All about silver

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Brent D
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Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:29 am

Often overlooked, we all talk about yixing so much. I figured we should have a thread dedicated to all things silver in tea ware.

I have a silver pot that I absolutely adore. It was purchased from Yunnan Sourcing for $420. This is the only western facing vendor I have seen that regularly has stock. Crimson lotus sells them, but stock appears limited. I have seen them on ebay, but they look similar and priced similar to YS. I would love to hear about other vendors. I did contact a maker in china that was asking $900 for a similar sized pot. I wonder why the prices are so different.
I began pursuing silver for the exact opposite reason that we all like yixing. Yixing takes on the properties of all the tea that has been through it. It rounds out tea and tends to cover up some of the flaws that a tea may have. Why would I want to always do that?! I have spent a great amount of time searching for the highest quality teas that I can get my hands on. I want to put them under a microscope and know exactly what they are. The good and the bad. I have heard that silver makes water taste sweeter. I have tested this, and it does not seem to work on me.
I have had mine for about a year and a half. I have primarily been using it with gaoshan, and comparing it with porcelain and high fired clay. Clay and silver are like 2 different worlds. I sometimes have trouble telling the difference between 2 teas with clay. “was this Lishan or Alishan?”. I find that porcelain and silver, while more similar are still very different. Silver for me tends to make the tea much sharper, bringing forward the high notes. I feel that it also tends to make the tea a bit smoother. I can brew a little longer than porcelain without getting bitter. I find that I will notice things more clearly than with porcelain. Sometimes I will notice a feature to a flavor with silver that I didnt notice with porcelain, and I will go back to porcelain and realize that it is there, just more subtle. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not, but always interesting! I do find that this sometimes overpowers the creaminess I get with some teas.
I find that brewing parameters are a little different as well. Silver heats up very quickly and loses that heat very quickly. This helps to make sure that you don’t get that steaming effect that can sometimes happen. Ive also found that the extra liveliness I get with silver takes a toll on the longevity. I find that the leaves lose their flavor for me a steep earlier than with porcelain. This is with gaoshan which I find doesn’t have great longevity anyway.
I bet a lot of people look at the price and think “I can get 1 or 2 nice yixings for that price”
You sure can. But you will dedicate it to one tea. If you drop it…well, lets not even talk about that :D
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d.manuk
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Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:46 pm

I’ve always been curious if I’d prefer a silver pot over the Taiwanese clay pot I have for gaoshan. Never had the chance to test one out!
swordofmytriumph
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Location: Seattle, USA

Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:59 pm

I wonder if drinking out of a silver cup like what crimson lotus sells would give a good idea of what a tea would taste like if actually brewed in silver. Like brew in porcelain and drink it out of the silver cup.

sometimes I want to really elevate everything and taste the full complexity of the tea as well.

Also @Brent D, how do you clean your pot? Do you use tarnish remover and rinse the living daylights out of it after, or what?
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Brent D
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Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:11 pm

swordofmytriumph wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:59 pm
I wonder if drinking out of a silver cup like what crimson lotus sells would give a good idea of what a tea would taste like if actually brewed in silver. Like brew in porcelain and drink it out of the silver cup.

sometimes I want to really elevate everything and taste the full complexity of the tea as well.

Also Brent D, how do you clean your pot? Do you use tarnish remover and rinse the living daylights out of it after, or what?
For a much more modest price than a full pot, you might want to look into one of the silver lined gaiwans.
I have no experience with them, but id imagine the effects to be the same.
swordofmytriumph
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Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:14 pm

That’s a good idea, hadn’t thought of that.
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Brent D
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Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:23 pm

I missed your cleaning question, and i have an amazing trick. Never scrub it! Ever!

Take a glass bowl and line it with aluminum foil. Place the pot on it and pour some baking soda on it. Then pour hot water over the whole thing. This causes a chemical reaction that will draw the tarnish off the silver and make it bond to the foli. Takes seconds and its amazing!
This doesnt get rid of the tea stains though. Just the outside tarnish
swordofmytriumph
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Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:36 pm

Brent D wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 1:23 pm
I missed your cleaning question, and i have an amazing trick. Never scrub it! Ever!

Take a glass bowl and line it with aluminum foil. Place the pot on it and pour some baking soda on it. Then pour hot water over the whole thing. This causes a chemical reaction that will draw the tarnish off the silver and make it bond to the foli. Takes seconds and its amazing!
This doesnt get rid of the tea stains though. Just the outside tarnish
:shock:

That IS a cool trick. Dang that’s so cool.
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Brent D
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Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:50 pm

Heres a good read of another persons view on silver

http://oolongowl.com/silver-tea-pot-review-testing/
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teaformeplease
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Sun Feb 24, 2019 12:48 pm

swordofmytriumph wrote:
Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:59 pm
I wonder if drinking out of a silver cup like what crimson lotus sells would give a good idea of what a tea would taste like if actually brewed in silver. Like brew in porcelain and drink it out of the silver cup.
I LOVE my silver cup but the effect has been quite subtle so far. It's hard to put my finger on it but it makes teas just a bit brighter.
swordofmytriumph
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Sun Feb 24, 2019 1:06 pm

Sounds like my gaoshan would love it, esp to bring out some of the citrus flavors.
Chadrinkincat
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Thu May 02, 2019 9:03 pm

I believe this is a pure silver mark for Japan but I’m not 100% confident. Anyone familiar with it?
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d.manuk
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Thu May 02, 2019 9:36 pm

I really wish I had the cojones to have bought the $1,600 shui ping silver teapot I saw in Taiwan. It was so beautiful.
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Bok
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Thu May 02, 2019 10:49 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 9:36 pm
I really wish I had the cojones to have bought the $1,600 shui ping silver teapot I saw in Taiwan. It was so beautiful.
Was it Taiwan made? A lot of those are actually from China or Japan, you might have luck to get it for a better price there.
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d.manuk
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Thu May 02, 2019 10:51 pm

Bok wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 10:49 pm
Shine Magical wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 9:36 pm
I really wish I had the cojones to have bought the $1,600 shui ping silver teapot I saw in Taiwan. It was so beautiful.
Was it Taiwan made? A lot of those are actually from China or Japan, you might have luck to get it for a better price there.
Not sure, saw it in a jeweler's shop in Hayashi Dept Store in Tainan
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Bok
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Thu May 02, 2019 10:59 pm

Shine Magical wrote:
Thu May 02, 2019 10:51 pm
Not sure, saw it in a jeweler's shop in Hayashi Dept Store in Tainan
Hayashi is not the best place to get good deals, there was a surcharge for sure.
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