New pot conditioning and care

[bellebouche]

Bonjour-a-tous!

Just bought (on something of a whim) an unglazed pot with the intention of using it solely for my favourite Fujian Oolong. Did a little googling around and came across this forum and bang went half my day!. Plenty of fascinating information for the tea fan.

Here's a pic of the pot.




Little useful information on the packaging other than it's from Guangxi. I bought it in Niort (western France) it was uber-cheap but when I bring it home and unpack it I'm wondering about it's initial use and subsequent conditioning and care. Could anyone please direct me towards a teaware FAQ?

[bellebouche]

Another pic...

[Tead Off]

This looks like a kettle that you use to boil water on a charcoal heater. I would simply boil water in it a few times and then give it a go.

[skywarrior]

Looks like a plain clay pot similar to the more ornate ones I have. Basically because it's porous, you want to be very careful what you put in it. That means no soap or anything that would affect the taste of the tea. Wash it out really well with hot water. If it has a metal infuser, you can wash that with soap and water and rinse really well.

The pot will season with the tea you make. I'd recommend washing it out each time and maybe drying gently with a towel. Beyond that, there's not much to it. Enjoy!

PS: I wouldn't recommend boiling water in it.

[Intuit]

"Washing" usually refers to use of soap/detergent. "Rinse" would be a better term, because you're merely swishing water around to dislodge tea leaf debris and leachable liquor.

We have no frame of reference for the scale of this 'teapot'. It does look like a kettle.

[Smells_Familiar]

This looks like a kettle that you use to boil water on a charcoal heater. I would simply boil water in it a few times and then give it a go.

I agree.

Now I know it's off topic, but I really want to comment on your setting. Are you located inside or outside of some sort of old fortress? Your exterior walls and the structure in the background are very intriguing.

[bellebouche]

... I know it's off topic, but I really want to comment on your setting. Are you located inside or outside of some sort of old fortress? Your exterior walls and the structure in the background are very intriguing.

Ahh, no. Just a normal house... or at least normal for around these parts. It's an early 1800's stone and oak farmhouse. Most of the walls are 80cm thick granite blockwork around timber beams holding up the floors and roof. No nails, no cement.. and handmade canal tiles on the roofs of the outbuildings.

Interesting that a few observers have called 'Kettle' on my utilitarian teapot! It's quite large, has a 6cm lid, an inner (clay) brewing basket with a small number of hand-made holes in it. I'll be back along later with a fresh snap.

[Intuit]

SF is commenting on the view out the window. The building seen in the background has no apparent windows, hence his question.

[Tead Off]

... I know it's off topic, but I really want to comment on your setting. Are you located inside or outside of some sort of old fortress? Your exterior walls and the structure in the background are very intriguing.

Ahh, no. Just a normal house... or at least normal for around these parts. It's an early 1800's stone and oak farmhouse. Most of the walls are 80cm thick granite blockwork around timber beams holding up the floors and roof. No nails, no cement.. and handmade canal tiles on the roofs of the outbuildings.

Interesting that a few observers have called 'Kettle' on my utilitarian teapot! It's quite large, has a 6cm lid, an inner (clay) brewing basket with a small number of hand-made holes in it. I'll be back along later with a fresh snap.

What is the capacity? If you want to brew high end tea, it is probably too large for your needs and will be expensive to fill it with leaf.

[Maitre_Tea]

I'm curious to see how these local clays affect the tea. It will be too large for brewing gong fu cha style, but I think it should do alright with brewing Western style: fewer leaf, longer infusion time.

[Intuit]

If the plate shown in the first photo is a typical dinner plate, it has a diameter of 9-10" that can be used for size reference.

This is probably a clay kettle being sold as a 'teapot' (in reference to the basket mentioned in the OPs last post), like the cheaper cast iron tetsubin. It's much too large for Eastern style brewing; size, shape and oversized, fast-flowing spout suggest it might be a kettle. However, it's not clear that it is sufficiently heat resistant for use as a kettle.

>I'm curious to see how these local clays affect the tea.

Local, in what sense? The pot is labeled as made in SE China.

[Maitre_Tea]

Sorry, I should have clarified that I meant "local" as in local for SE China...like they're using clay from the local area (If we can assume that), rather than importing/using clay from other regions of China (or even internationally, which is doubtful IMO)

[Intuit]

Probably hails from Qinzhou, one of four historic pottery centers in China.

http://www.chinatravel.com/facts/chines ... tery.htm#4
http://www.travelchinaguide.com/citygui ... i/qinzhou/

The clay may originate in the neighboring hills or the broad alluvial plains of Qinjiang River Delta.

[bellebouche]

What is the capacity? If you want to brew high end tea, it is probably too large for your needs and will be expensive to fill it with leaf.

Filled to the brim - about 850ml.

After a couple of successive hotter and hotter rinses I made a pot of Chinese green gunpowder tea in it. I was struck by distinct earthy notes (like fresh picked mushrooms/leafy compost/damp straw) and a different depth of flavour than I'd expect. I'll have to do a blind a/b taste test to validate that it wasn't an over-active imagination.

I don't ever spend a tremendous amount on teas, and far less on this intriguing pot.

[odarwin]

What is the capacity? If you want to brew high end tea, it is probably too large for your needs and will be expensive to fill it with leaf.

Filled to the brim - about 850ml.

After a couple of successive hotter and hotter rinses I made a pot of Chinese green gunpowder tea in it. I was struck by distinct earthy notes (like fresh picked mushrooms/leafy compost/damp straw) and a different depth of flavour than I'd expect. I'll have to do a blind a/b taste test to validate that it wasn't an over-active imagination.

I don't ever spend a tremendous amount on teas, and far less on this intriguing pot.

maybe its just the smell and taste of clay... you know... earth... id say ill probably taste the same thing if i boil water in a terracotta pot

-darwin