Non-porous teaware recommendations?

[trallis]

Never hurts to start another teaware recommendation thread.

I've been sick a few years, and because of immunosupressants I've had to stay away from tea. I can't take it anymore, so I've recently started doing what I can to try and get around it.

One thing that's definite is I won't be able to use any of my yixing or imitation yixing pots. I used to have a beautiful hand painted gaiwan from jing's that was broken bu a former roommate. I also had the petit glass teapot from adagio, which was beautiful, but pretty large for my purposes.

I'm probably gonna get a new gaiwan, but i'm wondering if anyone can recommend a non porous pot.

I should mention that because of my immune system, teas that dont like to be brewed in boiling hot water are unfortunately out. I'll be sticking with blacks and oolongs.

I need a tea pot as small as possible or a gaiwan. Non-porous materials only.
Any good recommendations?

[Tead Off]

You should probably stick to glazed porcelain. Gaiwan or teapot is fine. They will use fine, sieved, porcelain with a clear glaze over it.

[bagua7]

I've been sick a few years, and because of immunosupressants I've had to stay away from tea.

I should mention that because of my immune system, teas that dont like to be brewed in boiling hot water are unfortunately out. I'll be sticking with blacks and oolongs.

On a side note, have you thought of visiting a registered TCM practitioner in your area for further advice?

Black teas require hot boiling water for brewing. For your condition, black teas are not recommended due to their warm nature (yang). White, yellow, green and Taiwanese High Mountain oolongs teas would be more suitable to you.

Good luck!

[trallis]

Black teas require hot boiling water for brewing. For your condition, black teas are not recommended due to their warm nature (yang). White, yellow, green and Taiwanese High Mountain oolongs teas would be more suitable to you.

Good luck!

I'm open minded, so I'm curious what you mean by this. It's the very opposite of what I know. Because of my supressed immune system, the funguses that grow on almost all raw vegetables and plants can get me very sick. I can't eat raw fruit and vegetables. I was even advised not to smoke or consume marijuana, because even cooked or burned, it contains funguses that most immune systems will have no problem with, but with mine, I could very well die.

I'm thinking black tea, because it's preparation calls for boiling water, might be the only safe option.

[JBaymore]

In your SPECIFIC case.... also make SURE that the glaze on the glazed work is NOT crazed ("crackle"). For folks with normal immune systems... crazing is not an issue. But the possibility of bacterial or fungal growth in the tiny little craze lines is not worth the risk for you, I'd think.

Many stoneware clay bodies are very slightly porous. It s perfectly acceptable for a serviceable stoneware to be up to 1% absorbent (changes weight 1 percent when soaked in water.) So that means there is some porosity there. That MIGHT allow bacterial or mold growth if the glaze is not sealing it completely. Again, not an issue for those with normal immune systems.

Good porcelains have a 0% absorbency. They are fully vitrified (lots of melted glass in the body matrix).

So my "medical" recommendation is to stick with glazed porcelains with glazes that do not craze on the body.

best,

...............john

PS: I'm not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV.

[kikula]

What John said.
(edit) (Post below was some sort of comedy of errors. The particular Arita pot I suggested is not even for tea and I already deleted two others - saw on second glance that they weren't glazed porcelain. I think it's some sort of bad biorhythm day for my brain. Since I just spoiled a very nice curry by mis-measuring spices I thought I'd better come back and check again. Sure enough. I think I'll just wait the rest of this day out. Ignore any further utterances from me until the bad juju passes. )

I'd go for something like an Arita pot if I were in your boat - the balance, splendid functionality and elegance might be worth a few extra dollars and you can be certain it's excellent porcelain I think. Here's one that's not too terribly big (I don't love that style of handle, but just for example): http://www.artisticnippon.com/product/a ... soset.html Watch the size - many Aritas seem huge to me, although for black tea you don't need a terribly tiny pot.
(edit deleted 2 suggestions - not porcelain!)
Or something like this: http://us.palaisdesthes.com/en_us/sench ... -35-l.html - made for sencha but fine for any tea.
There are also some nice glass pots out there. And of course many more porcelain ones.
My daughter has an immune system disorder - not affected by the same thing, but a godawful hassle. Good luck to you!

[bagua7]

I'm open minded, so I'm curious what you mean by this. It's the very opposite of what I know.

Don't worry you are not the first one

TCM is based on the underlying energetic system that regulates the entire Universe of which we are just a mirror: microcosm = macrocosm and vice versa. That energetic system is not viewed using the Newtonian (mechanical) model but following a very simple yet profound and complex system: polarity (yin and yang) and the relationship between the two which gives rise to five phases (water, wood, fire, earth and metal).

Here's some basic information about the subject:

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/chinesemed.htm
http://www.accordinstitute.org/2009_5_4 ... dicine.htm
http://www.shen-nong.com/eng/exam/diagn ... stics.html

Regards,

Gerard.

