Hello
I am an absolute beginner and am intending to buy a used cast iron, non enamel lined Japanese teapot/kettle. Will I be able to actually brew tea in this kettle/pot? By this I mean can I boil water from another source and then pour it into the tea in the cast iron pot/kettle? Or can I heat the kettle on my gas stove and then add tea to the kettle? Any advice most welcome.
Use of cast iron teapot/kettle
Cast iron kettles are meant for boiling water usually, not brewing tea.
At the limit it might work for boiling some teas, but for most teas it won’t work and render them too bitter and strong.
If I may, why would you want to use one of these for brewing tea?
At the limit it might work for boiling some teas, but for most teas it won’t work and render them too bitter and strong.
If I may, why would you want to use one of these for brewing tea?
Hi
Well, I saw it in an Eastern curio shop - full of old Eastern things. Among them was this beautiful, old, cast iron kettle - I assumed it was simply a tea pot but thought I'd investigate before I bought it. I've looked on a few tea sites and there seems to be conflicting advice. More then one said that making tea in a cast iron teapot would be beneficial because it would supply iron to one's diet! But maybe they meant that one simply boils the water in it. But then, iron in the water apart, what would be the benefit beside aesthetically of using it to simply boil water and not use an electric kettle? I take your point though about a strong, probably unwelcome, taste to the tea.
Well, I saw it in an Eastern curio shop - full of old Eastern things. Among them was this beautiful, old, cast iron kettle - I assumed it was simply a tea pot but thought I'd investigate before I bought it. I've looked on a few tea sites and there seems to be conflicting advice. More then one said that making tea in a cast iron teapot would be beneficial because it would supply iron to one's diet! But maybe they meant that one simply boils the water in it. But then, iron in the water apart, what would be the benefit beside aesthetically of using it to simply boil water and not use an electric kettle? I take your point though about a strong, probably unwelcome, taste to the tea.
i wouldn't brew tea in it.
you can use it as a kettle, though. some people like the rustic experience. some people also think that boiling water in it alters the flavor of the resulting tea (often in a good way depending on the original water and what kind of tea you're making). many people like these iron kettles. the japanese word for iron kettle is tetsubin, btw.
you can use it as a kettle, though. some people like the rustic experience. some people also think that boiling water in it alters the flavor of the resulting tea (often in a good way depending on the original water and what kind of tea you're making). many people like these iron kettles. the japanese word for iron kettle is tetsubin, btw.
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Ethan Kurland
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Welcome to TeaForum. If you use a cast iron pot for boiling water & as a teapot regularly, your wrist will get stronger. 
This maybe off subject regarding tetsubin. Anyone has seen or encountered a Japanese tetsubin with copper inner wall and iron outer wall? I was curious if those design was to boil tea or for the purpose of better heat transfer.
For me I find it visually more appealing than an electric kettle for one. It gets its own nice patina over time and cast iron can be quite beautiful to watch in interplay with steam and water.
The exercise part is not be neglected, excellent and funny point made by Ethan. But one needs to be careful to switch sides, one-sided exercise is never good for the body.
As to effect on water and tea – lots of discussions to be found all over the net in regards to that. Personally I do prefer it over clay kettles and electric, but it depends on your local water, the tea and the kettle itself (be also sure to check out a thread we have here for cleaning them before first use, which is recommended, unless it is a new item).
If you like it, go for it and it will be an excellent starting point to learn about it! At least, no matter if you like the result in the cup, you will always like how it looks.
@brendanxx: I use a tetsubin as a kettle because of the effect that it has on the water (and, in turn, the tea). I find that it improves the quality of the resulting tea quite noticeably, and moreso than the improvement that you might get from using different types of clay for your teapot. So the iron is not there just for your health, but also as something which affects the flavour.
But like @Bok says, different kettles may have different effects, plus the effect (and its desirability) may depend upon what water you use, the kind of tea that you drink, and what kind of brew you wish to achieve with that tea. It might improve the dark kinds of tea that I enjoy, but perhaps some might find it less suitable for lighter styles of tea. However, I enjoy using it for everything.
And as far as I understand (from an unscientific perspective), cast iron is porous, and I wonder whether that is why it is not recommended for brewing tea directly in the kettle.
They do look nice, of course, but my own view is that the principal reason why people would want to use them is that they make the water and the tea taste different (though whether 'different' equates to 'better' is a matter for you).
Apart from looking nice, they also tend to slow you down, which can be a good thing. Heating them us is not as sudden or violent as using an electric kettle, and you have time to think (or to have some time to avoid thinking), to prepare, and to listen as the water boils.
And you have probably seen this already, but there are both traditional cast iron kettles in the market, as well as versions which have enamel linings. The latter can be used as teapots if people wish (though whether they improve the tea would almost be another topic altogether, I suppose). They are quite different to the traditional kettle, and perhaps some websites omit that difference.
The world of tea can get complicated, and there are no strict rules, but only guidance that people can offer based on what works for them (and it can be problematic when people impose their own ideas, or, worse, what they've simply heard from others, as though they were indeed strict rules). But if the tetsubin in question is being offered for a fair price, then perhaps you can play around with it and see what you enjoy.
Andrew
But like @Bok says, different kettles may have different effects, plus the effect (and its desirability) may depend upon what water you use, the kind of tea that you drink, and what kind of brew you wish to achieve with that tea. It might improve the dark kinds of tea that I enjoy, but perhaps some might find it less suitable for lighter styles of tea. However, I enjoy using it for everything.
