Hmm okay now this is weird. This contradicts what Hojo posted on his website since he stated that the Shigaraki clay both rough and smooth, comes from the same source, only difference being that the smooth clay was collected after sieving I wonder performance wise has anyone compared the 2? I mean if the clay was rougher it *might* mean it's more porous?auhckw wrote:I was at Hojo last week and the staff told me that do note that there are 2 version of Shigaraki clay/teapots.
1) Rough Clay (first version) - This clay was found by Hojo. There are limited stock left cause the artist no longer produce the same clay. I asked why. They said, it requires more effort to dig up that clay so the artist didn't want.
2) Smooth Clay (second version) - The artist himself then started to use this smoother clay which is more accessible to him. The clay is different from the first version caused it was dug out from diff place.
Hmm gee now I'm confused again as to which pot to get I keep thinking it might not be so wise to use the Gisui pot for strictly japanese greens only since Hojo did mention it performs very well with oolong. Maybe it should be used for oolong only. But seeing as it is, I am pretty sure I will get more pots in the future, at least one more. Probably Banko, Shigaraki (if they are still available) or Tozo's Nosaka pots.David R. wrote:I don't own these particular kinds of kyusu, but I had the chance to try them out. Gisui pots are art pieces, beautiful and there is not going to be any more soon as you said. But the clay is not very special. Shigaraki clay sold by Hojo was selected among others to brew good tea. It will maybe give you less flavors than procelain but tea will linger in your mouth and throat, giving you a nice sensation, texture also. This is not subjective, but there are a lot of other things than taste/aroma in tea. Depth for instance, that such a teapot will help you bring. It may not easy to understand in the beginning.
The Shigaraki clay is very porous. Therefore, it will keep tea essences within its walls and so it is better kept for one family of tea, let's say "greens" in general. If you want a teapot that will be suited for all kinds of tea at the same time, I'd advise against Shigaraki clay, porcelain and glass being the best, but other clays will work also. Another subject.
While drinking more and more japanese green tea, one tends to reduce the volume brewed. I did. I now brew less than 100ml per session, using a lot of leaves. Like Chip, a few of my pots retired because of this.
Maybe the problem now is to figure out which kind of tea goes well with which clay Personally, I like tasting tea for both it's flaws and strengths. Thus I don't like the clay to round off the flavors so much to the point that I lose the subtleties. Not sure if I made any sense here