Do All Yixings Need To Be Primed/Boiled Before Use?

[ButchCivic]

Hi everybody, I was looking at another thread where someone boiled their Yixing for 3 hours with water, then 3 more hours with tea, then another 3 hours with water again. Is this really necessary? What will happen if the pot isn't boiled first?


Thanks A Lot.

[brandon]

If the pot is not cleaned and boiled (for long enough), your first dozen or more pots of tea will taste like rocks or sand, dry your mouth, and give a very rough and lasting sensation on your throat.

I might sound like I am trying to be sensational, but seasoning a brand new yixing is hard work and using it before then is not pleasant.

The results are worth it in the end though

[Herb_Master]

Is this really necessary? What will happen if the pot isn't boiled first?
Thanks A Lot.

Your first several sessions may taste less than perfect,

They may even taste of the clay.

[wyardley]

I think this really depends on both the pot and who you ask. I almost never boil a new pot (or a clean-ish old one)... I'll just do a couple rounds of boiling water / cool water. Especially with a pot made of a good clay, you shouldn't need to do that much "seasoning". Most new pots should be able to handle this just fine, though I wouldn't advise it with your antique Zhuni pots.

Anyway, this is a religious issue more than anything else. Personally, I don't like boiling pots because it's really easy to damage them if you're not very careful how you do it.

[babalian]

Some ways I think that are not too bad

(this is the risky way, since if you are not careful you may damage the structure of your pot or even worse, crack your pot).

1. soak it in the water for half of a day to a day
2. boil it for an hour with water
3. boil it again with some tea (do not add tea leaves just pouring in the tea, since long term boiling the leaves will release tanning which will make your pot semi-toxic).

Or

(The safeway)
1. Soak it in the water for half of a day to a day then remove it let it dry
2. Add cold waterinto the pot and let it sit for 1 min or 2
3. pour out half of the cold water and fill up your pot with hot water, again let it sit for a while
4. pour out half of the "warm" water and fill it up again with hot water. Let it sit for a couple of min
5. After that pour all of the water out of your teapot and pour in hot/boiling water... let it sit for a while and repeat NO. 5 a couple of times
6. The pot should be ready go after that

Oh and please wash your pot clean before proceed whichever way you want to do

[oldmanteapot]

Hi ButchCivic,

I've posted a reply to your other thread here.

Appreciate it if you can continue this topic here as the on going discussion of Priming and Boiling teapots has steered your thread off topic :p

Cheers!

[Tead Off]

I agree with wyardley. Fanaticism is not necessary. A few rounds of boiling water put through the pot is going to cleanse it and prepare it for your choice of tea. Maybe if a pot is older and dirty looking, you might want to submerge it in boiling water for an hour but you must do this gently. I've done it both ways and couldn't tell any difference between boiling and seasoning for hours or simply putting boiling water through the pot a few times.

A Singaporean dealer in yixing told me he uses colgate and a toothbrush to clean both inside and out, then put boiling water through it. I didn't want to use toothpaste because I didn't want to add any possible taste to the clay.

Your pot will season quick enough if you use it.

[yee]

Depends on the quality of the pot. Goood clay doesnt need much of boiling(or any boiling at all). Usually i rince the teapot with water and that is it.

[chrl42]

I don't think boiling is a must-do thing since it already came out of 1200C of firing.

I tend to do 10-minute boiling just to be off any possibilities during the time from kiln to my hand.

For one thing, bubbling could open holes of spout and lid more clear that I like it.

[jackdaniel]

I think simply pouring boiling water all over the outside and inside of the pot, letting it sit for a few minutes, and repeating would be sufficient.

[gingkoseto]

I don't boil a new pot unless there is wax on the surface. But once I boiled a pot with wax to remove the wax, it contaminated my boiling vessel

Usually I let the new pot take hot showers when I drink tea with another pot.

If you want to go classic way of boiling, the legend is (not a joke), boil it a few times with (in order), firm tufu, sugar cane stem root, tea leaf stems, water. One hour each

[Herb_Master]

You can always avoid boiling , by putting it in your toilet for a few weeks

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=7668