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I recently had some success aggressively seasoning a couple of pots (internally and externally) with the following method, and thought it might be of interest. Full write-up/pics are on my blog but the process was as follows:

• Boil 10g of tea in a pot of water and strain out the leaf.

• Continue simmering the tea.

• Submerge the pot fully, holding it under until it’s hot.

• Pull it out and pour/shake off the excess liquid, allowing it to fully evaporate.

• Repeat 3-4 until the tea is reduced to a thick (but still pourable) syrup. You will need to ladle the liquid over the pot to get complete coverage as the tea reduces.

• Grab a 100% cotton cloth and dip it in the tea syrup a couple of times.

• Hit the pot and cloth with a hair-drier to remove all moisture and (perhaps) “set” the tea.

• Rub the completely-dry pot with the cloth over its entire surface.

• Rinse the pot with boiling water to remove transient stains and allow to evaporate.

• Buff the heck out of the completely-dry pot with the cloth.

Why bother? These pots come from a reputable vendor (Chawangshop) but the three I'm aware of in circulation have all caused a distinct sour note in any sheng they brewed. Regular use reduced the sourness somewhat, but it still made the tea worse. Now, the effect is gone and the pots are noticeably benefiting the middle-aged shengs I've been brewing in them.

Does anyone else have a similar story of pots that harmed the tea until extensively seasoned? Given that I rinse the leaf out of my pots after every brew, I can't see how they'd have reached this level of interior seasoning naturally.

The results look good! I have this pot, too, so there’s a fourth. I haven’t noticed the sourness you described, but I’ve been using the pot for Liu Bao, Liu An, and occasional shou Pu Erh, so the tea may be overpowering it. (Hopefully it’s that and not my palate being oblivious! )

I wonder if there's something wrong with your pot. Have you noticed the taste when brewing in porcelain?

mudandleaves wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 18, 2018 1:28 pm

I wonder if there's something wrong with your pot. Have you noticed the taste when brewing in porcelain?

This story about this batch of zinis has been running around. Heard it from at least 4 ppl. Probably issues of very bad storage of the pots.
But thanks @Atlas ! Some of my pots can certainly benefit from seasoning (even though they don’t impart/change any flavor) and this sounds like a nice thing to try.

mudandleaves wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 18, 2018 1:28 pm

I wonder if there's something wrong with your pot. Have you noticed the taste when brewing in porcelain?

Nothing amiss in glazeware - def related to the pot. Whether it's adding sourness or taking away good stuff I can't be sure, but I suspect the latter.

ShuShu wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:29 pm

This story about this batch of zinis has been running around. Heard it from at least 4 ppl. Probably issues of very bad storage of the pots.
But thanks @Atlas ! Some of my pots can certainly benefit from seasoning (even though they don’t impart/change any flavor) and this sounds like a nice thing to try.

Oh snap, I hadn't heard this (besides the two friends I have who also bought these pots and had similar issues. Got any links? It's a wonder CWS is still selling them with such a widespread issue.

I think Honza told one of my friends it would go away with seasoning... technically correct, it seems, but I can't imagine how much bad tea you'd have to suffer through to get there naturally.

I can't see how storage would be the cause; you'd think that if seasoning would fix that, boiling in tea for an hour would, too, but it didn't in our cases. I wonder if the clay's just super-adsorbent and needs a shitload of seasoning to stop it sucking desirable compounds out of the tea or something...

Atlas wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 19, 2018 2:25 am

Oh snap, I hadn't heard this (besides the two friends I have who also bought these pots and had similar issues. Got any links? It's a wonder CWS is still selling them with such a widespread issue.

I think Honza told one of my friends it would go away with seasoning... technically correct, it seems, but I can't imagine how much bad tea you'd have to suffer through to get there naturally.

I can't see how storage would be the cause; you'd think that if seasoning would fix that, boiling in tea for an hour would, too, but it didn't in our cases. I wonder if the clay's just super-adsorbent and needs a shitload of seasoning to stop it sucking desirable compounds out of the tea or something...

Actually I can see how something like 10 yrs in a humid stinky environment can do such a thing to unglazed porous teaware...I think Victoria had a similar issue with a 60s pot that took months ( if not years) of use to resolve.
But maybe you are right. After all seasoning simply covers in some sense the surface of the pot....
And indeed if Honza is really aware of these he should at least mention it very clearly

i tried something similar but wasn't getting results i liked. it looked uneven and also unnatural. i'll have to carefully read your writeup when i have more time.
thanks

ShuShu wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 19, 2018 5:30 am

Atlas wrote: ↑

Sun Aug 19, 2018 2:25 am

Oh snap, I hadn't heard this (besides the two friends I have who also bought these pots and had similar issues. Got any links? It's a wonder CWS is still selling them with such a widespread issue.

