Using Tokoname shudei for both Japanese green and Taiwanese oolong
I know that brewing extremely different teas like Japanese green and Japanese hojicha in the same unglazed teapot is a bad idea, but would it be "OK" to use the same unglazed teapot for both Japanese green and (unroasted) Taiwanese oolong? I really like my tokoname shudei teapot for the functionality and ergonomics, but I wouldn't want to "ruin" my future Japanese green brewings...
Hi there, I do this frequently with a few shudei kyusu, mostly ones by Yamada kiln family. I’ve posted about this a few times and I think a few other members have as well, so you might try search function on the forum. Mostly I’ll use a shudei clay kyusu with sencha and then may switch to Taiwan high mountain oolong that is low roasted.
hojicha is pretty roasty and can impart a smell after many uses. tw oolong is milder. i think tw oolong is ok to use.
regardless, tea buildup happens eventually with ANY kind of tea. you can always clean (reset) a pot if you don't like where it's at.
regardless, tea buildup happens eventually with ANY kind of tea. you can always clean (reset) a pot if you don't like where it's at.
Under all of this, there seems to me to be a basic consideration where two things can independently be true or false :
- Residues in the teapot are wanted for their effect on future brewing , and residues from one type of tea improve similar teas but can be a nuisance for other types
- The clay itself does something to the tea (independently from shape/size/thickness/thermal properties)
Last edited by faj on Fri Dec 25, 2020 8:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
I would have thought as much...
As for me, not having as much history with tea, I am inclined to think B is true, but as for A I have insufficient personal experience. Up until now I have been curious to try various teas in various pots, and my bar for resetting the pots is quite low in terms of how much accumulated residue I tolerate. I guess I would have to dedicate a pot and accept more residue to see what happens.
I am also ABfaj wrote: ↑Fri Dec 25, 2020 8:18 amI would have thought as much...
As for me, not having as much history with tea, I am inclined to think B is true, but as for A I have insufficient personal experience. Up until now I have been curious to try various teas in various pots, and my bar for resetting the pots is quite low in terms of how much accumulated residue I tolerate. I guess I would have to dedicate a pot and accept more residue to see what happens.
I feel that akitsu mumyoi carbonized reduction is only improving with more use with sencha. At first, it was really quite muting in terms of body, but that effect keeps softening and now its starting to give back.
Taiwanese oolong and Japanese teas have a fine affinity that does not result in any lessening of my enjoyment if a hint of one crosses over into a cuppa of the other. I often add a bit of cool water to a fresh very hot cup to bring it to drinkable temp if I am thirsty and need to drink it rapidly, and sometimes I add a bit of an overnight 'green' oolong to a last intense sencha, and vice versa at the end of the day, and the result is usually delicious. So they complement each other a bit in the pot and in the cup.
I would not do this with an earthy shu or aggressive sheng or deeply roasted oolong, however.
I would not do this with an earthy shu or aggressive sheng or deeply roasted oolong, however.