Recommend some teaware: I only want ONE pot

[Mr. Usaji]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and I need some teaware advice. Right now, I brew tea in a mug, and just pour it through a strainer into a second mug. I've been doing this for years because I don't want to acquire unnecessary junk--I know that whatever teaware I buy now, I'll probably regret later. But I do drink several cups of tea every day, so I think I need SOMETHING more convenient/less messy to brew tea in.

I actually tried a small gaiwan, but it's too small (90 ml) and too much trouble for everyday drinking: it gets really hot, and small leaf pieces (like fukamushi sencha) fall right through. And for regular drinking, it's just easier to brew a mug-full of tea all at once. A removable infuser in a mug would also work, but it's a bit messy if I want to keep the leaves to infuse them again.

So, I think I want an actual teapot--one pot for all kinds of tea. Right now I'm drinking lots of Japanese tea, but I also drink a lot of black, oolong, and sometimes pu'er. I usually brew tea for just myself, and sometimes two people.


Here's what I'm considering:

1. Glazed kyusu. I've seen the ones from Den's Tea, but I worry that the "obi" strainer is hard to clean. I haven't been able to find any other glazed ones online.
2. "Western" style pot, like Bee House (beehouseteapot.com), with removable "basket"-type strainer. It comes in 12 ounce and 15 ounce sizes--what's a good size for 1-2 people? The basket strainer is not that big, so would I have to fill it all the way to give the leaves enough room?
3. Something else. I like the idea of those Kamjove/SAMA glass pots (example: http://cgi.ebay.com/SAMA-SAG-08-High-Gr ... 778wt_1139), but the inside is plastic, and I don't want anything plastic touching the tea.

I'm leaning toward a Bee House pot (and I figure I could get a kyusu eventually if I keep drinking so much sencha). My main concern is the size and the whether the strainer has enough space, but I'd also like to know if there are any other options I've missed. I appreciate any advice you tea people can give!

[entropyembrace]

glazed kyusu...the steel kyusu screens aren´t hard to clean...I was a bit worried about that too but it´s been a non-issue the week or so I´ve had my kyusu.

[iannon]

glazed kyusu...the steel kyusu screens aren´t hard to clean...I was a bit worried about that too but it´s been a non-issue the week or so I´ve had my kyusu.

i used a kyusu with an obi-ami for a coupe years..no issues at all with cleaning. hot water swishing and sometimes used the sprayer for some stubborn leaves..but thats aabout it. if you just want one go for a nice sized glazed kyusu then for ease of cross brewing

[Chip]

... what they said ... I use a glazed kyusu with an obi ami almost everyday, very care free.

Plus the final rinse should be as hot as possible so the inside of the kyusu (especially behind the screen) dries out quickly.

[debunix]

I think there is no ONE perfect pot.

A glass teapot with a removable stainless mesh basket is very good if you're never going to brew at a very high leaf-to-water ratio, holds fine pieces of deep steamed tea quite well, and is easy to clean.

I have a very nice one that is about one pint volume, and would use it more still for my large-volume brewing when I'm not prepared for gongfu sessions, but the carpet at work is not conducive to cleaning up tiny shards of glass when I break it.

I also have some very nice smaller glass pots (about 6 or 8 oz) that have glass strainers built into the spouts. The strainer holes aren't small enough for the deep steamed teas but it's easy to use a finer strainer over the cup for the tiny bits that get through. They work as a nice compromise between western brewing of a cup at a time and gongfu sessions with larger volumes than a typical small gaiwan.

[auhckw]

If you need only ONE pot and mostly serve only yourself, then don't get a pot

Get this

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f= ... 65#p165536

Today is my second day using it, loving it. No more messy. So much easier to prepare.

