Does it make sense to dedicate Kyusus to specific Senchas?

[fire_snake]

Hello, everyone.

My very first two Kyusu have arrived. One is a reddish-brown Tokoname pot in shudei style by Setsudo (from Artisticnippon), and the other is a lovely black Shoryu variety from Kohei at EveryonesTea.

Would it make sense to dedicate one to Fukamushi and the other to Asamushi? I know Tokoname clay isn't all that porous, but I still wouldn't want flavours mingling.

I assume we brew Gyokuro in a Houhin, so I'm not including that.

Thanks,

Christian.

[Chip]

As long as the screen works, go for it. Fuka can clog up the works, but with practice, almost any screen except the most course will work.

I would not use them for the more aromatic "sencha" like one that is sakura scented or genmaicha or houjicha. These will transfer aroma and flavor.

And yeah, your better gyokuro will serve you best when brewed in a smaller brew vessel like a houjin (spelled many ways) or a shiboridashi or even a gaiwan.

[fire_snake]

Thanks for the reply, Chip.

So before I dedicate one to Fuka, for example, do I really need to pre-treat it, like in the video below?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F8llnG2 ... r_embedded

The reason given is that boiling it with thin tea "locks" the porous surface with the tannin of the tea. Really? I've never heard of this before.

But then I see this from ArtisticNippon:

http://www.artisticnippon.com/japaneset ... atment.htm

Pre-treatment of teapots


A lot has been written about pre-treating teapots before use. This is usually done to firm the clay and strengthen ceramic items, particularly those made from molds. The Tokoname teapots shown on this webpage have all been thrown on a potter's wheel and are therefore already firm enough. Pre-treatment is not necessary.

Simply rinse the pot with warm water before use.

Christian

[Chip]

Thanks for the reply, Chip.

So before I dedicate one to Fuka, for example, do I really need to pre-treat it, like in the video below?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F8llnG2 ... r_embedded

The reason given is that boiling it with thin tea "locks" the porous surface with the tannin of the tea. Really? I've never heard of this before.

Seriously, just hot rinse or give a quick hot soak and go.

Just so I am not misunderstood ... you can use your kyusu for both asa and fuka. No need to dedicate to one level of steaming.

[fire_snake]

Thanks for the reply, Chip.

So before I dedicate one to Fuka, for example, do I really need to pre-treat it, like in the video below?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9F8llnG2 ... r_embedded

The reason given is that boiling it with thin tea "locks" the porous surface with the tannin of the tea. Really? I've never heard of this before.

Seriously, just hot rinse or give a quick hot soak and go.

Just so I am not misunderstood ... you can use your kyusu for both asa and fuka. No need to dedicate to one level of steaming.

Ah, ok. Gotcha. Seems you pre-empted me there.

Off I go to do a rinse and then give it a trial run. Thanks, Chip!

Christian

[Chasm]

The pre-treatment in the video doesn't make sense to me either.

My method is a good rinsing under warm water while scrubbing with my fingertips. If it seems like a good idea, I'll go over some interior areas underwater with a piece of a Mr. Clean Magic eraser. Finish with a good rinse, then a boiling water rinse. Then it's good to go as far as I'm concerned.

[tortoise]

If you boil that setsudo kyusu, please don't tell me about. I'll have anxiety all day.

I'll bet you are excited. Those are gorgeous vessels. Enjoy them, and may they both outlive you.

[Stentor]

I don't think it's a big deal. I certainly think being afraid of using the same kyusu for fukamushi and asamushi is going too far.

Just recently, I did a thorough cleaning of my most frequently used Tokoname kyusus. I used a toothbrush, a paste of baking soda and water and scrubbed the inside of the kyusu. I also used a wet microfiber cloth on the half dry inside. This did wonders to remove visible staining. More importantly, it made water that was passed through the kyusu tasted much better than it did after the kyusu had seen heavy use for 6 months or so.
Let me also tell you that I kept the kyusu clean before. I did hot water rinses, slight scrubbing with a toothbrush to clean the inside and a small bottle brush to clean the spout practically right after every use.
Both kyusus were used strictly for (pure) sencha by the way.
My point is, that water which was passed through the kyusu smelled and tasted "bad" after a while. It was good again after the thorough cleaning.
Therefore, I've come to the conclusion that - though there are more experienced people than myself here who might disagree - an unglazed clay kyusu that is being used for Japanese green tea needs a thorough cleaning from time to time.

