Different teapots for different teas ?

[ummaya]

After drinking mostly Uji Sencha Miyabi and Sencha Yutaka Midori for more than a year I ordered new types of tea : Asamushi Sencha "Warashina Supreme", the Adagio White tea sampler and a blind purchase at Mellow Monk.

I use the same kyusu to brew the Miyabi and Midori (OK?) but now that I try different types of tea I would to know which teas should I brew in separate teapots ? I guess that Oolong, Pu-Erh and white tea should be brewed in different teapots and the same between Sencha and Gyokuro. What between sencha , Fukamushi sencha, asamushi sencha?

In other words, what is the criterion for brewing or not brewing different teas in different teapots ?

Thanks

[olivierco]

You can brew all your sencha in the same teapot. Even gyokuro although an usual kyuusu might be too big for gyokuro.

[ummaya]

You can brew all your sencha in the same teapot. Even gyokuro although an usual kyuusu might be too big for gyokuro.

Great !

The kyusu I just ordered from Artistic Nippon is a 260ml. Is it small enough for Gyokuro?

[olivierco]

The kyusu I just ordered from Artistic Nippon is a 260ml. Is it small enough for Gyokuro?

I usually brew my gyokuro in 120ml or smaller teapots but you will be able to have very good results with your kyuusu. Just get sure to use the right quantity of water.

[ummaya]

I usually brew my gyokuro in 120ml or smaller teapots but you will be able to have very good results with your kyuusu.

Merci beaucoup pour l'information

[Tead Off]

You don't need to fill up that 260ml kyusu in order to use it with Gyokuro. You can use half the amount and get good results although it is more practical to have a smaller kyusu for this. The largest one I have is 140ml.

[Chip]

I have slowly built upon the number of Kyusu-s I have available. I find certain ones certainly are more agreeable with certain styles or types of Japanese greens.

But a good Kyusu should work for almost any Japanese green ... the one you ordered will work for Fukamushi, but it will require slightly more careful pouring than a kyusu specifically deisigned for fukamushi.

[ummaya]

...although it is more practical to have a smaller kyusu for this. The largest one I have is 140ml.

Not long ago I noticed these 3 teapots designed for brewing Gyokuro: http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Gyokuro/Gyokuro+Teapot

I almost ordered one of them but their prices seem a bit low. A banko teapot for $19! Is it not too cheap to be of good quality ?

[Tead Off]

...although it is more practical to have a smaller kyusu for this. The largest one I have is 140ml.

Not long ago I noticed these 3 teapots designed for brewing Gyokuro: http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Gyokuro/Gyokuro+Teapot

I almost ordered one of them but their prices seem a bit low. A banko teapot for $19! Is it not too cheap to be of good quality ?

I know the listing at Yuuki-Cha but I can't tell you anything about the quality, etc. Yes, it's inexpensive, but, that is not the criteria I use when purchasing something. The questions that I ask are these:

Any additives in the clay?
Handmade or mold made?
Reduction fired?
Artist signed?

In order to get that purple/brown color, either additives are used or reduction firing. Reduction firing changes the iron content in the clay and there is more of an effect on the tea.

[Chip]

... and you are not likely to score a handmade redux fired anything for less than 50 bucks ...

I suspect these are mass produced units manufactured for sale at entry level price points that would appeal to the cost conscious, not the quality conscious.

Still, should brew fine, just don't expect a free pass on the handmade redux fired highway.

[Tead Off]

... and you are not likely to score a handmade redux fired anything for less than 50 bucks ...

I suspect these are mass produced units manufactured for sale at entry level price points that would appeal to the cost conscious, not the quality conscious.

Still, should brew fine, just don't expect a free pass on the handmade redux fired highway.

Common sense says your right. But, it's just as easy to reduce a mass produced product. More important is the clay quality. According to Hojo, the clay in banko is mostly pure, not so in Tokonameyaki. He sells both and he has researched this topic far more than anyone else I have ever come across. I would just ask Yuuki-cha what they know about the clay, etc.

[ummaya]

... and you are not likely to score a handmade redux fired anything for less than 50 bucks ... just don't expect a free pass on the handmade redux fired highway

I had no doubt about that.

I spent some time browsing Artistic Nippon, Hojo and had my eyes (and mind) blown up while looking at all the teapots of http://www.tokoname.or.jp/teapot/yubiki/ and I would happily own several of them (if I financially could) simply because I think they are beautiful. That's the only reason why lately I have purchased a $56 kyusu from Artistic Nippon (very far from the "the handmade redux fired highway"). I have read and re-read with great interest at http://hojotea.com/indexe.html all about the different kinds of teapots and clays with their different chemical contents, the way they are manufactured and I want to know much more, but right now I do not really care if my kyusu has less Cu, more Zn , less or more Cr and has X% or Y % of iron.

