Ode to the Kyusu

[Bok]

The other thing to look at, is the way you pour to avoid clogging in the first place. Victorias tip of slight sideways tilt before pouring is a very good technique to minimise leaf accumulation ariund the filter.

[Baisao]

Does anyone have any tips for cleaning leaves/leaf sediment from under a ball type filter in a flat kyusu?


The space between the bottom of the filter and the bottom kyusu is very small, and a single leaf or a bit of leaf sediment gets stuck. Simply swishing water around the kyusu doesn't dislodge it and a wooden toothpick is too thick to fit in the area.

I recently bought a used hobin as a gift for a friend and needed to clean it. Though it didn’t have a ball filter, it had a prominent lip that the lid sat on and the body was angled in such a way that a tooth pick could not be inserted into the inside angle.

The hobin actually looked pretty clean and I am glad I cleaned it before giving it to my friend because it turned out to have a lot of debris in that crevice.

I soaked and rinsed it repeatedly until the water was clear in a mixture of sodium percarbonate. That was three nights in a row.

Repeated soakings in hydrogen peroxide might work also but I keep sodium percarbonate on hand for cleaning stained cups, resetting old teapots, and a hundred other things.

[S_B]

Posting this Fugetsu pot that came in just a few days back. I was very attracted to the bulgy variation and slight color twists and folds of this pot. It is gorgeous to look at, and makes a great cup of Sencha!

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I am not the best at photography, but I tried to capture the folds and slight color variation between the twists here

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Everything about this pot sings to me. It is such a simple pleasure to make tea with.

[Bok]

Can never go wrong with these guys! Nice

[pedant]

nice pot. fugetsu makes good stuff.

[hopeofdawn]

Regarding cleaning filters--I've often found that when I'm dealing with fine leftover particles, a reverse rinse (putting the spout opening of the pot underneath a fast running faucet and letting the water flow back into the pot) often helps clear things out as well.

[twno1]

Regarding cleaning filters--I've often found that when I'm dealing with fine leftover particles, a reverse rinse (putting the spout opening of the pot underneath a fast running faucet and letting the water flow back into the pot) often helps clear things out as well.

I've thought about that but my tap water at home is really, really hard and I'm worried about mineral deposits getting stuck onto my kyusu...

I forgot to mention also try using a toothbrush to dislodge leaf particles. I can’t see any risk if a few particles remain into your next session as long as it’s the same tea. Although, if you are in Taiwan, it has higher humidity than California, so be careful not to leave too many bits in there. After I remove leaves from a kyusu, I soak it in off boiling water for several minutes to dislodge waxy compounds (fatty acids, lipids) and remaining particles. After that I’ll let it dry completely before putting lid back on, or use it directly for another session.

I ended up ordering some "super thin" toothpicks from Kyoto (which are advertised to be half the width of regular wooden toothpicks) so I'm gonna give those a try. In the meantime, I found that soaking the kyusu in boiling water for ~5 minutes or so does a pretty decent job of softening whatever leaf sediment is stuck to the point where it can swished out. I also noticed the waxy compounds floating up, so thanks for the advice!

I recently bought a used hobin as a gift for a friend and needed to clean it. Though it didn’t have a ball filter, it had a prominent lip that the lid sat on and the body was angled in such a way that a tooth pick could not be inserted into the inside angle.

The hobin actually looked pretty clean and I am glad I cleaned it before giving it to my friend because it turned out to have a lot of debris in that crevice.

I soaked and rinsed it repeatedly until the water was clear in a mixture of sodium percarbonate. That was three nights in a row.

Repeated soakings in hydrogen peroxide might work also but I keep sodium percarbonate on hand for cleaning stained cups, resetting old teapots, and a hundred other things.

I've never heard of sodium percarbonate and don't think I have any on me. Is there any reason you chose this compound over something like baking soda or just hydrogen peroxide? This would be too complicated to do after every brew, but I noticed that my porcelain kyusu for hojicha is collecting a brown stain on the rim so I might try this out for that...

[Baisao]

@twno1 - I chose it not to use every time I finish making a pot of tea but for resetting pots and cleaning porcelain. I get it on Amazon for pretty cheap. When added to water it breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and soda ash. It has a bubbling action that also aids in removing stains and stuck on grime. It doesn’t alter pots in any way but is an exceptional cleaner.