I plan on making a more detailed post in a new thread about this when I have some more time on my hands.

Let me just tell you not to worry about it too much. You've chosen wonderful tea pots. Enjoy your tea time!

[Chip]

Stentor, were your kyusu-s used for sencha only?

Interesting post.

BTW, I find that the sencha 7132 imparted aroma and possibly flavor to the kyusu. I will in the future only brew a 7132 sencha in a glazed kyusu.

[iannon]

If you boil that setsudo kyusu, please don't tell me about. I'll have anxiety all day.

I'll bet you are excited. Those are gorgeous vessels. Enjoy them, and may they both outlive you.

I actually line the pot im boiling in with a big chamwow type of cloth..they are nice and thick and padded

[Stentor]

Stentor, were your kyusu-s used for sencha only?

Yes, absolutely. To be exact, I used it for a lot of fukamushi and asamushi, some kabusecha and very little gyokuro (negligible amount) as well. Nothing flavored, scented, roasted or mixed with other ingredients, just plain sencha.
What prompted this whole experiment was a new Hokujo shiboridashi that I bought. I noticed it smelled much better when I preheated it than my used kyusus did. Then I tasted the water. The water from the heavily used kyusus smelled and tasted quite bad (in my opinion), the water from the new shiboridashi tasted good. Likewise with tea, although with water it's more obvious (it's not that tea tasted bad when brewed in the heavily used ones).
Like I said, I still plan on starting a thread about it. Since it came up here, I'll try to do it ASAP.

BTW, I find that the sencha 7132 imparted aroma and possibly flavor to the kyusu. I will in the future only brew a 7132 sencha in a glazed kyusu.

I think I know what you mean. Are you sure it's permanent? During a rinse with hot water, I noticed the 7131 smell as well but thought it had faded away before the next use.

[David R.]

Then I tasted the water. The water from the heavily used kyusus smelled and tasted quite bad (in my opinion), the water from the new shiboridashi tasted good. Likewise with tea, although with water it's more obvious (it's not that tea tasted bad when brewed in the heavily used ones).

Does the tea tasted better after the wash ?

[Stentor]

Does the tea tasted better after the wash ?

Yes, I think so. Once I had smelled and tasted the water from the used kyusus, I could detect this taste in the tea. It was not as apparent as in the water, since it was masked by the tea's flavor, but it was there nonetheless.
After the cleaning, this "bad" taste wasn't there, and therefore the taste of the tea was better.

I also think the tea (and water) tasted better with the new, unused shiboridashi in comparison with the used kyusus.
I also didn't clean both kyusus at the same time. I cleaned one, then compared. The clean one performed better, in my opinion.

You guys can go ahead and taste the water from kyusus that you've been using with sencha for months. Pour hot water in there, close the lid, let it sit for a minute, pour the water in a cup, smell it and taste it. Do you really like it? Compare with a new pot if you have one at hand.

I'm not speaking of the "iron taste" that comes from the clay by the way. I'm speaking of a kind of "foul" smell and taste that seems to come from whatever accumulates on the surface of the teapot's inside.

[Chip]

BTW, I find that the sencha 7132 imparted aroma and possibly flavor to the kyusu. I will in the future only brew a 7132 sencha in a glazed kyusu.

I think I know what you mean. Are you sure it's permanent? During a rinse with hot water, I noticed the 7131 smell as well but thought it had faded away before the next use.

It was not permanent. I noticed the aroma for a few sessions after going through a few bags of various 7132. At first I thought, jeez, is every tea I am buying now have this sakura thing going on.

[David R.]

I have a couple more questions if you don't mind

What kind of kyusu was it claywise ?
Did you rinse it with boiling water after use, or just hot water ?

I haven't been drinking enough japanese teas so far to help you. But I taste water coming from my teapots. It is always interesting.