Hole on the lid

[isaac]

One of the tests that are usually made before buying a teapot is to test the water flow. If the hole on the lid is pressed whilst the water is flowing, then the water flow will stop abruptly.

I came across this teapot, made by an accreditated potter, where the water flow does not stop. The vendor told me that some teapots do not have this feature due to the construction. This teapot is almost perfectly 'round'.

Hence my question: is this feature a must to test the quality of the pot?

Note: the flow is strong and continuous; the lid is well-fitted on the pot; the structure is strong. Water does not drip from the spout. I was told that the potter is quite famous. (Will need to get the name).

[Sydney]

How's the tea that comes out?

[debunix]

Testing to see if I understand this right: that test means that the lid is tightly fitted, so when you are pouring, tea is less likely to leak around the lid and should instead pour neatly from the spout only.

[Sydney]

That's more or less in line with the way I heard it.

One design point of interest in some pots is a well-fitting lid, which should help keep tea, heat, etc. where they belong.

I have never had a pot with such a well-fitting lid that I could determine the difference it made, personally.

[JRS22]

I made a houhin in pottery class w/o a hole in the lid. My teacher said that even if I achieved perfection in lid fit I didn't need the hole because the nature of the houhin design was such that the spout would never fill with tea, so there would always be a source of air. Is that true of the design of your pot?

[gingkoseto]

Is this a yixing teapot? How big is it?

Generally for a small yixing pot with lid well fitted, when the pot is filled with water and hole is blocked, there is no air flow so the water should be blocked in by air pressure. If there is air leaking from the rim of the lid, then water can drip out even when the hole is blocked. So if water can drip, the question is, where does air get into the teapot? Maybe you can try holding the lid and inverting the teapot and see if water comes out from around the rim of the lid.

The water flow test doesn't work on many porcelain or glazed teapots. If the teapot is very big, the water flow test doesn't work either, because either air flow from the spout will be significant or the water inside the teapot is too heavy for the air pressure to block.

Let us know if the mystery is solved

[isaac]

How's the tea that comes out?

I did not test with tea as the teapot is as yet unsold. Only tested with hot water.

[isaac]

Testing to see if I understand this right: that test means that the lid is tightly fitted, so when you are pouring, tea is less likely to leak around the lid and should instead pour neatly from the spout only.

Interesting. I did not know that. Thanks for the info.

[isaac]

Is this a yixing teapot? How big is it?

Generally for a small yixing pot with lid well fitted, when the pot is filled with water and hole is blocked, there is no air flow so the water should be blocked in by air pressure. If there is air leaking from the rim of the lid, then water can drip out even when the hole is blocked. So if water can drip, the question is, where does air get into the teapot? Maybe you can try holding the lid and inverting the teapot and see if water comes out from around the rim of the lid.

The water flow test doesn't work on many porcelain or glazed teapots. If the teapot is very big, the water flow test doesn't work either, because either air flow from the spout will be significant or the water inside the teapot is too heavy for the air pressure to block.

Let us know if the mystery is solved

I will find some time to go and do what you suggested over this week (provided the teapot was not sold in the meantime).

The yixing teapot is very small, maybe at the most small two teacups in capacity.

[isaac]

I made a houhin in pottery class w/o a hole in the lid. My teacher said that even if I achieved perfection in lid fit I didn't need the hole because the nature of the houhin design was such that the spout would never fill with tea, so there would always be a source of air. Is that true of the design of your pot?

I am sorry, this is beyond my understanding. All i know is that the teapot is round

[isaac]

That's more or less in line with the way I heard it.

One design point of interest in some pots is a well-fitting lid, which should help keep tea, heat, etc. where they belong.

I have never had a pot with such a well-fitting lid that I could determine the difference it made, personally.

The lid is well-fitting. It does not move from left to right and can only be turned fairly smoothly.

[MarshalN]

I remember being told this to be an important thing a long time ago, but I now believe that the "hole" test for water is completely useless.

Checking how the water pours out is important (you don't want a really drippy pot) but checking how tight the lid fits is, IMO, not.

[Chip]

From a technical execution standpoint, I could see how it could be ... impressive. Sort of like how skaters had to do compulsories in the Olympics ... served little purpose really, but impressive nevertheless.

Also, some pot types will never pass this test, Hagi won't due to the rough sand clay. (in fact likely do not need a hole)

Anyway, I expect it from certain pots like Tokoname, shows me the effort that goes into the making of the pot.

[Tead Off]

I think this is a strictly technical aspect of a pot and is nice to have in yixing but makes no difference in the tea that is brewed. Yixing lids are not typically ground down on its rim to ensure tight fit like Tokoname and Banko so is more representative of the potter's skill in getting the lid fit just right. Not particularly easy to do.

Personally, some of my leakiest pots are some of my best.

[JRS22]

I made a houhin in pottery class w/o a hole in the lid. My teacher said that even if I achieved perfection in lid fit I didn't need the hole because the nature of the houhin design was such that the spout would never fill with tea, so there would always be a source of air. Is that true of the design of your pot?

I am sorry, this is beyond my understanding. All i know is that the teapot is round

Here's an example of a houhin:

http://www.o-cha.com/hounin-teapot.html

The design of the spout of a houhin is such that the upper part of the opening won't fill with tea when you're pouring.

But the bottom line is that the air has to come from somewhere, such as through the hole in the lid, through the open space remaining in the spout, through the gaps in the lid. This might be heresy, but to me the issue is not if blocking the hole stops the tea flow, but if the tea pours well in actual use.

Anyway, you're lucky you have a shop where you can see and handle the pots before buying.