Small teapot for raw puer (~60ml) — interpreting teapot capacity measurements?

[grasshopper]

Hi all,

Resurrecting a very very very old thread, related to smaller teapot capacities for sheng puer: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=233918

For those of you that are using ~60ml teapots: are you basing the size of the teapot on the capacity when filled to the top — or the functional capacity, filling more to the level of the base of the teapot spout, accommodating for tea leaves, etc.?

I’m looking to get a new, small teapot for small quantities of aged sheng puer— bumping down from a larger teapot that has a functional capacity of about ~120ml. And I'm mulling over the small teapot size options.

Thanks!

[steanze]

Hi all,

Resurrecting a very very very old thread, related to smaller teapot capacities for sheng puer: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=233918

For those of you that are using ~60ml teapots: are you basing the size of the teapot on the capacity when filled to the top — or the functional capacity, filling more to the level of the base of the teapot spout, accommodating for tea leaves, etc.?

I’m looking to get a new, small teapot for small quantities of aged sheng puer— bumping down from a larger teapot that has a functional capacity of about ~120ml. And I'm mulling over the small teapot size options.

Thanks!

Hi!

The first question that comes to mind is, what do you mean by filling to the level of the base of the spout? I usually (although not always) fill the pots to the rim or nearly so when I make tea.

I use both pots ~60ml capacity when empty and filled to the top, and pots around 75ml that end up being ~60ml when counting the leaves. I don't think 15 ml make much of a difference to be honest. One thing to consider is that with such a small pot you'll have a bit less heat retention, so in later steeps you might need to pour boiling water on your pot to keep it hot, after it starts to cool down.

I'd worry more about the quality of the clay than about whether the pot is 60ml or 75ml. I wouldn't go unter 60ml though because then it's annoying to put in the leaves.

[grasshopper]

Thank you for your reply, @steanze! I’ve been mining this forum, as a newbie, and really appreciate all of the info. that’s been shared here.

By “level of the base of the spout”, I should clarify: I meant filling it to the point where the interior filter is slightly submerged, to the point where the teapot pours without spilling out from the lid.

[Zared]

Thank you for your reply, @steanze! I’ve been mining this forum, as a newbie, and really appreciate all of the info. that’s been shared here.

By “level of the base of the spout”, I should clarify: I meant filling it to the point where the interior filter is slightly submerged, to the point where the teapot pours without spilling out from the lid.

I've been getting into the habit of leaving a space roughly the thickness of nickel or to base of opening. It varies depening on length\thickness of teeth on lid and shape of pot though. Heat can be an issue like steanze mentioned. I tend to use the same amount of leaf in -60 as i do in 100ml pots. I've found that these tiny pots are best used for quick chazhou style brewing rather than for trying to conserve leaf. Not impossible but surely more work\water to keep it hot. Mr.coffee mug warmer?

[theredbaron]

Size of the pot is usually counted by filling water to the rim without leaves. Amount of leaves depends really on teapot size, kind of tea, method and personal taste.
While some people prefer their tea incredibly strong, i feel that when brewed too strong many subtleties of good teas can be lost. For aged Pu Erh it really depends on the tea - i fill as a ball park measure about 1/3 of the pot when doing quick infusions, and vary depending on the individual tea.
When i drink alone, i usually use pots in the size of 60ml to 80ml, unless i grandpa my tea (for which i use up to 160 ml or so, and less tea leaves with longer infusions)
As to heat retention - i always pour hot water quickly over the pot after i closed the lid.

[.m.]

With the problem of heat retention, I feel that the main issue, for shorter infusions, is the immediate drop of temperature after you pour water in the teapot due to the heat absorbed by the walls. The smaller the teapot, the bigger the ratio of the wall mass to the volume. For that reason I think that thinner walls that absorb less heat and/or slightly bigger volume are more desirable for aged teas that need more of the heat.
Ive been playing with pouring water on the outside both before and after filling it, in order to preheat the teapot from outside. (The annoying thing about this is that when the teapot is empty, then if the lid fit is loose, some of the water poured on the outside tends to enter in the teapot.)
What are your experiences?