Yixing

DailyTX
Posts: 882
Joined: Wed Jul 03, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: United States

Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:33 pm

enjoi wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 3:52 am
DailyTX wrote:
Tue Oct 05, 2021 4:51 pm

Shui ping is a style of pots I have least exposure, so I couldn’t help with authenticity, but I do like the texture and color of the hongni. Your pot looks familiar :o . I am curious if it’s about 70 ml, from a US vendor, and the spout is slightly slanted towards the left side?

I misread your post. It’s probably not the same pot, since yours is 60 ml, and you are in Australia :lol:
Thanks for your feedback! Its slightly bigger than 60ml - i measure 65ml. I fill it to the rim, place the lid on and than fill in a measure-cup. Yes the spout is slightly to the left side. I do not got it from the US (from Taiwan). PS: I am from Europe - Austria.
@enjoi
My apology on the wrong location 😑
I hope you enjoy the pot, and share more on teas you like to pair.
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mbanu
Posts: 962
Joined: Fri May 03, 2019 3:45 pm

Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:33 pm

GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:12 pm
How cool do you let your clay pots get between steeps? I recently got a lovely 150 ml Zhuni-Hongni blend teapot from Bok, which I used for the first time a few days ago. The tea was great and I managed not to crack the pot, but in an effort to keep it warm, I ended up drinking more than 1.5 litres of tea in a couple hours and feeling not so great afterwards. My gongfu sessions typically last between three and four hours and use 5-6 g in a 120 ml vessel instead of the 7 g I used for this pot. I know, I'm a baby. :lol:

Would letting the pot cool down to room temperature be a bad move? I don't like the idea of combining steeps, but might have to do that if it's the only way I can get some use out of this pot.

Also, sorry if this is the wrong place for this question.
Instead of doing the gongfu style with a tea-tray, I find that using a tea-boat (of the old "this is actually a bowl" variety that doesn't raise the pot out of the water) is good for reheating a cold pot, as it gives it a kind of bath when you pour boiling water over the pot, rather than the water draining away.

However, if a single session is producing too much tea, that means your pot is too big. This can be a little deceptive because "party-size" gongfu pots are still quite small by British brewing standards. With the solution, "Well, invite people over!" maybe not possible, now a smaller pot becomes necessary. Single-person pots for non-heavy drinkers are actually small enough that people start to doubt whether they are meant for use or are just decorative, like tea-pets. :)

Just my opinion, of course.
GaoShan
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:06 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:48 pm

mbanu wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:33 pm
GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:12 pm
How cool do you let your clay pots get between steeps? I recently got a lovely 150 ml Zhuni-Hongni blend teapot from Bok, which I used for the first time a few days ago. The tea was great and I managed not to crack the pot, but in an effort to keep it warm, I ended up drinking more than 1.5 litres of tea in a couple hours and feeling not so great afterwards. My gongfu sessions typically last between three and four hours and use 5-6 g in a 120 ml vessel instead of the 7 g I used for this pot. I know, I'm a baby. :lol:

Would letting the pot cool down to room temperature be a bad move? I don't like the idea of combining steeps, but might have to do that if it's the only way I can get some use out of this pot.

Also, sorry if this is the wrong place for this question.
Instead of doing the gongfu style with a tea-tray, I find that using a tea-boat (of the old "this is actually a bowl" variety that doesn't raise the pot out of the water) is good for reheating a cold pot, as it gives it a kind of bath when you pour boiling water over the pot, rather than the water draining away.

However, if a single session is producing too much tea, that means your pot is too big. This can be a little deceptive because "party-size" gongfu pots are still quite small by British brewing standards. With the solution, "Well, invite people over!" maybe not possible, now a smaller pot becomes necessary. Single-person pots for non-heavy drinkers are actually small enough that people start to doubt whether they are meant for use or are just decorative, like tea-pets. :)

Just my opinion, of course.
I was worried the pot would be too big. I don't really have the budget to get a second, smaller clay pot, so will have to find a workaround for this one for now. Maybe I could use a bowl as a tea boat.
DailyTX
Posts: 882
Joined: Wed Jul 03, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: United States

Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:48 pm

GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:12 pm
How cool do you let your clay pots get between steeps? I recently got a lovely 150 ml Zhuni-Hongni blend teapot from Bok, which I used for the first time a few days ago. The tea was great and I managed not to crack the pot, but in an effort to keep it warm, I ended up drinking more than 1.5 litres of tea in a couple hours and feeling not so great afterwards. My gongfu sessions typically last between three and four hours and use 5-6 g in a 120 ml vessel instead of the 7 g I used for this pot. I know, I'm a baby. :lol:

Would letting the pot cool down to room temperature be a bad move? I don't like the idea of combining steeps, but might have to do that if it's the only way I can get some use out of this pot.

