How to remove tea leaves from a yixing?

[AlphaWhelp]

Does anyone have any special method of removing their tea leaves from a yixing for those that lack infusers?

[entropyembrace]

just scoop them out with your fingers and then rinse the pot...

unless you´re trying to take the leaves out between infusions...don´t do that. remove the water not the leaves.

[wyardley]

I suggest using your fingers to get the bulk of them out.

But if you can't, (or won't) use your fingers, the sets of tea tools usually come with a scraper to get the leaves out.

You'll probably have some residual leaves left in the pot - I usually fill the pot halfway with warm water, swish around, and invert (both to bring the temperature back up if it's cooled down, and to get out any stragglers), then another rinse with rapidly boiling water -- the hotter the better, as it will evaporate, so your pot will dry quicker.

[AlphaWhelp]

heh, that's basically what I thought, however, some people are pretty OC about their yixing, I was kind of wondering if those methods actually yield better tea or if it's more of a placebo effect.

[gingkoseto]

I don't like straight hole teapot. But I guess once upon a time, most people used straight hole teapot. Once I was taught to shake teapot very hard after pouring tea, forward and backward, a way used by many Cantonese grandpas I sometimes do it even with 7-hole teapot. But I lost a lid in this way

[wyardley]

heh, that's basically what I thought, however, some people are pretty OC about their yixing, I was kind of wondering if those methods actually yield better tea or if it's more of a placebo effect.

I don't quite understand... how would the way you *remove* the leaves after you're finished brewing tea affect the taste of brewed tea?

[IPT]

I'm not sure if I understand your question right. If you mean how do you remove the leaves after brewing tea, I personally shake the leaves out of the pot and then tap it on my palm to knock out any remaining big pieces. If all that remain are small bits, I will just leave them and set the pot out to air dry without a lid and then shake them out. If there are some large pieces, I will remove them with my tea tools. If you rinse the teapot out, you can easily remove all the leaves, but you also wash out the tea and you really want that to dry in the pot to help season it.

If you are talking about tea leaves stuck in the spout, I use a thin piece of bamboo that I snip off of my bamboos. That is flexible, and won't scratch the pot. There are tools to use, but I find them too stiff and I have heard of people cracking their teapot spout with them.

[AlphaWhelp]

I don't quite understand... how would the way you *remove* the leaves after you're finished brewing tea affect the taste of brewed tea?

I was concerned about the possibility of dirt/oil etc that seems to collect on fingers possibly affecting the taste, but if it's a non issue then there is no problem.

[Alex]

Smashing them open gives easy access to leaves and makes cleaning the inside far easier.

[wyardley]

I was concerned about the possibility of dirt/oil etc that seems to collect on fingers possibly affecting the taste, but if it's a non issue then there is no problem.

Yeah - I think as long as you rinse the pot, it shouldn't be a problem. You can use one of the tools designed for the purpose if you're really concerned, but the finger is more efficient IMHO.