Question on the Authenticity of my Yixing Teapot

[bonescwa]

Even if there is taste of the old tea, it will get wiped out once you put the new tea in it. Boiling is unnecessary and risks damaging the pot IMO

[steanze]

From the different opinions you can see that either way doesn't produce devastating consequences, it is a matter of preference. I have boiled several pots (with a cloth to protect them) and I never broke one. This procedure is very common especially for older pots that may have been stored in conditions less than optimal. But if you are not disturbed by the remaining taste of the old tea you don't have to do it.

[steanze]

Oh and if you want to change tea here's a few options that would work well for that type of clay: dark roast tieguanyin, aged sheng pu erh, shu pu erh, liu bao

[tingjunkie]

Switching from light TGY to dark TGY isn't a big deal. Just switch teas as is. If you were going from cooked puerh to light TGY, that might be a different story.

[AFOL]

That makes sense. My TGY isn't like some of the fresh or green TGY I've tasted; although the leaves are green, they're very dark green, and the roasted smell is prominent, so who knows. I'll still definitely do the test (Yixing vs gaiwan); if I do decide to switch, I'll probably rinse the pot a few times with boiling water and call it good after that. Thanks for all the help, everyone! I'm very new to gongfu (this is my first Yixing pot, and I've only had it since Christmas), so it's great to get all these tips and suggestions from people who have been doing this for a while!