Shopping for a new kyusu

[MIKE_B]

I broke my one and only kyusu yesterday. Bummer. My girlfriend bought it for me on a pottery tour of Japan.
I found Hojo's site and Akira sent me the list of available pieces.
I am eyeing this banko.
What are your thoughts on banko yaki kyusus for roasted oolongs?

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[iannon]

honestly not sure on Banko being the best choice for roasted oolongs..I have kind of stuck with porcelain for my Yancha's sicne i havent also gotten into the yixing mind-boggling-and-confusing-to-me side of things as of yet.
I am sure more feedback on Banko will be coming from the other more clay wizards on here

[Bob_McBob]

Aren't those kind of enormous for yancha?

[MIKE_B]

This one is 250ml, 8.5oz. I know people use much smaller, but this is the same size as my broken one. Works for me.

[wh&yel-apprentice]

Aren't those kind of enormous for yancha?

name of the image file uses "250ml" in it, not so "enormous" imho. I don't yet even have a clay pot, not even a super cheap one. All my tea is currently infused in a rather thick walled Celadon 400+ml pot! And I *need* it that big, I drink a lot at one time! Gourmand I guess you'd say, I guzzle almost as much like beer

What are your thoughts on banko yaki kyusus for roasted oolongs?

...if you 'roasted oolongs' include any Phoenix Dan Cong, according to Hojo you might be in for a big disappointment:

http://hojotea.com/article_e/phoenix_e.htm

Phoenix Dan Cong tea, it does not get along with many kinds of material used for teapots.

For example, it is not suitable to use Banko, Shigaraki, Watanabe
Tozo's Sado clay tea pot...Some people strongly believe that Chao Zhou teapot performs very well...I found that this is not a correct perception. Again, it depends on the particular clay. Some could perform well and some do not perform at all

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.a ... ng/8953413

Phoenix Oolong doesn’t go well with Shigaraki and Banko teapots. The tea tastes flat when brewed in these teapots,” says Hojo. “Our job is to test each clay and show our customers the effects of the clay on the tea so they know what they are paying for. In fact, the quality of clay varies even if we are buying the teapot from the same artist using the same clay.”

Hojo dishes out some extra tips:

“Try to find red clay – the red tint indicates the prevalence of iron oxide. Even if the clay is not made of 100% natural clay, at least it does not contain too many other impurities and therefore it does not flatten the taste of the brew.”

“If possible, test the effect of teapot on the spot. If we drink water out of teapot, we can easily tell the quality of clay. It is important to buy from the seller who allows tasting.”

As Hojo sums it up, if you understand the workings of tea, you can enjoy a very nice cup of tea without burning a hole in your pocket.

If you buy any of the listed pots that Hojo has recommended for the Phoenix oolongs, unless you have a titanium infused wallet, you *will* burn a hole in it paying what those cost ;P

[Herb_Master]

I found Hojo's site and Akira sent me the list of available pieces.
I am eyeing this banko.
What are your thoughts on banko yaki kyusus for roasted oolongs?

595%20250ml.jpeg

If you are comfortable paying Hojo's prices, and you have already started communication with him, you can do worse than ask Hojo for his advice.

He is over zealous in trying out his different clays with different teas to find suitable pairings, and whilst his senses appear to be able to detect minimal nuances that those such as i can only blink in disbelief at - If he recommends a pairing you know at least you wont get a bad brew.

The decorated pieces look nice, but the plain clay kyusus are beautiful to hold and use. Maybe you should not get too attached to one type, before Hojo tells you which are good for roasted Oolongs.

The site only advertises those that are in Japan, he also has others
in his shop in Malaysia, so there may be other sizes available which he would advise you of in direct communication, the downside is that the Malaysian ones are slightly more expensive because of local sales taxes.

[MIKE_B]

Thanks all.
Maybe I should have read all of Hojo's information on these pots instead of just looking at the pretty pictures. He clearly states that the Banko clay is not suited for oolong.
I will take your advice and send off another e-mail.
I had my heart set on purple clay, but I am not sure if I am "comfortable" enough with the prices to buy two pots right now.

[gingkoseto]

I use this kyusu for oolong, love it and think it's of great value for its price
http://www.yuuki-cha.com/japanese-teapo ... ame-teapot

It's said to be 120ml, a little more than that, but not much more.

[MIKE_B]

That is a nice little pot, Ginkoseto. Something to think about.
And, hey, we are both in Massachusetts.

[Ambrose]

I have been extremely pleased with all of the clays from Mr Akira. He is honest, blunt, and pairs the teas very well with his clays. I like the fact that he is actively seeking to find the best clays to pair with the best teas. At first I was skeptical but after my own testing it eliminated my doubt along time ago.

[Chip]

Yeah, Hojo does have some spectacular kyusu-s!!! I have been on the available now page countless times. If you like kyusu-s, and you do not mind the price, go for the gusto.

Alternately, I have purchased quite a few kyusu from http://www.artisticnippon.com/ Toru is extremely helpful and prompt in his replies. In apples to apples comparisons, he is usually a bit lower priced.

But, if you are in discussions with Hojo, and they are taking the time to answer you to your final satisfaction, IMHO, you should buy from them even if the price is 5-10% higher.

[IPT]

Alternately, I have purchased quite a few kyusu from http://www.artisticnippon.com/ Toru is extremely helpful and prompt in his replies.

Absolutely!! I was shocked at the care and time he spent helping me! It was amazing. I have never experienced such high quality customer service in my life. He went so beyond what I expected. Feel free to ask him questions about things. He will certainly answer them. He also has things that he has not yet put on his website, so it does not hurt to ask.

[MIKE_B]

I am waiting for Hojo's reply.
In the meantime, I got impulsive and ordered this...

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http://www.yuuki-cha.com/biri-shusen-tokoname-teapot
It is inexpensive enough, so I figured, what the heck? Thanks for the recommendation, Ginkoseto.

[NOESIS]

I am waiting for Hojo's reply.
In the meantime, I got impulsive and ordered this...

TPbirishusenM_LRG.jpeg

http://www.yuuki-cha.com/biri-shusen-tokoname-teapot
It is inexpensive enough, so I figured, what the heck? Thanks for the recommendation, Ginkoseto.

I've got a very similar kyusu. http://www.yuuki-cha.com/shusen-keiryo-tokoname-kyusu

Only used it for green teas, for which it performs superbly.

[MIKE_B]

Here is the response I got from Hojo...

Dear michael,
Thank you for the message.
If you like to brew oolong and green tea and occationally black tea, i suggest following clay.
1. Shimizu Ken's red clay - oxidation baking
2 Shimizu Ken's red ckay (black) - reduction baking
Above clay works pretty good for the tea you drink.
For roasted oolong and green tea, reduction clay does the better job. Its after taste is stronger than the oxidation clay and therefore you feel that tea ia smoother ansd the flaver lasts longer. However if you use it for normal oolong such as phoenix oolong or Taiwan high mountain oolong, the up-coming flavor gets slightly weaker.
With oxidation clay, the after taste is slightly less than that of reduction clay. But it brings up the flavor particulary when you brew flavorful oolong or black tea.
After all it is depending on which character you emphasize between flavor or after taste.
Best Regards,
Akira

And this is the kyusu I am thinking of going with...

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