Yixing clay for green tea??

[coconut]

I have been searching for tokoname teapots for a while, to brew gyokuro. I know there are hundreds of vendors, but i'm looking for something like this:

Size: 4 oz maximum
Price: 40-50$
If anyone knows any vendors, please let me know.

I was also thinking about using a yixing teapot for gyokuro, just use cooler water. I heard the clay enhances the flavor of green tea. Any thoughts?

[Maitre_Tea]

Many people will tell you that yixing doesn't work with green tea, because either the clay isn't right or they just say it doesn't work. IMO, I believe that yixing can work with green tea, but it really depends on the clay in question. I would think that something high-fired/non-porous could probably protect the aroma/flavor of green tea, but others have found luck with softer, low-fired, porous clays. Check out this post from Tea Masters:

http://teamasters.blogspot.com/2008/05/ ... ctice.html

I tried using my Duan Ni pot with green tea, and the clay rounded out the aroma/flavor a bit too much, IMO. There are as many opinions about yixing dedication criteria as there are tea drinkers/yixing collectors...but the one golden rule is experiment experiment experiment. It's all personal preference on what you want your teapot to do to your tea.

[Chip]

I am not a fan of Yixing for Chinese green, IMHO, just never had a good experience with it after many many tries.

After a while, I figured, why bother.

For a small Tokoname, Yuuki-Cha, CDJapan, Artistic Nippon are good ones to check out. Also O-Cha has a few non Tokoname Houjin (no handle for Gyokuro).

[tingjunkie]

This one at Yuki fits your description perfectly. It's a good flat shape for gyokuro too.

[Proinsias]

This one at Yuki fits your description perfectly. It's a good flat shape for gyokuro too.

+1

I just bought that a week or so ago and it's doing a lovely job with some o-cha gyokuro.

[Intuit]

I am beginning to wonder if these red and purple Japanese pots are suited for aromatic greener oolongs that are poorly suited to the thicker walled, heat-retaining yixing clays.

Whites brew up nicely in them, although the beautifully glazed Japanese kyusu work just as well.

[Tead Off]

I am beginning to wonder if these red and purple Japanese pots are suited for aromatic greener oolongs that are poorly suited to the thicker walled, heat-retaining yixing clays.

Whites brew up nicely in them, although the beautifully glazed Japanese kyusu work just as well.

No,no,no. For greener oolongs, zhuni is the best. You just have to find a good zhuni pot. If you are worried about thickness and heat retention, there are many thin walled zhuni but you don't want too thin. I have thick, thin, and, medium. All do a better job than my bankos, which to me are the best kyusus to brew Japanese greens in. The kyusu tend to repress aroma and high notes of the oolongs. Oddly enough, they don't do a bad job with Wuyi if you like to reduce the smokiness which I don't. But, who am I to say what you like or don't like. Don't you believe in the Hojo God?

[tingjunkie]

I am beginning to wonder if these red and purple Japanese pots are suited for aromatic greener oolongs that are poorly suited to the thicker walled, heat-retaining yixing clays.

Not in my limited experience. See here.

[Oni]

For a japanese teapot that is intended for the oolong maker Tachi Masaki makes small Banko kyusu, Hojotea and Artisicnippon is selling those
http://artisticnippon.com/product/Banko ... apots.html

[Tead Off]

For a japanese teapot that is intended for the oolong maker Tachi Masaki makes small Banko kyusu, Hojotea and Artisicnippon is selling those
http://artisticnippon.com/product/Banko ... apots.html

From the Hojo God:
'Using purple clay for oolong, very few customers still enjoy its taste if he/she is a very taste-oriented person. For most of people, the aroma is a very important element for oolong teas. Usually 80% of my customers feel something is missing.'

[Intuit]

Unless you have the mythic older zhuni pots, making greener and some moderate oxidized oolongs in the typically available commercial yixing clay pot appear to result in flavor/aroma suckout (porosity related). I don't see microporous high-fired and thin walled Banko or Tokoname clay pots as being particularly heat retentive or absorptive, or they wouldn't be suited for delicate Japanese greens.

Hojo makes a case for natural red clay (Sado) pots as being superior for all types of oolong, whereas he doesn't mention oolongs in the banko purple clay section.

[Tead Off]

Unless you have the mythic older zhuni pots, making greener and some moderate oxidized oolongs in the typically available commercial yixing clay pot appear to result in flavor/aroma suckout (porosity related). I don't see microporous high-fired and thin walled Banko or Tokoname clay pots as being particularly heat retentive or absorptive, or they wouldn't be suited for delicate Japanese greens.

Hojo makes a case for natural red clay (Sado) pots as being superior for all types of oolong, whereas he doesn't mention oolongs in the banko purple clay section.

Yes. The commercial modern yixing pots are not the same. But, the older zhuni (70's/80's) can be bought for less than the Hojo God sells his Sado pots for. By his admission, nothing beats zhuni for oolongs.

My red banko houhin( over 50 years old) is very good with sencha, better than my red Tokoname (also not new). I will have to try some sencha in one of my zhuni pots. Tomorow morning, I'll let you know what I discover, if anything.

[Intuit]

I see cautionary notes from a previous thread (pot lid fit and mixed clay comment purportedly by Hojo, plus a good point made by Aphroditea).

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=9879

High-shrinkage/finely particled silica/iron-rich clay minerology, extended clay preconditioning (aging)/working, pot workmanship, additional steps in pot making not used elsewher, and firing duration/high temp and cooling rate/kiln gases all play a role in the physico-chemistry of the pot inner surface and its tempering effects on tea infusions.

I think Hojo-God is peddling a name and high-end artisan product (Sado now has its own living treasure potter).

[Oni]

Sorry I meant to say that it can be good for green tea.

[coconut]

Wow, Oni

That banko teapot by Artisticnippon (small) is gorgeous!! Expensive though, $69. I'll have to wait a while before getting that one.

Thank you all for your help