewed in it.
In general, I have found that Chinese tea may be brewed in a Japanese kyusu with good results, but Japanese tea (especially first harvest sencha) doesn't yield the best results when brewed in a Chinese Yixing. Japanese green tea is very sensitive to brewing conditions. Japanese kyusu are typically designed for the best brewing of Japanese tea. The better ones for sencha are light and thin, therefore releasing the heat faster so the delicate tea leaves will not be overbrewed. Many Chinese Yixings of high quality are judged on the opposite criteria; they are better if they are heavy and thick. These characteristics are suitable and desireable for brewing most darker Chinese teas. This still doesn't answer the "one tea per pot" question.
As a general rule, I use one pot per type of tea. I have many Japanese kyusu. I use most of them for any type of sencha, but only that; one set for gyokuro; and one glazed kyusu for Houjicha and Genmaicha, which have more pronounced flavors. The interior glaze makes that pot suitable for all types of tea, as it won't absorb the flavor. I also use the "one type of tea per teapot" rule for Chinese and Taiwanese tea and Yixings. Some go even further and allocate one pot for each specific tea.
If you're like most of us here, your interest will not die after two weeks. It was wise to limit your investment until you know whether tea will remain an interest, but be warned that it can become very addictive over time!
As my appreciation of tea increased, so did my interest in teaware, which can make this an expensive hobby. I found that I would have saved a lot of money if I had just purchased that expensive item I wanted in the first place. Instead, I compromised multiple times by buying other less expensive products until I finally ended up purchasing what I initially wanted anyway. Although price is not always an indication of quality, I have found that many of the better and more expensive items I have purchased are so superior to the others that I no longer use the lesser ones. The benefit of this is that many family members and friends who drink tea casually have some decent, but not the best, teaware they got for free. |
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okimasa
2nd Degree Black Belt
Joined: 15 Mar 2008
Posts: 167
Location: Elora, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Jun 01, 2008 1:38 am Post subject: |
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| Britt pretty muched said all there needs to be said, but just a general heads up, don't use dish soap to wash your teaware or let it soak in the sink. |
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Hushfield
Brown Belt
Joined: 30 May 2008
Posts: 49
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| Posted: Jun 01, 2008 3:05 am Post subject: |
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Thank you very much for all the information. There are different kinds of teapots for different teas? Good grief! I can understand why you'd want a pot exclusively for gyokuro since it's so incredibly expensive and you really want to taste only the gyokuro you put in, and not some genmaicha from a few weeks back, but a single teapot for every tea?
I didn't find a way to accurately describe my teapot, so I searched for a picture of it:
So how would you classify this thing other than the cheapest teapot in town? ^^
Oh, I had three cups of sencha today, (my first cups while actually thinking about what I'm doing), and I enjoyed them a lot. Thanks for all the help so far. |
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