1) Put tea leaves,
2) Pour in hot water,
3) Wait,
4) Take out infuzer and put it on the cover
5) Drink from the cup, Enjoy the tea and also its natural colour
*repeat step 2

[auhckw]

I'm actually planning to get this soon (when I intend to make tea for more than myself)

Hario Glass Teapot with stainless steel infuser


Same method as per the above

[laura99]

I have one of the Bee House pots, and the strainer is horrible. Only worked for black tea for me. Rooibos falls right through the thing, and I would imagine sencha would not work at all. You do pretty much have to fill them up to give the leaves room, no making half a pot.

I only use it occasionally now, but to hold tea already brewed, as I have a warmer for it.

[debunix]

I'm actually planning to get this soon (when I intend to make tea for more than myself)

Hario Glass Teapot with stainless steel infuser


Same method as per the above

That looks like an excellently designed pot, because the strainer takes up a large portion of the pot volume, so you could use it for high-ish leaf to water ratios, but also can use it for less than a pot-full of water, because the infuser is so close to the bottom of the pot. I kept finding pots like this with infusers very high off the bottom of the pot, and very small anyway, so you could not use them with a smaller volume of water than full, and then couldn't get in an adequate quantity of leaf!

[Mr. Usaji]

Thanks for the suggestions. A lot of votes for glazed kyusu, I see.

Chip, I'm not sure what you mean about the final rinse. You mean washing out the pot with hot water after the last brew? Why does that help it dry out, and why does it need to dry out? Also, can those strainers be removed for cleaning?

debunix/auhcw, that Hario pot does look good, except that I'm worried about breaking glass stuff (and heat retention might be an issue too). With something so big, I'm obviously not trying to do gong fu cha; I just want to make 1-2 cups of tea (and sometimes enough to fill a travel mug would be nice).

laura99, that's good to know. I guess I should avoid the Bee House pot.

[debunix]

FYI, my better glass pots have been fairly sturdy, but falling off of a tall office file cabinet onto a hard, thinly carpeted floor got several of them, when they happened to hit something else on the way down.

At home, I get 3 or 4 times as much longevity from my little glass pots, but even there, I have hard tile floors in the kitchen and a porcelain sink. If I had linoleum and a stainless sink I might not have broken *any*.

[Chip]

Chip, I'm not sure what you mean about the final rinse. You mean washing out the pot with hot water after the last brew? Why does that help it dry out, and why does it need to dry out? Also, can those strainers be removed for cleaning?

Rinsing with very hot water will heat up the kyusu, and the remaining water will evaporate very quickly versus rinsing with cooler water ... and you want the water to evaporate quickly.

Water hanging out behind the obi ami screen can grow things you don't want growing there, trust me on this.

The screens are generally removable. But frequent removal will cause the screen to lose its perfect fit. Instead I use a tiny bottle brush to clean down the spout and behind the screen. If you have scale build up on the screen, a stiff toothbrush with dislodge the scale from the screen.

I used to set the kyusu spout down in a dish drainer to finish drying, this allows water to drain out better.

[debunix]

I used to set the kyusu spout down in a dish drainer, this allows water to drain out better.

I've been putting mine on the windowsill of my ktichen after a rinse, because I drink sencha in the morning, and the afternoon sun comes through the window and heats it up enough to dry it out. As long as the cat doesn't knock it off, all is good.

[Chip]

I used to set the kyusu spout down in a dish drainer, this allows water to drain out better.

I've been putting mine on the windowsill of my ktichen after a rinse, because I drink sencha in the morning, and the afternoon sun comes through the window and heats it up enough to dry it out. As long as the cat doesn't knock it off, all is good.

Actually feline interference is why I don't do this anymore ... this is how the handle on the Kikumari got broken. I would set it in the utensil drainer, spout down, which worked quite well til Koi sent the kyusu tumbling 40" to the floor ... as I stood frozen ... seemed to take 10 seconds for it to hit the floor ...

[debunix]

I have mine on a part of the windowsill defended by some seriously spiky cacti, so it's not likely to get whacked.