I think Honza told one of my friends it would go away with seasoning... technically correct, it seems, but I can't imagine how much bad tea you'd have to suffer through to get there naturally.

I can't see how storage would be the cause; you'd think that if seasoning would fix that, boiling in tea for an hour would, too, but it didn't in our cases. I wonder if the clay's just super-adsorbent and needs a shitload of seasoning to stop it sucking desirable compounds out of the tea or something...

Actually I can see how something like 10 yrs in a humid stinky environment can do such a thing to unglazed porous teaware...I think Victoria had a similar issue with a 60s pot that took months ( if not years) of use to resolve.
But maybe you are right. After all seasoning simply covers in some sense the surface of the pot....
And indeed if Honza is really aware of these he should at least mention it very clearly

Yes, I had a few yixing pots that had been poorly stored for decades so came up with a resetting strategy that works, but it is not fast, patience was needed. The smell of clay and something else made me think it had been in a stuffy humid location with no air. Letting water sit in the pot overnight tasted off, slightly metallic and like clay. Atlas, if your pot was badly stored simply giving it an extended tea bath it seems will only cover up the problem, not really eliminate it. I’d have to see ‘le pot’ though. Here is my step by step process.

Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics/ Yixing from Storage, Discoloration, Staining & Mold
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=612&p=7282#p7282

Most of your post seems to focus on seasoning the outside of the pot but I would think that the interior would much more strongly impact the taste of the brew?

Shine Magical wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:42 pm

Most of your post seems to focus on seasoning the outside of the pot but I would think that the interior would much more strongly impact the taste of the brew?

Mine?

That's because there's really little I can think to do to the inside but try and deposit and fix a decent layer of tea-"stuff" on the inside of the pot, and there's no way to judge the level of interior seasoning besides by brewing tea.

That said, after speaking to a friend, there's a strong argument to be made that seasoning occurs throughout the ceramic substrate rather than just on the surfaces of the pot, so it's possible that this process is wholly insufficient or will fail to yield long-lasting changes.

Atlas wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 10:11 pm

Shine Magical wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 6:42 pm

Most of your post seems to focus on seasoning the outside of the pot but I would think that the interior would much more strongly impact the taste of the brew?

Mine?

That's because there's really little I can think to do to the inside but try and deposit and fix a decent layer of tea-"stuff" on the inside of the pot, and there's no way to judge the level of interior seasoning besides by brewing tea.

That said, after speaking to a friend, there's a strong argument to be made that seasoning occurs throughout the ceramic substrate rather than just on the surfaces of the pot, so it's possible that this process is wholly insufficient or will fail to yield long-lasting changes.

I’m going to try pouring the tea sap into the pot and buffing the inside too

Shine Magical wrote: ↑

Mon Aug 20, 2018 10:47 pm

I’m going to try pouring the tea sap into the pot and buffing the inside too

Tea sap as in reduced tea liquor? I'm assuming you're joking about the buffing...

I would reconsider how reputable Chawangshop is as a vendor since they persist in selling this problematic lot of teapots.

On another note, after well over a decade seasoning my teapots I now regret allowing them to become so heavily seasoned. Some of us pay a lot of money for fine pots made from exceptional clays. Clogging the pores of the clay with fatty acids attenuates the character of the clay to a degree that we might just as well be using mediocre clay (and pocketing the difference). I just need the nerve to reset them. They are beautiful even if they would make better tea after being cleaned.

If your pot makes poor tasting tea, you are better off with another pot or switching to a gaiwan. I see no reason to persist in using a bad pot.

Cheers!

Baisao wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 21, 2018 9:36 pm

If your pot makes poor tasting tea, you are better off with another pot or switching to a gaiwan. I see no reason to persist in using a bad pot.

I agree, some pots are just better being discarded. I got some pots I really liked visually, they just did not fit anything I brew, so I let them go...

Baisao wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 21, 2018 9:36 pm

I would reconsider how reputable Chawangshop is as a vendor since they persist in selling this problematic lot of teapots.

I also always keep scratching my head, when I see them posting using those lead-infested vintage cups... brown or red over-glazed, those are heavily leaching lead, I got some myself and tested them with a 3M kit. No good.