The Culture Clash

[Geekgirl]

My biggest tea problem (aside from the fact that I'm constantly running out of matcha,) stems from the simple truth that I adore Japanese teaware, yet tend to vastly prefer Chinese and Taiwanese teas. Being just a tad beyond the normal tea-drinker in my enthusiasm, this is a problem because a little knowledge is dangerous.

For instance, I know why we choose to use yixing for oolongs and puerh, porcelain gaiwan for delicate greens, tokoname-ware or bizen for senchas, etc. I understand the relationships between pot sizes and tea-types and drinking styles, long steeps and short. So...

As crazy as it sounds, this creates an impasse some mornings because I want my oolong, but I also want to use my kyusu. It's so bad that there are mornings when I'm paralyzed with indecision to the point where I'll throw some ceylon at my teapress, and pour it in my écoute mug, the one I use for cocoa, and sit in front of my computer feeling sorry for myself.

I know, whacko, huh? Please tell me I'm not the only one.

[LauraW]

I can definitely understand the frustration, but I unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it) don't have the funds to be able to have multiple types of teaware. I have three: English, 2 identical gaiwan, and a couple sets of (I believe Chinese, but please correct me if I'm wrong) small pots with cups that, quite frankly, are too small for me to use if I'm doing anything else while drinking tea. And since that's most often the case... it's pretty much mug/English-style-teacup, or gaiwan.

But like I said, I can definitely understand it, and once I can start collecting, I have a feeling I'll be the same way.

[TubbyCow]

I often find myself mulling over my Yixings. Sometimes I really just want a simple cup of tea, but if I'm in the mood for a light-roasted Ti Kuan Yin, since I have an Yixing dedicated to it, I have a hard time not using it. So when I'm feeling lazy, rather than just steep my Ti Kuan Yin in something simpler, I often end up drinking something else entirely, even if it's not what I really wanted.

[geeber1]

Just to make you feel better, I brewed some Genmaicha in my Brown Betty pot the other night. Tasted just as good!

My husband commandeered my kyusu and is using it for puerh.

I say go ahead and use your kyusu for oolongs, we won't tell!

[Geekgirl]

That's what I keep telling myself! "do it anyways... go on, you know you want to..." See this is where that (more than a) trace of OCD I'm "blessed" with, is a real Pain in the Teapot.

[Victoria]

I cross brew every single day. Doesn't bother me one bit.
Love my Japanese teaware and I love my Taiwan oolong
prepared in it and drank from it. Lovely!

[kymidwife]

I love my multi-functional teaware. I brew everything in my glazed kyusu... everything in my Hagi kyusu... everything in my porcelain pot... everything in my glass pot... and I have one yixing I use regularly, but I honestly can't tell that my oolong is any better in this yixing than in my other wares. I know.. I know... blasphemy. I blame it on my ignorant palate and probably not the highest quality yixing, but that's ok... because I brew in whatever I feel like brewing in, I enjoy it, I enjoy the tea, and I don't sweat the small stuff. The only thing I'm fussy about is my fukamushi and such, making sure to use something with the proper type of filter.

But then, I'm a liberal non-conformist rebel. Take it for what its worth.

Sarah

[TokyoB]

Geekgirl - the answer is simple - just buy more teaware (yixing teapots).
You can still admire the Japanese teaware. I admire both yixing and Japanese teaware. I do drink more Chinese and Taiwanese tea and thus have more yixing ware than Japanese teaware but I do have plenty of both. You just need more balance in your teaware.

[Geekgirl]

LMAO!!! Oh trust me, I have PLENTY of both.

[debunix]

The most practical distinction between my kyusu and my chinese teapots--the glass ones and the yixings alike--is that the kyusu has a larger finer strainer built into it, so efficiently keeps the smaller pieces of the japanese teas contained. So the kyusu is better than the others for the sencha, but it would also be perfectly happy with puerh or oolong or dragonwell.

Also, the kyusu is too large for the teas I infuse many times, because I can't drink 20 6-oz infusions of puerh from it, but I can drink 20 1 1/2 ounce infusions from a very small yixing or partly filled gaiwan.

The gaiwans are happy to take on all teas, without reference to nationality.

[cindyt]

Talking about culture clash, I brew my oolong in a kung fu pot and pour it into a mug. It works fine for me.

[rhondabee]

For work, I'm brewing oolong in a small gaiwan, but I pour the tea into a Japanese 4 oz ceramic cup (thereby eliminating the use of a pitcher). It works for me.

[gingkoseto]

I love the 120ml kyusu from yuuki cha and would like to get more of this size of kyusus in the future. Its shape and the circle steel strainer are perfect for dan cong (and probably yan cha too). I use it only for dan cong and would like to get some more for other oolongs.

I wish to get some small kyusu with Heart Sutra too. So far I've only seen some hobins with Heart Sutra, and the engraving is much better than most engraved yixing I've seen. But none of my teas fits a hobin. I love yixing, but sometimes for the same price, a kyusu could be of a lot higher quality and then I will surely go for it.