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@Victoria
The tetsubin will arrive in a week or two. I’ll take more photos by then.

Tetsubin question:
Hi, I was thinking of buying this tetsubin, to use as a kettle (the description seems to say it can be used both as teapot and kettle, which is a little odd):

https://www.etsy.com/listing/787063836/ ... tage-style

Does it look like a decent tetsubin?

Using a small dutch oven instead of tetsubin?

Did anyone try this? Good tetsubins are around $250 or so, and dutch ovens are ~30-50, and can be used with a ladle to scoop up water like in a japanese tea ceremony. It seems like a viable option if you usually make tea in the kitchen near a stove.

rainy wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 30, 2020 9:21 pm

Tetsubin question:
Hi, I was thinking of buying this tetsubin, to use as a kettle (the description seems to say it can be used both as teapot and kettle, which is a little odd):

https://www.etsy.com/listing/787063836/ ... tage-style

Does it look like a decent tetsubin?

Welcome to TeaForum. Moved your post here since tetsubin forum exists and new members need to make introductions first and interact with the forum before beginning new topics. This tetsubin was probably made in China and may be enameled inside defeating the benefits of a cast iron tetsubin therefore the modest price.

Thanks @Victoria , their description says it can be used on stove top and for boiling water. It does seem to be made in China. But because they explicitly allow its use on stovetop, I assume it can't be enamel? I will ask them..

@rainy Everything points to it being a cheap enameled teapot. In fact, one cannot prepare tea in an actual iron tetsubin, it would not taste good.

The used Tetsubin I got from Ebay arrived super quick, I guess I can start my cleaning project today
Here are some photos of the outside and inside. I am still uncertain if inside is coated with lacquer. The outside has some patina. What do you think about the inside @Victoria?

DailyTX wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:50 pm

The used Tetsubin I got from Ebay arrived super quick, I guess I can start my cleaning project today
Here are some photos of the outside and inside. I am still uncertain if inside is coated with lacquer. The outside has some patina. What do you think about the inside Victoria?

Here is another photo of the inside after I wiped down with a damped cloth.
Upon examine the chop, it seems like the same chop as @karma's tetsubin.
Cleaning plan:
The tetsubin has almost no mineral build up. I am going to rinse the inside with vinegar and hot water so the sprout can be clean as well. Afterward, I'll boil some cheap tea. I was uncertain if there is a specific tea I should use. Some online source recommended tea with tannins. I guess my cheap sheng puerh will do the job. I'll share more photos after the tetsubin has been boiled

.m. wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:56 am

rainy Everything points to it being a cheap enameled teapot. In fact, one cannot prepare tea in an actual iron tetsubin, it would not taste good.

Thanks, I have ordered a different tetsubin from ebay, antique and looks legit. I will update when I get it!

rainy wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 1:02 pm

.m. wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:56 am

rainy Everything points to it being a cheap enameled teapot. In fact, one cannot prepare tea in an actual iron tetsubin, it would not taste good.

Thanks, I have ordered a different tetsubin from ebay, antique and looks legit. I will update when I get it!

@rainy
I sent you a message about a very affordable tetsubin. It was my 2nd choice that I didn’t buy. Good luck

@DailyTX Thanks! That tetsubin looks beautiful, I might look for another one like that if I don't like the one I'm getting now. The one you ended up getting looks fantastic btw!

DailyTX wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:50 pm

The used Tetsubin I got from Ebay arrived super quick, I guess I can start my cleaning project today
Here are some photos of the outside and inside. I am still uncertain if inside is coated with lacquer. The outside has some patina. What do you think about the inside Victoria?

It does look like it’s been treated with something, maybe iron powder, rather than enamel. I don’t know much about iron powder, but have seen it used in a few Japanese videos repairing rusty tetsubin. The rust on yours looks pretty minimal. Your plan sounds good, vinegar to loosen rust, followed by boiling tea leaves a few times, rinsing, and boiling fresh water to see how it tastes.

rainy wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 2:10 pm

DailyTX Thanks! That tetsubin looks beautiful, I might look for another one like that if I don't like the one I'm getting now. The one you ended up getting looks fantastic btw!

Thank @rainy
This one looks decent, has good patina, and I think it will be a good tetsubin to get my feet wet. Aside from my addiction to teawares, I also like to collect Japanese bronze

Victoria wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 3:02 pm

DailyTX wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:50 pm

The used Tetsubin I got from Ebay arrived super quick, I guess I can start my cleaning project today
Here are some photos of the outside and inside. I am still uncertain if inside is coated with lacquer. The outside has some patina. What do you think about the inside Victoria?

It does look like it’s been treated with something, maybe iron powder, rather than enamel. I don’t know much about iron powder, but have seen it used in a few Japanese videos repairing rusty tetsubin. The rust on yours looks pretty minimal. Your plan sounds good, vinegar to loosen rust, followed by boiling tea leaves a few times, rinsing, and boiling fresh water to see how it tastes.

1st boil is completed, it has some improvements on the inside. For some reason the inside reminded me of the bibimbap bowl from Korean restaurant lol

rainy wrote: ↑

Sat Oct 31, 2020 12:21 am

Using a small dutch oven instead of tetsubin?

Did anyone try this? Good tetsubins are around $250 or so, and dutch ovens are ~30-50, and can be used with a ladle to scoop up water like in a japanese tea ceremony. It seems like a viable option if you usually make tea in the kitchen near a stove.

you mean a non-enameled one, right?
it would work fine as a kama i guess.