And as far as I understand (from an unscientific perspective), cast iron is porous, and I wonder whether that is why it is not recommended for brewing tea directly in the kettle.
They do look nice, of course, but my own view is that the principal reason why people would want to use them is that they make the water and the tea taste different (though whether 'different' equates to 'better' is a matter for you).
Apart from looking nice, they also tend to slow you down, which can be a good thing. Heating them us is not as sudden or violent as using an electric kettle, and you have time to think (or to have some time to avoid thinking), to prepare, and to listen as the water boils.
And you have probably seen this already, but there are both traditional cast iron kettles in the market, as well as versions which have enamel linings. The latter can be used as teapots if people wish (though whether they improve the tea would almost be another topic altogether, I suppose). They are quite different to the traditional kettle, and perhaps some websites omit that difference.
The world of tea can get complicated, and there are no strict rules, but only guidance that people can offer based on what works for them (and it can be problematic when people impose their own ideas, or, worse, what they've simply heard from others, as though they were indeed strict rules). But if the tetsubin in question is being offered for a fair price, then perhaps you can play around with it and see what you enjoy.
Andrew
I'm only vaguely familiar with copper outside and tin inside, which is almost the opposite of what you mentioned: eg, https://hojotea.com/item_e/tsuiki-doki.htm
I look forward to learning more if someone here does know about it, though.
Andrew
I'm also only familiar with these pots from Hojo for copper other than those large old copper kettles I've seen which are just for fresh water storage. I've never tried them but I am curious about them. Given their size though and since he says they work well with tetsubin water I'm guessing they are intended for brewing in rather than for boiling water.
@brendanxx Is the tetsubin you're considering a big investment? What type of tea are you interested in brewing?
Like you, I find tetsubin to be very attractive. A few years ago, I took a look at what's involved in using one and decided against it.
You wrote "...iron in the water apart, what would be the benefit beside aesthetically of using it to simply boil water and not use an electric kettle?"
If I wanted one for the aesthetics and to "simply boil water," I may have looked at it further. For example, if I drank only black tea Western style and simply needed to heat the water, decant it into the teapot, steep the tea for five minutes then move off somewhere to drink it, a tetsubin would have been fine. But by far most of the teas I drink are oolongs. That involves having a kettle at hand where I'm preparing the tea--in the living room, not in the kitchen. So, my digital temperature control goose neck stainless steel electric kettle (and all the convenience that entails) is at arm's length where I'm constantly reaching for it to heat and rinse tea ware, to refill teapots and gaiwans after frequent short steeps, and to reheat the kettle without having to get up. The logistics of this using a tetsubin would also require a hotplate by my side. The cost of a decent tetsubin and a hotplate starts to add up.
If you didn't know before that the kettle you're looking at is a tetsubin, then thanks to @pedant you do now, so you can google the pro's and con's of using a tetsubin and make an informed decision.
Like you, I find tetsubin to be very attractive. A few years ago, I took a look at what's involved in using one and decided against it.
You wrote "...iron in the water apart, what would be the benefit beside aesthetically of using it to simply boil water and not use an electric kettle?"
If I wanted one for the aesthetics and to "simply boil water," I may have looked at it further. For example, if I drank only black tea Western style and simply needed to heat the water, decant it into the teapot, steep the tea for five minutes then move off somewhere to drink it, a tetsubin would have been fine. But by far most of the teas I drink are oolongs. That involves having a kettle at hand where I'm preparing the tea--in the living room, not in the kitchen. So, my digital temperature control goose neck stainless steel electric kettle (and all the convenience that entails) is at arm's length where I'm constantly reaching for it to heat and rinse tea ware, to refill teapots and gaiwans after frequent short steeps, and to reheat the kettle without having to get up. The logistics of this using a tetsubin would also require a hotplate by my side. The cost of a decent tetsubin and a hotplate starts to add up.
If you didn't know before that the kettle you're looking at is a tetsubin, then thanks to @pedant you do now, so you can google the pro's and con's of using a tetsubin and make an informed decision.
Last edited by teanik on Fri Sep 17, 2021 4:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
The main issue here isn't porosity (not sure how porous cast iron is), but the iron reacting strongly with tannins and other substances in tea, turning eventually the tea black and tasting metallic or "fishy", depending on the duration of the exposure and reactivity and rustiness of the iron surface.
When used for boiling water, there's likely some iron that gets "dissolved" and there might be some reactions between the iron oxide and whatever is in the water, but it is relatively subtle (assuming the inside of the kettle is cleaned from rust and seasoned) and tends to have a positive effect on taste of the water and of certain teas prepared with the water.
Downside is the high maintenance compared to other type of kettles: drying after each use to avoid (excessive) rusting.
Do you have any pictures or references to that?
It sounds impractical: the iron has lower thermal conductivity the copper and slows down heating, while copper is said not to have the best effect on water for tea (which is why i never tried so it's just a hearsay). And the fusing of the two layers sound kind of tricky, unless the tetsubin was electroplated with copper?
Here are a few photos I took. It's been a while since I tried to look up this kettle. Actually only the handle and the base have content of iron. Most of the kettle maybe made from copper. The metal was magnetic. If you zoom into the base, the inner ring can see red copper. The two side spots outside of the inner ring have rust..m. wrote: ↑Thu Sep 16, 2021 1:46 pmDo you have any pictures or references to that?
It sounds impractical: the iron has lower thermal conductivity the copper and slows down heating, while copper is said not to have the best effect on water for tea (which is why i never tried so it's just a hearsay). And the fusing of the two layers sound kind of tricky, unless the tetsubin was electroplated with copper?
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