New to the scene... where to start?

[J4z]

Greetings!!!

I know this should likely go in the "Intro to Tea Chat" board, but my intro does indeed involve some needed guidance.

I've been drinking tea off and on for the last couple of years. Lately I was introduced to some "better" tea and I have dived headlong into the culture. At the moment I'm really enjoying some great greens and I have started to venture into the realm of Oolong. I've been brewing teas in a normal ceramic, but I feel like I'm missing something... I read the posts and it seems that my brewing (steeping) needs to move to a whole other level.

This brings me here. Where do I start?

I see and understand the yixing style tea pot, and I'd love to go there sometime, but in order to get the most out of one's yixing, you need to have a regular (or similar) tea that you drink using that pot. I don't think I'm there yet and feel that I should wait until I gain a palette for something before I invest in one.

do I go with a decent Ceramic? Do I go for a Cast Iron? do I look for a bodum (glass) etc... to satisfy my steeping needs... I know the Inginutea (sorry spelling) is a great way to brew, but I like the pot (that sounds bad).

what do you guys think? any good websites out there that offer this stuff? Adagio is great for the tea, but I don't see a huge selection of different tea ware.

I'll leave it here and see what you all think... Thanks in advance for your help!


Cheers

[Space Samurai]

Hi and welcome.

Tea ware is my favorite thing about tea, so I love to answere these questions.

It sounds like you are still in the experimental stage of tea, so I would suggest buying a smaller 6-13 oz or so ceramic or glazed tea pot to start off with. I went through seven teapots before I started getting to the ones I like, so you can save yoursefl some money if you wait till you have a better idea of what you want and what types of tea or aspects of tea culture you're drawn to. For example, people more ingterestted in Chinese tea/culture tend to collect yixing, while people like me are more interested in the Japanese side, and collet Tokoname, Arita, Hagi, Raku or other Japanese styles.

Glass tea ware: There are some convenient and affordable glass ware available, but glass has poor heat retention, so this is not ideal.

Cast Iron (Tetsubin): I don't like these myself, but I know others that do. It seems to me that you are paying extra money for the specife aesthetic style, as it will not brew a superior cup. On the plus side, they are glazed, so you can cross-brew to your hearts content.

Gaiwan/Guywan: Others will recommend a gaiwan. The best I've seen is the Silver Needle/Jade Mist (two different colors, same gaiwan) from Red Blossom Tea. Gaiwan are simple and versatile, but they tend to be smaller, so keep that in mind if you prefer your tea in larger portions.

Where to buy? Glass and cast iron wares you can get from a variety of places, so it just depends on what style you want.

Yixing, the cheaper stuff you can get from Yunnan Sourcing LLC off of Ebay, higher quality, more expensive pots (30-50 dollars or more) you can get from places like Imperial Tea Court (I have one of these, its great) Silk Road Trade (have one under the Christmas Tree, hope its great), and Rishi has a new selection as well.

Tokoname, the cheaper good stuff you can get from Rishi, I have much love for their Fukugata. Higher quality stuff I seriously reccomend buying straight from Japan from places like Artistic Nippon. They have better prices.

Sorry for the long-winded response; I hope some of this helps.

[Mary R]

I'm a cast iron fan for general brewing and a gaiwan fan for detailed tastings (and a kyusu fan for Japanese teas). You can usually find a nice cast iron pot at a store like Tuesday Morning, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc for $20 or under. You have to experiment with the cast iron a bit until you figure out what works best with different teas, but I think it makes for a great all-purpose pot...especially good for experimentation. I don't know of any culture that really uses cast iron to actually brew the tea...but I like the results I get with it. We've come to an understanding, the pot and I.

I tend to use my small (8-9 oz) cast iron much more than my larger one (24 oz, I think) these days. I think the small one set me back all of $12 or $13.

[J4z]

SS and Mary

Thank you!!!

=D

both of your replies are helping me discover exactly where I am and what my next step may be...

I am/was leaning towards a cast iron, but the price was so obnoxious that I didn't know if it was worth it... so the investment is what it really comes down to... and I like your idea Sammy, to go with a decent ceramic to start with as I develop my palette. That way I can be sure that when i am purchasing a teapot that will really enhance my experience.

Another thing that I think is easily drowned out when someone gets into tea is the dang leaf itself.

I have to keep reminding myself that the better the leaf/tea the more I will really enjoy it, its not so much the pot...

okay... you both have given me much to think about... Thanks again!


*** off in search of the super pot (again, that sounds bad) **** =D

[Space Samurai]

Your welcome. Come back and let us know what you picked.

[skywarrior]

I'll chime in and say I prefer the cast iron tetsubin because I do drink so many teas. And I drink a lot, so a 20 oz is really just right for me.

I have glazed teapots, but for the most part I just stick with what works.

[go green]

Hey J4z- You sound like I did a few months ago when I wandered into this mystical world of loose tea...I bought a giawan, some teacups, a tokoname style pot, and the inginuitea(sp?) from adagio. Know what I use the most...the inginuitea. First of all, I don't have the room for a teapot for each type of tea I drink. Secondly, I would rather spend the money on the tea rather than the pots. I would still like to fins a cast iron pot for the times I want to make more than one pot...I keep my eyes open on ebay.

It is very easy to read all of the posts and get carried away with buying every brewing vessel out there. I know some people will disagree with me, but I am very happy with my inginuitea and my tea tastes good!

[scruffmcgruff]

I probably use my gaiwan most of the time, but that's just me.

A great thing about gaiwans is that they can be dirt cheap if you look in the right places (ebay).

[J4z]

Everyone!

Thanks for the kind welcome and for the great guidance! =D

I do think that I'll pick up a iron someday, but until then I really have to agree with Tea-Snob in that I would rather spend the money on the tea rather than the pots. However, I do need to get my hands on something to brew my tea... I'm going to head over to a couple stores tonight and see what the tea fairy has lined up in the ceramic pot selections... =D

I noticed a couple people mention e-bay as well.... I gotta check that out!

Thanks for the great information everyone... I'll keep you posted on what I decide... In the meantime, I think I'm going to have to order an Inginuitea... just because I can use it at work! =D

cheers everyone and thanks for the info!


**** Still looking for a Super Pot ****

[J4z]

Hello!

just so you all can keep tabs on my journey... I purchased a nice little 3 cup Beehouse ceramic teapot. It was in my price range, the size I wanted and seems to work quite nice for me.

I'm also planning on purchasing the Ingenuitea (sp?) as well....

i'm happy as a clam and I can now move towards expanding my actual collection of teas.

thanks for all your help and suggestions!!!



***** No longer in search of the perfect pot **** haha =D