[MEversbergII]

At the risk of sounding like a jerk to bagua, I'm going to say that you should stay away from TCM doctors. TCM is not a scientific based medical system, it is superstition. "Alternative" medicine is fine if you have a headache or the sniffles or some other trivial condition, but suggesting someone with an obvious major medical problem try out something so questionable is irresponsible.

I do not mean anyone disrespect, but I can't just sit by while something so potentially dangerous is recommended to a fellow forum goer.

Trallis, this sounds like something you should talk over with your doctor. They'd be able to vet our recommendations.

M.

[JBaymore]

TCM is not a scientific based medical system, it is superstition.

As a person with a significant science background and who teaches ceramic chemistry and thermal kiln design at the college level, I can't believe that I am about to say this........ but.........

And I also have to say that I tend to agree with M's sentiments above in general.......

I have myself experienced personal physical changes (literaly almost instantly) from "eastern" medicine that I cannot explain in any way via a "scientific" western rational thought analysis. Some of it goes beyond what could be considered the placebo effect, or a spontaneous remission of symptoms coinciding with treatment, or even the western stuff suddenly taking effect.

And the experineces I had were not "subtle" and easily mis-understood or mis-interpreted. I was totally shocked at the time. As in, "the world just changed". I went in a total skeptic and expected nothing... and came out trying to re-assess what I knew about how things worked.

In this case it was not Chinese medicine but Reiki. I was in a situation where western medicine was not being successful, and I had a bit of a "nothing to lose" situation. I was totally skeptical going into this, but was convinced to just try it (again,... the why not..... nothing to lose approach).

What I experienced in the Reiki master's office changed my mind in the aspect of "there is more to the world than we know" department.

I'm not saying here that some of these "alternative" practices are not really "superstitions" ... but that it is possible that some of the concepts may very well be based in some sort of broader understanding of how the body/world/universe works.

Again..... as a "science guy" ....... it always astounds me when I have to say something about this experience. Goes against everything that I "know".

Foremost, I still would listen to the western medicine folks........ and maybe add in some eastern if it seems appropriate.

best,

..............john

PS: I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV.

[Chip]

PS: I am not a doctor nor have I ever played one on TV.

However, John did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night!

[Chip]

Eastern medicine is not always the best path as a member of TeaChat will tell you. He is Western living in China, married to a Chinese woman who became ill. She went the traditional Chinese healing route ... and continued to get sicker. Turns out she had cancer. Had she gone to modern doctors right away, she may still be living, but it was too late to help her.

Point being, in the case of a severe immune system failure, it is likely best to listen to modern medicine ... but still do the research.

[betta]

deleted

[trallis]

So my "medical" recommendation is to stick with glazed porcelains with glazes that do not craze on the body.

best,

...............john

PS: I'm not a doctor, nor have I played one on TV.

Thanks, doc, I appreciate the advice. At this point though, I've decided to take it one step further and stick with glass only. I picked up a cheap glass gaiwan from Amazon, and I've got my eye on a really nice little 250 ml glass pot.

My daughter has an immune system disorder - not affected by the same thing, but a godawful hassle. Good luck to you!

Thanks, and yes it is a hassle. I hope it's not something that will effect her for the rest of her life. Either way, I feel for her. For years I haven't had lettuce on my tacos, fresh mint leaves in rice paper spring rolls, sushi of any kind, a medium cooked piece of steak, or a cup of Taiwanese Oolong tea. I've decided that I want my tea again. I can never remove the risk completely, but I can do everything I can to make it safer. When you're fighting off a deadly disease, there's a certain point where you realize it was the beautiful things in life that made you want to survive in the first place, so some of those things aren't worth compromising.

At the risk of sounding like a jerk to bagua, I'm going to say that you should stay away from TCM doctors. TCM is not a scientific based medical system, it is superstition. "Alternative" medicine is fine if you have a headache or the sniffles or some other trivial condition, but suggesting someone with an obvious major medical problem try out something so questionable is irresponsible.

I do not mean anyone disrespect, but I can't just sit by while something so potentially dangerous is recommended to a fellow forum goer.

Trallis, this sounds like something you should talk over with your doctor. They'd be able to vet our recommendations.

M.

Actually I agree with you. Like I said, I'm open minded. I will listen to and take every opinion seriously, but i don't make any medical decisions without talking to my doctor, or numerous doctors. I''m fortunate to live near Boston, where some of the best Oncologists, Hematologists, and anyone else with knowledge about Cancer, in the world.

I understand the merits of the forms of medicine westerners refer to as "alternative", but I would never take advice of any kind that conflicts with that of my doctor.

I'm interested in hearing people's advice on things that western doctors won't suggest, but I'd be discussing it with my doctor before following it. That's not because I only trust western doctors, it's because my doctors are western doctors and my treatment has been handled by them.

I don't want anyone to think that I'm coming here and asking for advice as a substitute for real medical expertise. Anything I learn from you is supplemental and any ideas I get here are gonna get run past a doctor first.