Hello from a potter from Sweden

[Midwinter_Sun]

Hello dear TeaChat members!

First, thank You for sharing your wisdom on tea!

I grew up in Asia and have many fond memories of tea from my childhood, it has been a very large source of joy in my life.

Spending a part of my childhood in Indonesia, I still chuckle at one situation when tea literally came to my rescue.

I was about 11 years old and my parents took me for my first visit to a Padang restaurant. Now, as many of you are surely aware, Padang food is very spicy.
I got a fire going in my mouth with the first bite of food. Trying to cool it with some bubbly cola was a big mistake, as my tongue burned even more! Cool Indonesian jasmine tea came to the rescue, and I still remember that amazing taste of the tea on my tongue, after all those years

I had the luck of having my Mother very involved in culture and art appreciation, and some of her wonderful Indonesian friends had amazing teas sourced directly from plantations. In Indonesia, most of the good stuff was produced for export, with the local market deprived of first class teas, a tragic consequence of the colonial history of Tea there.

Well, tasting those black teas was a real adventure, and I have fond memories of driving the long winding road up to one of her friend's tea plantations. Picking my first leaves, so bright and young, and later enjoying them in a brew, looking over the tea and rice fields from a simple hut, watching the sunset.

So yes, tea is a very large part of my life and brings me lots of joy.

To keep things short, I enjoy tea every day like it is my first sip!

Right now I mostly drink matcha and japanese sencha, but I have also started expanding my palette with Chinese teas, smaller productions / custom batches. Sheng pu-erh is something I am enjoying now also, with a lazy gaiwan or hobin, or simply grandpa style.

I also get immense satisfaction out of drinking tea out of my tea utensils and all the other handmade pottery by other potters I have amassed through the years.

Memory is deeply rooted in taste and smell, and my childhood and youth experiences have expanded my palate. Some would say corrupted.
When eating greasy food, I have a weak spot for gunpowder and other teas of the low grade typically served in Chinese restaurants, for example.

Anyways, don't let me rant about my love of tea too long...

Thank You for this opportunity to share our enjoyment together!

[AT333]

Welcome to teachat. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences and love for tea. There is a lot of love for tea here. Also a lot of love for tea wares.

GS

[jayinhk]

Selamat datang bang! Enjoy your stay here and perhaps you'll discover new teas you like to drink. I'm drinking Taiwan-stored shu pu erh that has sat on a shelf for twenty years, and it is delicious!

[Midwinter_Sun]

There is a lot of love for tea here. Also a lot of love for tea wares.

GS

Thank You for the welcome!

I am a crusty traditionalist that thinks you have to drink lots of tea from the wares you make to make the best daily ware, but I know some potters that make teaware without drinking that particular style of tea.

Sometimes their work provides for a new and refreshing taste, look and experience. Many times, it leads to burned fingers or leaching glaze

For me, the more custom things, I have to take them for a test brew before I put them out!

[Midwinter_Sun]

Selamat datang bang! Enjoy your stay here and perhaps you'll discover new teas you like to drink. I'm drinking Taiwan-stored shu pu erh that has sat on a shelf for twenty years, and it is delicious!

Terima Kasih, Jay!

I will have to find guidance to good shu here!
Sheng is a fairly simple affair, I bought the one with best organic leaves without harsh taste and smell, but a full complex taste, then just put it in storage for 10 years ( or till I have patience ).

With Shu, I think I have to learn a lot more and get more opinions.
Probably with Shu I will be trying to find something with very strong character, lots of energy. Smaller batches to start with.

Suggestions very much appreciated!

[thirst]

Selamat menikmati masa tinggal anda di sini! I could go for some gulai ayam right now

[Midwinter_Sun]

Selamat menikmati masa tinggal anda di sini! I could go for some gulai ayam right now

Terima kasih Thirst! very appropriate username for the occasion!

Yes, those gulai dishes are very tasty, but I stick to cool jasmine tea with them after that first experience!

[jayinhk]

I think we'd all love to see your work!

Shu also benefits greatly from storage, as I learned recently. All the fermentation aromas dissipate and with appropriate storage, it sweetens into something much nicer. I prefer Dayi/Menghai/Zhongcha shu since it is cleaner and more carefully processed, although right now I am obsessed with CNNP 7581. 10, or ideally, 20 year old shu that has been aged in a good climate is really very pleasant drinking. Smooth, calming, and it settles your stomach. Too much sheng or oolong can be upsetting to the system, but shu calms you right down.

[jayinhk]

I found your site on your profile. Lovely work. Your cups look like natural stone to me!

http://airbgr.com/selected-work/

[Midwinter_Sun]

I found your site on your profile. Lovely work. Your cups look like natural stone to me!

http://airbgr.com/selected-work/

Thank You for the kind words Jay!

It is stoneware with simple ash, feldspar and iron glazes, and what is fun with stoneware, it is fired at 1300 degrees celcius, and it becomes very hard!

When I have some marks on the bottom of the cups from the kiln, or when I have to fit locks on for tea containers, I need to use a diamond file to smooth the ware!

If I use a metal file, it will get worn on the cup, leaving an iron mark, so the ceramic is quite strong, like stone.

I use natural glazes, a lot of times it is wood ash. I am working in Sweden now, and our land is mostly rock, mostly granite. Feldspar is the traditional glaze component for ceramics, and it is the white parts of granite. So to a large extent, the work is stone with some ash

I live next to an old iron mine, so I get some iron rich ore for my iron glazes. The water we have is of course very rich in iron, so it tastes very good, but you have to filter it right, otherwise it is too heavy for the taste.

The good thing about iron in pottery glazes,it is not just food safe but even good for humans, we need iron for our blood.

Also, when I make my own glazes, I do not have to worry about glaze safety. When you buy glazes from someone else, you never know what happened during making, mixing and transportation.

When I make my glazes myself, I just send to the lab once a year to make sure my kiln and wood is ok, but don't have to worry about heavy metals in glaze.

I enjoy forming with my hands, no wheel, but it takes a long time.

[Bok]

Very interesting stuff!
Certainly embodies a scandinavian wabi sabi esthetic.

I see only cups on your website, what about teapots or other brewing vessels? Do you also create those, or how do you prefer to brew your tea?

[jayinhk]

If you wish to sell your teawares, I think you'd have quite the audience here! Your stuff is incredible and the safety aspect will definitely appeal to a lot of us, especially after the lead glaze discussion we've been having!

[Midwinter_Sun]

I see only cups on your website, what about teapots or other brewing vessels? Do you also create those, or how do you prefer to brew your tea?

Thank You for your feedback Bok!

I brew in hobin ( or is it lazy gaiwan? ) and grandpa style mostly.

I do make teapots, so when I make a new batch I will update the gallery.

[Midwinter_Sun]

Your stuff is incredible and the safety aspect will definitely appeal to a lot of us, especially after the lead glaze discussion we've been having!

That is so nice of You to say Jay!

Most of the items get reserved early on, but I will consider it, also very interested in trying to do a trade for tea. Something about trading a cup for a cake of tea is very appealing to me.

[jayinhk]

I think many of us would be happy to take you up on that kind of trade!