Clay pot for dancong - topic expanded to types of mud clays

[mganz42]

I've been using one of my pots for da hong pao for about 2 months, but I recently learned that it would be much better suited for dancongs. Other than the standard boiling procedure, I've heard a rumor that denture cleaner can be a good tool for re-seasoning a pot. Is this true?
Also, would I skip the part about leaving the pot in very strong tea, to avoid making it super bitter?
I really really love dancong and this pot, and I don't want to screw it up!

[BW85]

Leaving it in water at a low boil for 30 min or so and then letting it sit in that water over night should be enough. If there is any yancha taste left, it will be covered up soon enough from other teas.
Letting the pot sit in dancong water definitely wouldn't hurt anything, only help

[kyarazen]

I've been using one of my pots for da hong pao for about 2 months, but I recently learned that it would be much better suited for dancongs. Other than the standard boiling procedure, I've heard a rumor that denture cleaner can be a good tool for re-seasoning a pot. Is this true?
Also, would I skip the part about leaving the pot in very strong tea, to avoid making it super bitter?
I really really love dancong and this pot, and I don't want to screw it up!

just go ahead and brew dancong it without re-seasoning! judge based on the taste.

using harsh chemicals can affect the nature of the surface of the pot, which will then require much more time to get it back into performance.

[theredbaron]

Same here, don't worry about re-seasoning. The seasoning aspect is less rigid than is generally propagated on the web nowadays. Initially there may be slight taste overlays, but they will soon disappear. If your pot is more suitable to this or another family of teas (no need to limit your pot to just one single tea) will be in the end decided by your taste buds.
With every new pot you will anyhow have to spend some time experimenting with different teas to find out what suits the pot best before deciding. Same counts for cups, and cup/pot/tea combinations.

[Noonie]

I recently learned that it would be much better suited for dancongs.

I'm curious as to why the pot you have is suitable for Dancongs...what about the pot specifically?

[bonescwa]

Yeah wuyi and dancong are similar in leaf shape, usually roast level (although there is light roasted dancong and light roasted wuyi... yuck), so I would just use the pot for both. Experienced people say that old Chinese tea folks pretty much have oolong pots and puerh pots, that's the only differentiation necessary.

[tingjunkie]

just go ahead and brew dancong it without re-seasoning! judge based on the taste.

using harsh chemicals can affect the nature of the surface of the pot, which will then require much more time to get it back into performance.

Although I completely disagree that denture cleaners classify as harsh chemicals (just think about their original use for a second), I do agree that you don't need to do too much to reset the pot. If it were me, I'd sit there for 10 minutes or so repeatedly filling the pot with boiling water, letting it sit for a minute, then pouring it out. Then on the last fill of boiling water, I'd let it sit overnight. Even that process might be overkill.

[the_economist]

Don't waste all that pot water! Drink it up! See if you can actually taste anything but water!

[mganz42]

Well, it took me a while to figure out that I was using the pot for the wrong tea...
This was the first pot I ever bought. I just googled "zisha yixing pot" and bought the cheapest one I liked (I know, I know).
When it arrived, I knew right away that it wasn't yixing clay. Instead of being porous and sandy, it's smooth and silky. Well, I used it with my da hong pao anyway (which worked remarkably well), and my suspicions were confirmed when the surface developed a complete patina within two weeks.
Then two weeks ago I discovered the wonders of dancong and immediately started looking for a chaozhou pot. As my research continued, I began to develop some suspicions about my pot. I went back to the original listing, and, sure enough, it says "chaozhou" in the small print.

I ended up boiling it for a bit and then brewed my honey orchid dancong and WOW it tastes good. I know it's a pretty low-quality pot but it really does make the da hong pao and the dancong taste very nice.

P.S. Can anyone translate the writing on the side and lid?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125297318 ... 211140238/

[the_economist]

Do you have pictures of the inside?

[mganz42]

Yeah, I didn't take them earlier because the inside was still wet from brewing.
Ugh, these pictures are awful. The inside actually looks much nicer than this, the flash really brought out all the irregularities and stains from using it an hour ago.
Ignore the thin silvery line, that's just a tea stain - I guess I didn't rinse the inside as well as I thought
That dark v-shaped stain has always been there, and hasn't changed since I got the pot. Not sure what that's from...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/125297318 ... 602762946/

[the_economist]

Doesn't seem to be a Chaozhou pot. I have no idea what type of material that pot is made of.

[mganz42]

I don't think it's chaozhao either, but it seems to be more similar to chaozhou than to yixing, which is why I thought it would be better suited for dancong.
At the very least, it's some kind of mud clay and not rock clay.

Regardless, it really makes my dancong very happy
Thanks to everyone for the advice about switching teas though

[the_economist]

I think you're right, it is basically made from mud *clay* (edited). I would be cautious about using it.

[entropyembrace]

I think you're right, it is basically made from mud. I would be cautious about using it.

It's obviously made from clay, not mud.

What's the difference between "mud clay" and "rock clay"? western sources seem to say things like if it's flexible enough to be wheel thrown it's mud, or if it was mined wet it's mud...seems silly since all clays are mined and processed in similar way to get the consistency desired to make it workable. Yixing "rock clay" is definitely not dug out of the ground and used as is. Either way high quality famous clays like Tokoname red ware would be called mud too, no? Just because it's made from a "softer" clay shouldn't be any cause for concern itself.

That said...the dark v-shaped stain could be concerning, I have no idea what that is.