Hojo Tea

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LeoFox
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:07 am

With help from OCTO, there has been response! Thank you again, OCTO!

I am interested in using kobiwako for green oolong and sencha, but Hojo insists that Kobiwako is not good for green oolong and that i should use Akitsu Mumyoi or Nosaka clay instead.
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OCTO
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:00 am

My pleasure @LeoFox. Looking forward to your postings with your new pots.... 😂🤣
faj
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 7:07 am

LeoFox wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 6:07 am
I am interested in using kobiwako for green oolong and sencha, but Hojo insists that Kobiwako is not good for green oolong and that i should use Akitsu Mumyoi or Nosaka clay instead.
Obviously, this is a matter of preference, and many members on the forums have had great success with Kobiwako teapots for sencha, but I will share my experience.

The first two teapots I purchased from Hojo were a Kobiwako hohin, and an Akitsu Mumyoi carbonized reduction fired hohin (the dark blue ones). I have had them for quite a while now, and I can say the Akitsu is the teapot I use the most (every day, often more than once), while the Kobiwako I do not use much. I am an aromatics kind of guy, and the Akitsu teapot seems like it does not mute aromas. It does not have the "sweetening" effect Kobiwako has that I often find to be too strong for me. But the Akitsu also seems to reduce bitterness somehow better than my other pots, and many times I feel it is more "transparent" than a gaiwan because it seems to put the spotlight on aromas by removing "distractions". Maybe to someone else that teapot would not work, but it suits me really, really well.

I have not used those two pots enough with oolongs to contrast them, but to me, Akitsu trumps Kobiwako for sencha by such a margin it is not funny. I will also say the couple of times I have used the Akitsu on Chinese greens, it has worked very well too, although my sampling there remains too small for me to generalize that statement.

Anecdotally, it so happens that I reached out to my Kobiwako hohin this morning and was sipping on a somewhat disappointing cup of asamushi as I read your post. This tea yields a subtle, peaceful, glowing drink from the Akitsu, but from the Kobiwako I got more bitterness and less of the deep, soft aromas I like. Same parameters, for a tea I have prepared dozens and dozens of time by now.

I have one Nosaka rough clay teapot, it is a more recent acquisition, and I have not used it much. It is very muting for now, would need more use before passing judgement.
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Bok
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:33 am

@faj thanks for this! Seems to me your Mumyoi is performing quite similar to what I’d expect from a good Zhuni.
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LeoFox
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:39 am

Bok wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:33 am
faj thanks for this! Seems to me your Mumyoi is performing quite similar to what I’d expect from a good Zhuni.
@Bok
Did you experience any bad muting of aromatics in your gaoshan with kobiwako? Also, are you still using kobiwako with gaoshan?
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Bok
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:52 am

LeoFox wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:39 am
Bok wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:33 am
faj thanks for this! Seems to me your Mumyoi is performing quite similar to what I’d expect from a good Zhuni.
Bok
Did you experience any bad muting of aromatics in your gaoshan with kobiwako? Also, are you still using kobiwako with gaoshan?
I don’t care about aromatics, I prefer body. And body Kobiwako gives me plenty. I still use it, taking turns with Duanni
faj
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:54 am

Bok wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:33 am
faj thanks for this! Seems to me your Mumyoi is performing quite similar to what I’d expect from a good Zhuni.
If I knew how a good Zhuni teapot performs, I would gladly share my comparison of the two... :lol:
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Bok
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:55 am

faj wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:54 am
Bok wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:33 am
faj thanks for this! Seems to me your Mumyoi is performing quite similar to what I’d expect from a good Zhuni.
If I knew how a good Zhuni teapot performs, I would gladly share my comparison of the two... :lol:
Maybe @OCTO can shed some light, if I’m not mistaken he tested both extensively :)
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LeoFox
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:58 am

@faj
Thank you for your detailed report! Initially, i wanted to get one shibo for japanese and one side handle for gaoshan, both kobiwako.

Your report makes me want to get one kobi and one mumyoi now
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Bok
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:01 am

LeoFox wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:58 am
faj
Thank you for your detailed report! Initially, i wanted to get one shibo for japanese and one side handle for gaoshan, both kobiwako.

Your report makes me want to get one kobi and one mumyoi now
It’s wiser to get variety first, before you nail down your preferences.
faj
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:08 am

Bok wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 8:52 am
I don’t care about aromatics, I prefer body. And body Kobiwako gives me plenty. I still use it, taking turns with Duanni
That makes sense.

Alignment of a teapot with your own preferences for a given tea is what counts in the end, and it is difficult to guess that from reading people's evaluation of their teaware. A teapot's effect on tea is multidimensional, and hard to express only in terms of aromatics and body, though these characteristics are not meaningless either. Actually trying a teapot ends up being the only real way to know.
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Bok
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:14 am

faj wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:08 am
Actually trying a teapot ends up being the only real way to know.
Exactly! No point lingering on other people’s accounts. Good as a rough starter, but it should not be more than a vague hint where to look.
faj
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:17 am

Bok wrote:
Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:01 am
It’s wiser to get variety first, before you nail down your preferences.
I would second that. When you are inexperienced like I am, being able to contrast what different clay types have as an impact is useful. You learn something about the pots, and about yourself as a drinker.
faj
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:24 am

I quickly went through the notes I have of sessions with my Kobiwako pot. Overall it was more positive that I expected (I probably quickly stop using it for teas that it clashes with), and I noticed an obvious trend : it fared better with Taiwanese oolongs, as well as a few senchas from Hojo that were more floral as a result of being processed in a way that makes them a tad similar to Taiwanese oolongs in a certain way (he seems to like those). I have a couple of "head-to-head" sessions I did with the Akitsu or a gaiwan as an "opponent" where Kobiwako came ahead. I remember a session where the first couple of infusions were slightly better in Kobiwako, but as the tea lost strength the Akitsu yielded better, more delicate results.
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LeoFox
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Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:39 am

@faj
Have you ever had any trouble with burning your fingers on the houhin?

Also, did you get any clash with using gaoshan and sencha in the same pot?


In general, i prefer flavor and mouthfeel over aromatics for most tea except for chinese green.
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