Hagi Care

[skywarrior]

Well, I got my very first Hagiware yesterday and after oohing and aahing over it, it suddenly occurred to me that I wasn't sure how to properly care for it. Alex (aka Space Samurai) has in his blog to soak it in water overnight. Do you soak these every time you have tea? Do you have to soak overnight? What about mold? Obviously you don't put in the dishwasher or microwave

What do you all do? Thanks!

[Chip]

An initial soaking in hot water is advised, but how long, etc is debated.

I typically place in hot water, have it approach boiling, remove from heat, and then allow to cool with the water. If I can smell an earthy aroma, I may do it again. 8 hours is generally plenty long to soak.

Once hydrated, you should use some care, not put it away till fully dried, they say up to 7 days. Be careful what you place it on as it could leave a ring.

I do a quick soak before each use, which I think slows the advent of changes that a Hagi will go through in its lifetime.

After each use, I rinse in hot water which is all I have ever had to do.

[MarshalN]

I actually like my Hagi aged -- so I have a pair of Hagi cups right now, one I use puerh regularly and the other one unused. It's very nice to see the differences and I like that.

So, to each his own.

[Chip]

I actually like my Hagi aged -- so I have a pair of Hagi cups right now, one I use puerh regularly and the other one unused. It's very nice to see the differences and I like that.

So, to each his own.

+1

[Mary R]

If you really want a cool visual of the power of hagi, soak it in saltwater over night (or let saltwater sit in it), then dry it out with a towel and watch the changes over the next week/month.

I know this only 'cause I have a hagi piece that I only use to hold saltwater. I don't particularly advocate doing this with anything you will ever want to use for tea. You'd probably be able to rehab it...heck, maybe it could actually improve tea taste...but why bother?

Anyway, it is epically cool to watch the clay squeeze out a seemingly endless supply of salt.

[Victoria]

Sacrilege!!!
Oh the horror!!


By the way my biwa "leaker" which was a pretty bad one, is completely cured today, by the constrach treatment and overnight drying.
Yay!

[TIM]

I would not use a Hagi on cheap, young shu.... it develop a smell of wet moldy towel

[skywarrior]

I've been using my Hagi cup every day for the past three days and I had a couple more questions (actually more than a couple )

Wouldn't the glaze keep the clay from absorbing the tea/liquid I put into it?

Should I be soaking the cup every day?

We have hard water, albeit filtered. It still has a fair amount of iron content. Would this hurt the hagi?

Thanks!

[Chip]

"HAGI no NANA BAKE," the 7 changes of Hagi. Your Hagi will always be changing, you can possibly slow or even speed the process. I think when they are new, it is more likely to want to preserve the newness, but as inevitable change occurs, we begin to accept the changes more readily.

Presoaking is optional but it may slow the changes, maybe not. I generally give a quick soak in hot water, personal preference, I also like the moist feel that results. Hagi tends to be porous, both the clay and the glaze. If you look very closely, you will see the crackles in the glaze, these become more and more evident as tea seeps into the Hagi.

Iron, well, it will likely absorb into the clay, but that might be a good thing since some claim iron improves the taste of tea.

[Chip]

If you really want a cool visual of the power of hagi, soak it in saltwater over night (or let saltwater sit in it), then dry it out with a towel and watch the changes over the next week/month.

I know this only 'cause I have a hagi piece that I only use to hold saltwater. I don't particularly advocate doing this with anything you will ever want to use for tea. You'd probably be able to rehab it...heck, maybe it could actually improve tea taste...but why bother?

Anyway, it is epically cool to watch the clay squeeze out a seemingly endless supply of salt.

OK, I'll bite.

Why do you use your Hagi to "hold salt water?"

[Mary R]

You know how I'm a Wiccan? Well, it's one of my altar pieces. It's my water/earth bowl. In my basic ritual practice, part of creating my sacred space involves combining the female elements (earth and water) and the male elements (fire and air). When I saw Space's blue hagi cup, I knew it would be a perfect water/earth piece specifically because of the absorbent properties of hagi (and because it's just so darn pretty). So it generally holds a fair bit of salt water, and the salt leech over the next few days after a ritual is really fun to watch.

Incidentally, I found another piece in the exact dimensions of my blue hagi cup. It's practically impenetrable unglazed clay in oranges and yellows, fired in Arizona's deserts. It's a great fire/air piece (incense burner).

Anyhoo...back to grading. (If Wes still hangs around here...yes. I know it's only the second day of classes. Yes, I have grading. I am a very demanding comp teacher.)

[Ed]

I didn't know you were a witch, Mary!

[CynTEAa]

You know how I'm a Wiccan?

Coolness, Mary! Had no idea! Happy grading, btw!

[chamekke]

You know how I'm a Wiccan? Well, it's one of my altar pieces. It's my water/earth bowl. In my basic ritual practice, part of creating my sacred space involves combining the female elements (earth and water) and the male elements (fire and air). When I saw Space's blue hagi cup, I knew it would be a perfect water/earth piece specifically because of the absorbent properties of hagi (and because it's just so darn pretty). So it generally holds a fair bit of salt water, and the salt leech over the next few days after a ritual is really fun to watch.

Very cool. I'm glad you shared that with us!

One thing I'm curious about now is, will the salt leaching eventually lead to another version of the "seven changes of Hagi"? I know that if you use Hagi for drinking sake instead of tea, the colour changes are different. If you do notice a change, I really hope you will let us know about it. You may be the first person to put Hagi to this particular test!

[skywarrior]

You know how I'm a Wiccan? Well, it's one of my altar pieces. It's my water/earth bowl. In my basic ritual practice, part of creating my sacred space involves combining the female elements (earth and water) and the male elements (fire and air). When I saw Space's blue hagi cup, I knew it would be a perfect water/earth piece specifically because of the absorbent properties of hagi (and because it's just so darn pretty). So it generally holds a fair bit of salt water, and the salt leech over the next few days after a ritual is really fun to watch.

Incidentally, I found another piece in the exact dimensions of my blue hagi cup. It's practically impenetrable unglazed clay in oranges and yellows, fired in Arizona's deserts. It's a great fire/air piece (incense burner).

Anyhoo...back to grading. (If Wes still hangs around here...yes. I know it's only the second day of classes. Yes, I have grading. I am a very demanding comp teacher.)

Awesome, Mary! Thanks for sharing!