Still, should brew fine

That's what is important for me. If I have a good quality Gyokuro and I can brew it fine in my 260ml kyusu that cost me $35 at O-Cha, that's it. If I can get the same result but more easily and with less effort with one these three cheap teapot for Gyokuro at Yuuki-Cha.com , I'll buy one when I can.

Maybe the same tea if brewed at the same moment , in the same conditions would taste different if brewed in a $500 Banko Yaki kyusu from Artistic Nippon or Hojo instead in my cheap tokoname. It may taste different but that still does not mean that I will like it better (maybe yes).

I believe that a good tea is more important than expensive kyusu.

[Tead Off]

I believe that a good tea is more important than expensive kyusu.

Hmm. I believe they are complimentary, but, you seem to think that the banko are expensive. They can be, but, I purchased one of mine from Artistic Nippon for $69, and, this is the most expensive one I've got (I have 3 banko). I can say that this one is the best kyusu I own and can taste a significant difference in flavor when using it. If you are going to spend money on high quality tea, a good kyusu is a wise and relatively cheap investment as it can last a lifetime and give you more pleasure in your tea drinking.

People should care about the content of the clay and also the content of the tea, organic or not. If we really care about the environment, including our own bodies, why poison it if you have your choice? This is something that is too obvious but gets swept aside all the time.

[ummaya]

Hmm. I believe they are complimentary

I also believe that they are. That's why I said "I believe that a good tea is more important than expensive kyusu" and not "only the quality of the tea is important". I believe that they are complimentary, both important but not equally.
In other words, I believe that a high end quality tea, if brewed as it should in a relatively cheap kyusu, has more chances to give a good tea than a low quality tea brewed as it should in an expensive kyusu made of red or purple clay. Garbage in, garbage out.

So yes I do believe that they are complimentary but I have not enough experience with green tea drinking and the quality of different teapots to say in what proportion. I will learn.

you seem to think that the banko are expensive

No, not at all. I posted the following link : http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Gyokuro/Gyokuro+Teapot . Among these teapots there are two banko teapots and they are quite cheap and I have seen more banko teapots at about the same price. What I have no idea is about the quality of such cheap teapots. Their low price made me suspect that maybe something wrong with them. My concern was more that they are maybe fragile, uneasy to handle or to pour the tea and not so much that they may spoil the taste of my tea or not.

If we really care about the environment

I agree. I am myself very close to all what concern the environment;I have studied ecology for three years and I buy almost of my fruits,vegetables,grains, nuts, etc...organic
.

People should care about the content of the clay and also the content of the tea organic or not

I agree with you but I do not understand why "organic or not" ? From a health/environment point of view an organic tea is OK. People may like its taste or not. But what is there to take care about in the content of a non organic tea? It it non organic and has not only all the good thing that an organic tea also has but also all the unhealthy chemicals/pesticides. If one cares , should he drink non organic tea at all?

If you are going to spend money on high quality tea

It depends on how you define "high quality tea" . Several of my friends here say that non organic teas or vegetables or fruits cannot be high quality. They may look better,taste better and last longer than the organic but they are, according to their book, low quality product. From their point of view I only drink teas that have a great taste but not high quality teas.

Since I started to drink tea, almost 100% of the recommendation I received from people were for non organic teas. The consensus among most tea drinkers seems to be that for the time being in spite that there are some very good organic teas most of the best teas ( from a taste point of view) are non organic teas.

Lately I spent more and more time browsing Yuuki-Cha, Zencha and Hibiki-an in search of organic tea and I am waiting the arrival of my first organic: one from O-Cha and two from Mellow Monk.

[Tead Off]

Regarding the quality of low priced teapots, for me, the major question, once again, is naturalness of the clay. A purple bankoyaki teapot should be arrived at through natural clay (no additives to change the color) which has been baked in a reduction kiln. This is how the color of the clay changes naturally to purple/brown. The pots in question at Yuuki-Cha are low price but they may be perfectly fine, just mold made. You have to do some questioning. This is where the vendor and their knowledge comes in. Since most of us have to trust the vendor, we want to buy from people who know what they are selling. Buying a known artist's teaware assures you of having knowledge about the clay and the technique used for the production. For example, at Hojo tea, all of his bankoyaki are reduction fired except for the red ones. He knows each artist and their materials. His prices are another matter and you can find the same material for less at Artistic Nippon very often.

Also in Japan, you are almost assured of not having any contaminated clays make their way into the teapots. This is not always true in China.

As for organic or not, I choose organic for the simple reasons stated, I don't want poison in my food even if it makes something taste better, which it does not.

I cannot always get organic food so I eat what is available, but, I can almost always get organic tea and I buy it exclusively, now. However, a friend just sent me a gift from Hibiki-an of their non-organic Pinnacle Sencha and their Sencha Supreme. Will I drink it? Of course