Jayaratna wrote:Thanks for your advice and welcome, Chip. I'm of the same opinion but let's see what other teachatters think. I remember someone cooking rice in a Lins ceramic kettle, but can't remember why.
Yalokinh, there's this Czech guy selling tea and teaware from Yunnan on his website called chawang shop. He's very knowleadgeable and kind. The kettle and stove set comes in different combinations, I thought I'd go for it as it's rather difficult to come across this kind of stuff in Europe.
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I would totally not return a kettle only because it leaks a bit when you leave the water for a long time (mine does exactly the same) - the high porousness is the point of the Chaozhou kettles - that is precisely why they are so good. When I compared a tetsubin with glazed kettle and porous Chaozhou kettle, the Chaozhou kettle was an absolute winner.
I.e., it's a feature, not a bug
Good luck with your stove/kettle. I think it's the cheapest way of upgrading your tea experience you can buy.
edit: I think it's suggested to soak the whole kettle in water about an hour before boiling the water... probably should prevent cracking. Maybe the leaking will be less of an issue too.
) by finally going for some Kazuwa red: 