Also, sorry if this is the wrong place for this question.
@GaoShan
Maybe @Bokwould be the perfect person to ask since he owned the pot before. In general speaking, to prevent thermal shock to the pot, a few things to consider are temperature in your environment vs. brewing temperature. Thickness of your pot, age of your pot, and how often do you use your pot (moist level in the clay). I use mostly modern zhuni/hongni for oriental beauty and Yancha. After I warmed the pot initially, I would brew with boiling water throughout the whole day. My environment temperature is about 70-80f. I haven’t broke any pot yet. Once the temperature drops below 70f, I would be more mindful not to add boiling water so quickly.
GaoShan
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:06 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:07 pm

DailyTX wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:48 pm
GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:12 pm
How cool do you let your clay pots get between steeps? I recently got a lovely 150 ml Zhuni-Hongni blend teapot from Bok, which I used for the first time a few days ago. The tea was great and I managed not to crack the pot, but in an effort to keep it warm, I ended up drinking more than 1.5 litres of tea in a couple hours and feeling not so great afterwards. My gongfu sessions typically last between three and four hours and use 5-6 g in a 120 ml vessel instead of the 7 g I used for this pot. I know, I'm a baby. :lol:

Would letting the pot cool down to room temperature be a bad move? I don't like the idea of combining steeps, but might have to do that if it's the only way I can get some use out of this pot.

Also, sorry if this is the wrong place for this question.
GaoShan
Maybe Bokwould be the perfect person to ask since he owned the pot before. In general speaking, to prevent thermal shock to the pot, a few things to consider are temperature in your environment vs. brewing temperature. Thickness of your pot, age of your pot, and how often do you use your pot (moist level in the clay). I use mostly modern zhuni/hongni for oriental beauty and Yancha. After I warmed the pot initially, I would brew with boiling water throughout the whole day. My environment temperature is about 70-80f. I haven’t broke any pot yet. Once the temperature drops below 70f, I would be more mindful not to add boiling water so quickly.
Thanks for your reply. I've contacted Bok and hope he has some advice. My pot is from the 1990s and is relatively thin. I've only used it once, though I'd like to be able to use it several times a week. My place is around 15-20 degrees Celsius (65-70F?) for most of the year, though it can reach 30C in the summer and maybe 10C on very cold winter nights.
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LeoFox
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Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:52 pm

@GaoShan

are you paranoid because that other wood fired pot was leaking? Am curious how you are certain that you caused the leak, and not that it already had the crack? You said you saw it leak on your very first session, right?
GaoShan
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:06 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:28 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:52 pm
GaoShan

are you paranoid because that other wood fired pot was leaking? Am curious how you are certain that you caused the leak, and not that it already had the crack? You said you saw it leak on your very first session, right?
LOL, I'm absolutely paranoid because of that wood-fired pot. I'd hate to think that improper handling on my part, such as letting it get too cold between steeps, caused it to break. I don't want something similar to happen to a much better piece of teaware.

Having said that, do you let your nice clay pots cool down substantially during gongfu sessions?
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LeoFox
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Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:42 pm

GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:28 pm
LeoFox wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:52 pm
GaoShan

are you paranoid because that other wood fired pot was leaking? Am curious how you are certain that you caused the leak, and not that it already had the crack? You said you saw it leak on your very first session, right?
LOL, I'm absolutely paranoid because of that wood-fired pot. I'd hate to think that improper handling on my part, such as letting it get too cold between steeps, caused it to break. I don't want something similar to happen to a much better piece of teaware.

Having said that, do you let your nice clay pots cool down substantially during gongfu sessions?
Yes
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teanik
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:45 pm
Location: Canada West Coast

Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:46 pm

GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:12 pm
How cool do you let your clay pots get between steeps? I recently got a lovely 150 ml Zhuni-Hongni blend teapot from Bok, which I used for the first time a few days ago. The tea was great and I managed not to crack the pot, but in an effort to keep it warm, I ended up drinking more than 1.5 litres of tea in a couple hours and feeling not so great afterwards. My gongfu sessions typically last between three and four hours and use 5-6 g in a 120 ml vessel instead of the 7 g I used for this pot. I know, I'm a baby. :lol:
Would letting the pot cool down to room temperature be a bad move? I don't like the idea of combining steeps, but might have to do that if it's the only way I can get some use out of this pot.
To avoid drinking too much tea in a long session, is doing it non- gong fu an option? Less leaf and longer steeps still produce good tea, as far as I can tell. And a 150ml pot is a good size to do that with.
If I'm going to be a while between steeps I leave the lid open a crack and throw one of those micro fiber tea cloths over the pot (I use a bamboo tray--not a tea bowl). If I've left the pot long enough to get cool, I hold the pot (closed lid) over the waste water bowl and pour warm water from the kettle over the pot before steeping the tea again. Since I drink tea alone, I'm not much concerned about elegance.
Last edited by teanik on Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
GaoShan
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:06 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:50 pm

LeoFox wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:42 pm
GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:28 pm
LeoFox wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 5:52 pm
GaoShan

are you paranoid because that other wood fired pot was leaking? Am curious how you are certain that you caused the leak, and not that it already had the crack? You said you saw it leak on your very first session, right?
LOL, I'm absolutely paranoid because of that wood-fired pot. I'd hate to think that improper handling on my part, such as letting it get too cold between steeps, caused it to break. I don't want something similar to happen to a much better piece of teaware.

