Friday TeaDay 8/21/09 Preferred TeaPot material?

[Chip]

Hello fellow TeaChatters and welcome to TeaDay. Please do drop in and share what is in your cup throughout the day.

Yesterday we discussed consistency versus variety in brewing. You can still vote and discuss yesterday's topic.

Today's TeaPoll and discussion topic. Do you have a preferred TeaPot material? If so, what? Please share.

I am looking forward to sharing TeaDay with everyone. Bottoms up.

[Maitre_Tea]

oh man, I really hope that this question isn't an invitation to a "war" between factions. Although I prefer yixing, I think that each tea type has its own teapot material: Pu'Er/Oolong in yixing, Japanese greens in kyusu, and Chinese greens in glass.

Enjoyed the last of my Yuuki-Cha Midori Matcha...very sad about it

[Salsero]

I like most materials but most of my things are clay, I guess.

[olivierco]

I don't think so.

Ippodo shincha this morning.

[Drax]

Hrm, I don't really have a preference. Most of my stuff is clay, but I have a bunch of porcelain gaiwans. I'll switch back and forth to test different parameters...

This morning, I am continuing with the single bush oolong I started yesterday... brewed in a porcelain gaiwan.

[JP]

I think that material choice depends in part on what tea is being brewed, so I only have a preference in relation to the tea.

This morning it's a few infusions of an oolong, after which I'll be switching over to a puerh.

[kymidwife]

I have porcelain, glass, and various types of clay pots... I am an equal opportunity brewer. No standout favorite, just depends on what I'm brewing.

Tomato juice to start the day... so many tomatoes, I can't keep up with them, so I've been making my own spicy tomato juice cocktail (whole tomatoes, salt, cayenne, and a splash of lime juice).

Now I'm so ready for some tea... gonna explore a big sample pack of oolongs I just got in a tea trade. Hmmmm.

Sarah

[brlarson]

I chose porcelain for purely practical reasons. I brew a large variety of teas so I need to wash the pots frequently to remove any flavor from previous brews. I'm not planning to own a large collection of pots, but even though my goto pots are porcelain my favorite pots are clay.

I have an yixing pot that I use exclusively for dancong, and I have several Japanese clay kyusu and a glazed houhin. The clay pots are fragile and generally are not washable. To clean them I pour boiling water through them several times, and one of the kyusu requires that I tweezer out the bits of tea stuck in its metal screen otherwise the taste of subsequent teas brewed in it will be affected. I've been considering picking up a glazed kiyomizu-yaki kyusu from Ippodo for everyday Japanese tea because it is washable and more durable than traditional clay.

I use clay for my nicest teas and for special occasions, but day-to-day I use porcelain.

[Mrs. Chip]

but even though my goto pots are porcelain my favorite pots are clay.

Seems like our 'go to pots' at home are clay, tokoname and these are definitely may favorites. Of course, with Japanese greens being our 'go to teas', what else?

However, that being said porcelain and glass both adorn our shelves and get used, just not as frequently. As a matter of fact, there is an adorable dragon gaiwan that I would just love to own, but Oregon is a long way to travel for it!

Currently enjoying a lovely Darjeeling, oops, the name escapes me for the moment.

Have a TEArrific TeaDay everyone ... Yea, it's Friday!
.

[Intuit]

Unless you are highly focused on just one tea subtype, I sincerely doubt you can adequately cover all the infusion/pot variables with a single material type.

Keemun Imperial iced tea to start my day. It's already warming up to another scorcher today.

[virago_ns]

Variety is the spice of life...

Tali's Masala Chai in my cup this afternoon.

[olivierco]

Yang Yan Gou Qing on a sunny afternoon.

[depravitea]

I have to go with porcelain on this one. I'm such a huge fan of the gaiwan (and yes, I know that gaiwans can be made of materials other than porcelain, however I feel that porcelain is kind of the default material for gaiwans) I wouldn't trade mine for anything. I also use the little Yixing teapot I got a few months ago, at least once a week, maybe twice, but I still wind up using the gaiwan that day as well. PORCELAIN ALL THE WAY!!

Had to play catch up on the TeaDay Polls this week.
Fallout 3 has absorbed my soul, but I'm finding my way back...

[Chip]

Had to play catch up on the TeaDay Polls this week.
Fallout 3 has absorbed my soul, but I'm finding my way back...

well, give your soul to tea instead?

I would have to say clay is the material of choice for teapots, my go to, my fave. I reach for it most often by far. I have a porcelain Kyusu, but I reach for the clay ones instead. Tokoname, Bizen, and maybe Banko in the near future top my list of prefered clays.

Began the TD with Makinohara Fukamushi from Rishi-cha Quite good today in a Tokoname kyusu with Momiji leaves. SweeTea likes Tokoname too it seems while Pyrit, Wulong, and Precious did not give a "meow"

[Mrs. Chip]

Currently in my cup, from Maede-en, Kukicha w/Matcha!
Very delightful, it is quite an approachable tea.
This is very refreshing over ice as well, maybe do that with the next steep as it is a scorcher here as well.

Heavy thunderstorms are predicted for this afternoon.
Doubt if they will help with the oppressive humidity, you sweat thinking about stepping outside lately.

Looking forward to the call that will determine what will be shared next