How do you heat your tetsubin

[Oni]

I have read the description of the japanese tetsubin from hojotea, it is very detailed, and they said that there are 2 good ways to heat the tetsubin, one is charcoal, the other is electric burner (NOT induction, but classic heating element), gas causes the iron to rust and can damage it, and no alcool burner too.
If you own a tetsubin show me how do you heat it, and how does it change the taste of the water, and why does hojo say that water boiled in tetsubin is not good for raw puerh and oolong and red tea?

[TIM]

...and why does hojo say that water boiled in tetsubin is not good for raw puerh and oolong and red tea?

A good tea friend's set-up.

Maybe hojo is a Japanese tea seller? So all Chinese tea is not right?? Case iron kettle (tetsubin or Southern Pot) was made in China first... then later, Japan caught up the techniques. And its great for puerh and oolong.

[JoeCha]

I use a small piece of 20 gauge (about 1mm thick) sheet steal over my gas range. It blocks the flame and distributes the heat a little bit.

I've yet to boil water with any other heat source so I can't comment on the taste difference (if there is one).

Cost me about $25US.

I then transfer it to my tea table and use a 5 candle iron tea warmer. Keeps my water at about 90-95 degrees Celsius...

I ONLY use iron for pu erhs (both shu and aged sheng) and oolongs.

--J

[hpulley]

I use an old electric type single-burner hot-plate inside. Outside I can use charcoal but I don't do so often. I'd like to get a "fake charcoal" 3-arm stand electric one for indoors but they cost $225 which I just can't justify to replace my ugly but functional $15 hot plate. $210 buys a lot of good tea...

Induction with cast iron is bad not just for the pot but for the stove as well. You shouldn't use any cast iron frying pans or anything like that on an induction stove.

I only make Japanese green tea so I don't know about other kinds, sorry.

[MarshalN]

I use both an electric heating plate and an alcohol burner. I don't see what's wrong with an alcohol burner.

As for taste -- I think it has improved the taste of my tea. I know some people who don't like it, but I think it's a matter of preference.

[JoeCha]

I just want to clarify my "taste" comment. I beleive whole heartedly that boiling water in iron improves the taste of my tea.

I just don't know if boiling the water (in a tetsubin) over charcoal, gas, electric, or whatever changes the taste.

I didn't make that clear before. .

--J

[gingkoseto]

I don't know why, and I just use a stainless steel kettle.

But some literature (and anecdotes) indicates that the most popular water heating vessel in recent history in China is pewter. I wonder if it's because cast iron doesn't perfectly match Chinese tea. But till recent history, the "mainstream" of tea drinking in China was still green tea. So those records don't explain why water heated in iron is not good for puerh, red or oolong. I would image these three are by far not as picky on water as green tea.

[MarshalN]

Pewter is no longer used much these days to hold liquid, mostly because of lead content -- pewter has some amount of lead in it and that isn't such a good idea.

I have never read anything that says iron is bad for tea. In fact, if you look through older texts, iron is frequently mentioned as one of the things that you can make a decent kettle out of.

[gingkoseto]

Pewter is no longer used much these days to hold liquid, mostly because of lead content -- pewter has some amount of lead in it and that isn't such a good idea.

I have never read anything that says iron is bad for tea. In fact, if you look through older texts, iron is frequently mentioned as one of the things that you can make a decent kettle out of.

In older texts, iron is listed as a "usable" rather than preferred material for tea. Some people even expressed dislike of iron. In the article "record of tea" by Zhang Yuan in Ming dynasty, it was mentioned that the author didn't recommend brass or iron as good material for teacup. In a tea book written by a Song dynasty emperor, Zhao Ji, it was mentioned that for the tea grinding mortar, cast iron is not preferred because it ruins color of the tea. The Song dynasty poet, Su Dongpo once wrote it in a popular poem that "brass and iron add bad flavor to water, and therefore are not good for heating water".

But I believe tetsubin is popular in Japan for good reason. One possibility is iron is more compatible to Japanese tea. Another possibility is recent cast iron technique is much better than ancient time, and ensures the vessel doesn't add bad flavor to water.

[hpulley]

Using charcoal to heat it does affect the taste if you are near the brazier. In the tea ceremony they often add incense to it as well. Food may be served too. With all the burning charcoal, incense and food smells in the air your tea will almost undoubtedly be experienced differently. Same goes for outdoors, the only safe place to use charcoal, depending on the trees and flowers in bloom at the time. Every tea ceremony will be unique because of all these and other factors. Ichi-go, ichi-e 一期、一会。

I find the real cast iron Japanese tetsubin changes, for the better, the taste of the water for Japanese matcha and sencha compared to using stainless steel or plastic boiling vessels. As I said above, I'm not sure about other teas or why this would be the case (or if it is anything other than in my mind).

[MarshalN]

Let's not read too much into what Song Huizong said about tea. This is a guy who had access to the best of the best of the best. Of course he's going to say iron is bad.

If anything, I think what Zhang Yuan said about tea might be the exact same thing as Hojo claims. The tea Zhang describes is "jadite green". I think for our purpose of thinking about teas other than green, Zhang's description may not apply at all.

This is just speculation. It is difficult to know exactly what they're talking about, and I am still in the process of investigating it.

[chingwa]

I use an induction plate with my tetsubin and I was recommended to do so by Mr. Hojo himself. I have not heard before that induction will damage the tetsubin (unless you are thinking of the fake lined pots...). Anyone care to enlighten me?

And more to the point. I have found a definite difference in the taste of the water with the tetsubin and the induction plate. someday I will try it over charcoal... someday someday...

[chamekke]

I use an induction plate with my tetsubin and I was recommended to do so by Mr. Hojo himself. I have not heard before that induction will damage the tetsubin (unless you are thinking of the fake lined pots...). Anyone care to enlighten me?

I second this request! There may be some good reason behind the idea that an induction plate and a tetsubin wouldn't "mix", but hard as I try, I can't imagine what it would be. This one requires some explanation.

[Oni]

Hojotea explains why and how does a tetsubin change the taste of the water, it is mainly because it is activated iron, and normal flame has too much carbon monixide, and alcool burner is wet flame, it can cause rust on the spot where it touches the tetsubin, so that kamjove qing dynastie style burner is not good.
I realized I cannot afford a silver kettle, so i decided I will get a tetsubin, preferably a good handmade clay mold and activated iron nanbu kettle, and I`ll use it for japanese greens and other green tea so I can have first hand experience with it, the second kettle I whish to purchase is a purion kettle with a stove, and I would use it for oolongs and puerhs, I read that those ceramic kettle make these types of tea taste better.

[MarshalN]

Since when does carbon monoxide change the taste of water? As far as I can tell, carbon monoxide burns up into carbon dioxide. I don't think any of it actually gets anywhere near your water, unless they somehow magically go through the iron, which is, well, impossible.

Having used the alcohol burner for more than a year, I can safely say that it is the least of your problems. Rust forms far faster on the inside of the tetsubin than the outside. There is a little deposit around the area where the flame is, but not anywhere near serious enough to make it a real issue.