Having said that, do you let your nice clay pots cool down substantially during gongfu sessions?
Yes
That's reassuring. If your F1 pots can handle boiling water at room temperature, maybe my 1990s pot can take it as well. :)
GaoShan
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:06 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:59 pm

teanik wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:46 pm
GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 2:12 pm
How cool do you let your clay pots get between steeps? I recently got a lovely 150 ml Zhuni-Hongni blend teapot from Bok, which I used for the first time a few days ago. The tea was great and I managed not to crack the pot, but in an effort to keep it warm, I ended up drinking more than 1.5 litres of tea in a couple hours and feeling not so great afterwards. My gongfu sessions typically last between three and four hours and use 5-6 g in a 120 ml vessel instead of the 7 g I used for this pot. I know, I'm a baby. :lol:
Would letting the pot cool down to room temperature be a bad move? I don't like the idea of combining steeps, but might have to do that if it's the only way I can get some use out of this pot.
To avoid drinking too much tea in a long session, is not doing it gong fu an option? Less leaf and longer steeps still produce good tea, as far as I can tell. And a 150ml pot is a good size to do that with.
If I'm going to be a while between steeps I leave the lid open a crack and throw one of those micro fiber tea cloths over the pot (I use a bamboo tray--not a tea bowl). If I've left the pot long enough to get cool, I hold the pot (closed lid) over the waste water bowl and pour warm water from the kettle over the pot before steeping the tea again. Since I drink tea alone, I'm not much concerned about elegance.
I could definitely experiment with doing longer steeps with fewer leaves. That might solve the problem of having too much tea, though I wonder if it would detract from the nuances of the oolongs I'm drinking. At least it would make my packages of oolong last longer.

Pouring warm water over the teapot sounds like a good solution. For some reason, I thought water might get into the pot if I did this, but the lid fits quite well so it probably wouldn't happen.
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Bok
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Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:00 pm

@GaoShan I usually give the advice to be careful but for most pots I do none of these things to prevent cracking… this pot in particular I’ve always doused with hot water from the outside straight away, then inside. It’s not very delicate in my experience, other pots I have are really prone to cracking, that one is not.

A tea boat bowl with prolonged brewing is a terrible idea: a large surface of water will cool down very fast and then help to cool down the pot even faster- just like sweat does.

Best way is to use freshly brewed water each infusion. It won’t crack the pot after initial warming up, the clay is soaked with water to prevent that after initial dry warm up.

And relax! The previous pot was faulty and not destroyed by your own making!
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LeoFox
Posts: 1777
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Location: Washington DC

Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:02 pm

@GaoShan
Try this:
6 g in 150 mL:
No rinse
1 min 10s, 1 min 15s, 1 min 40s, 2 min etc
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teanik
Posts: 43
Joined: Sat Jun 26, 2021 5:45 pm
Location: Canada West Coast

Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:14 pm

GaoShan wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 6:59 pm
I wonder if it would detract from the nuances of the oolongs I'm drinking. At least it would make my packages of oolong last longer.
I find it brings out different nuances. I read about it on a tea blog once. As I mentioned, I use a tea tray. Not a tea bowl.
GaoShan
Posts: 322
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:06 am
Location: Toronto, Canada

Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:22 pm

Bok wrote:
Wed Oct 06, 2021 7:00 pm
GaoShan I usually give the advice to be careful but for most pots I do none of these things to prevent cracking… this pot in particular I’ve always doused with hot water from the outside straight away, then inside. It’s not very delicate in my experience, other pots I have are really prone to cracking, that one is not.

A tea boat bowl with prolonged brewing is a terrible idea: a large surface of water will cool down very fast and then help to cool down the pot even faster- just like sweat does.

Best way is to use freshly brewed water each infusion. It won’t crack the pot after initial warming up, the clay is soaked with water to prevent that after initial dry warm up.

And relax! The previous pot was faulty and not destroyed by your own making!
I'm glad to hear this is not a delicate teapot! I'll make sure to pour hot (but not boiling?) water over the outside of the pot as well as warming it up inside. Not having to worry about the pot cooling down during the session is a relief. I've been steeping two infusions at a time in my 120 ml porcelain teapot, but with the larger size, I might make one steep at a time with this pot.

I'm mostly convinced that I'm not responsible for the wood-fired pot spontaneously self-destructing, but still want to be extra careful.
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