got these two pots - what to do before using them?

[inspectoring]

Hi - this is my first expensive / higher end tea pots.


http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/kikumaru.html

and

http://www.artisticnippon.com/product/t ... kanna.html.

I just had a couple of questions regarding what to do and how to use them.
1. How do I go about seasoning it?
2. I am planning on expanding my oolong/pu-erh tea experience as well as continue with some of my gyokuro/senchas. With that in mind - would I be affecting the tea pot and the taste of the teas if I were to switch back and forth using my gyokko for gyokuro teas to oolong/pu-erh ?
3 Is it best to assign one pot to one kind of tea and keep it that way to ensure that the pot will produce the best tasting tea?
4. Is there any appreciable difference in taste when I brew white/green (chinese) teas in yixing pots vs tokoname pots?
Thanks.

[olivierco]

Congratulations for your new teaware!

1. Rinsing them with hot water until there isn't any taste.
2. I wouldn't use the same pot for Puerh, Oolongs and Gyokuro.
3. Assigning one pot to one kind of tea (unless the pot is made of porcelain) is a good idea. You won't necessarily get a better taste but you will definitively avoid adding some puerh taste to your light oolong or green tea.
4. I brew all my green teas in porcelain or tokoname so I can't help you with this question.

[britt]

1. How do I go about seasoning it?
2. I am planning on expanding my oolong/pu-erh tea experience as well as continue with some of my gyokuro/senchas. With that in mind - would I be affecting the tea pot and the taste of the teas if I were to switch back and forth using my gyokko for gyokuro teas to oolong/pu-erh ?

Congratulations on your new pots!

I never season Japanese pots and I don't boil them before the first use like I do with all Yixings. I just rinse and brew.

I would not brew Japanese tea in an Yixing, but many people use Japanese kyusu for Chinese tea apparently with good results.

I would not brew Chinese and Japanese tea in the same kyusu on a regular basis unless it is made of porcelain.

3 Is it best to assign one pot to one kind of tea and keep it that way to ensure that the pot will produce the best tasting tea?

In general, I believe this is the best way and I do this myself. However, I don't think there's any permanent harm experimenting to find out which tea suits which pot. When doing this, I would try the lighter teas like greens, whites, and high mountains first followed by the darker ones. The light teas easily pick up tastes from other things.

4. Is there any appreciable difference in taste when I brew white/green (chinese) teas in yixing pots vs tokoname pots?Thanks.

I have had great difficulty finding suitable Yixings with which to brew greens, whites, and high mountains with good results. A suitable Yixing for these teas should be thin, light, somewhat compressed, and possibly raised in the air on three feet. These all aid quick cooling and heat release, which are desireable for achieving the best results with the lighter Chinese teas. You may actually be better off brewing them in a thin, light kyusu as most Japanese kyusu are designed for green tea. Many Yixings are designed for darker teas.

After switching vendors I actually acquired two different Yixings that are suitable for white tea, green tea, and high mountain oolongs. To me it was worth the cost and effort, but to many it wouldn't be. Da Yu Ling, a high mountain oolong grown at very high elevations in Taiwan, is my ultimate test of whether an Yixing is suitable for brewing lighter teas. I've found if it brews this one well, it will also do a good job with greens, whites, and lower elevation high mountains.