I add it to laundry, clean carpet spots, cleaned out the dishwasher pipes with it. It’s simply an amazing cleaner that’s gentle and has low/no toxicity after rinsing with water.

[twno1]

twno1 - I chose it not to use every time I finish making a pot of tea but for resetting pots and cleaning porcelain. I get it on Amazon for pretty cheap. When added to water it breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and soda ash. It has a bubbling action that also aids in removing stains and stuck on grime. It doesn’t alter pots in any way but is an exceptional cleaner.

I add it to laundry, clean carpet spots, cleaned out the dishwasher pipes with it. It’s simply an amazing cleaner that’s gentle and has low/no toxicity after rinsing with water.

Interesting, I'll definitely have to give it a try. Can you suggest any water:percarbonate ratios? Thanks!

[Victoria]

twno1 - I chose it not to use every time I finish making a pot of tea but for resetting pots and cleaning porcelain. I get it on Amazon for pretty cheap. When added to water it breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and soda ash. It has a bubbling action that also aids in removing stains and stuck on grime. It doesn’t alter pots in any way but is an exceptional cleaner.

I add it to laundry, clean carpet spots, cleaned out the dishwasher pipes with it. It’s simply an amazing cleaner that’s gentle and has low/no toxicity after rinsing with water.

Interesting, I'll definitely have to give it a try. Can you suggest any water:percarbonate ratios? Thanks!

@twno1 since I think the issue you posted about is for a relatively new kyusu and leaves getting stuck in the filter, you really don’t need to use any product other than hot water, fine bottle cleaning brushes, toothpicks, or a toothbrush. Sodium percarbonate is good for really bad stains and mold.

[twno1]

twno1 since I think the issue you posted about is for a relatively new kyusu and leaves getting stuck in the filter, you really don’t need to use any product other than hot water, fine bottle cleaning brushes, toothpicks, or a toothbrush. Sodium percarbonate is good for really bad stains and mold.

Yea, for that kyusu I will be sticking to boiling water and toothpicks, but I also have a porcelain kyusu that I use for hojicha. I've only brewed about 60g of hojicha in it (over the course of 2 weeks) and the top of the kyusu where the lid rests has already been stained brown. It seems that the place where the lid rests is unglazed and slightly rough, so for some reason it took on color.

[Victoria]

twno1 since I think the issue you posted about is for a relatively new kyusu and leaves getting stuck in the filter, you really don’t need to use any product other than hot water, fine bottle cleaning brushes, toothpicks, or a toothbrush. Sodium percarbonate is good for really bad stains and mold.

Yea, for that kyusu I will be sticking to boiling water and toothpicks, but I also have a porcelain kyusu that I use for hojicha. I've only brewed about 60g of hojicha in it (over the course of 2 weeks) and the top of the kyusu where the lid rests has already been stained brown. It seems that the place where the lid rests is unglazed and slightly rough, so for some reason it took on color.

For that baking soda works wonders, just rub baking soda with your fingers, a soft cloth, or toothbrush. Baking soda is much cheaper than sodium percarbonate. After using baking soda I splash a little white vinegar to remove any residual soda and to balance ph. Sodium percarbonate is a wonder product, it’s just expensive relative to baking soda, I reserve it for really bad stains and mold described in this instructional. How much to use depends on stain and size of area, a teaspoon for small area, a tablespoon for inside of kyusu with boiling water.

[debunix]

For that baking soda works wonders, just rub baking soda with your fingers, a soft cloth, or toothbrush.

Just looked it up to verify: sodium carbonate is also called “washing soda”, to distinguish it from sodium bicarbonate or “baking soda”. I’ve never bought or used washing soda, but I now using far more baking soda for washing than for baking!

And: with gooseneck kettles, filling the pot backwards through the spout to back flush the filter can be done every few infusions, or even every infusion. It speeds the pour when the filter is not as clogged between pours, and is fun to watch with the lid off.

[Bok]

Baking soda is much cheaper than sodium percarbonate.

Is that the case in the US? In Taiwan it is difficult to find, usually only for order in large quantities, but still very cheap!

[Baisao]

Baking soda is much cheaper than sodium percarbonate.

Is that the case in the US? In Taiwan it is difficult to find, usually only for order in large quantities, but still very cheap!

It’s definitely the case. We do more baking than cleaning here.

I think the fizzy chemical reaction makes people think more is happening than actually is.

My take is that baking soda can’t hurt, but it usually doesn’t work either.

Of course, your miles may vary.