Okay. I'm sure this seems like a stupid question, so please forgive me. I read up on yixing teapots for awhile before finally deciding to actually get one. I got a 7oz one from a reputable place (Teavana) on Friday. I seasoned it on Saturday using Kam's instructions from: http://yixing-teapots.net/prepare.htm
I let it dry in the shade and then I used it once on Sunday morning. I had the tea leaves in the pot for only about an hour or so. I was mindful to make sure that I got all of the leaves out of the pot. I didn't use soap or anything like that on the pot.
On Sunday evening I picked up the pot to look and see if it was dry and I noticed the inside of the pot was not all one consistent color. In certain areas there were spots that are lighter. Could this be mold already, or is possible that they are just imperfections in the pot? I'm totally freaked out about using the teapot now.
Jun 20th, '06, 02:13
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hop_goblin
Patchy pot
Hey there, I own 5 yixing and all of them are patchy. I belive it has to do with the hardness of the water you are using. Were the patches off white? I wouldnt worry. I do belive it is too soon for mold to have grown. It can like the previous person replied "inconsistancy of the clay" . Dont sweat it!
Did you leave the lid open when you dried it?
Are the patches of lighter colour white? Or just lighter? Are they a little shiny? If they're shiny, it's the leftover tea and there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, as long as it is not white, you've got no problems.
Even if it's white, it's more likely to be mineral deposits from your water than mould. Mould will most likely be stringy (I've seen mould in yixing before) and you will SMELL IT.
So, unless it smells nasty or is showing stringy stuff, no worries. Most likely, it's the pot itself or dried tea/water or minerals. The former being more likely than the latter. You shouldn't really see minerals with one use unless you used really heavy water.
Are the patches of lighter colour white? Or just lighter? Are they a little shiny? If they're shiny, it's the leftover tea and there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, as long as it is not white, you've got no problems.
Even if it's white, it's more likely to be mineral deposits from your water than mould. Mould will most likely be stringy (I've seen mould in yixing before) and you will SMELL IT.
So, unless it smells nasty or is showing stringy stuff, no worries. Most likely, it's the pot itself or dried tea/water or minerals. The former being more likely than the latter. You shouldn't really see minerals with one use unless you used really heavy water.
I think marshaln has the right idea. If it's mold it will smell like mold.
Like.. it could be lots of things.. maybe you didnt boil it long enough, or maybe it's that wierd residue that some pots seem to leave that you didnt notice until your first pot?
Like sometimes when I boil a new pot, and go to scrub it, there's like a film on the outside. I usually just scrub that off, and then boil it again before I use it.
Otherwise, it could be imperfections in the clay, or the clay absorbed unevenly, or... some cheap red yixing.. isn't solid red. It's like... the browner clay mostly, with a redwash on the exterior. Sometimes the red wash is uneven.
If it's mold.. you should be able to tell that it's mold. But.. I think it takes longer than a couple hours for a mold to grow on a pot.
Like.. it could be lots of things.. maybe you didnt boil it long enough, or maybe it's that wierd residue that some pots seem to leave that you didnt notice until your first pot?
Like sometimes when I boil a new pot, and go to scrub it, there's like a film on the outside. I usually just scrub that off, and then boil it again before I use it.
Otherwise, it could be imperfections in the clay, or the clay absorbed unevenly, or... some cheap red yixing.. isn't solid red. It's like... the browner clay mostly, with a redwash on the exterior. Sometimes the red wash is uneven.
If it's mold.. you should be able to tell that it's mold. But.. I think it takes longer than a couple hours for a mold to grow on a pot.