newbie stuck - what next?

[Baisao]

@caj, if you want to try brewing GFC style I recommend Inge Nielsen's pots. The glazes are neutral, the pour is fast and clean, the spherical-ish shape is good aromas, and they are affordable. I like to use one of her teapots for trying out new teas because the teapot won't effect the aromatics or texture like clay will.

viewtopic.php?p=44913#p44913

https://ingenielsenpottery.com/

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PotterybyInge ... ile_header

Also, there's lots of Czech blue ware in Central Texas but it is all used, mostly lightly used. There's a large population of Czechs in Central Texas from their immigration here in the mid-1800s. The blue ware would be good for European style tea,

[teatray]

Just a tip: consider what size you want your tea exploration vessel to be. Large vessels are not handy. Good tea often resteeps well, whether you want the ritual or not. Sometimes the best infusions are not the first. Sometimes you'll feel like more than one type of tea per day. The manufacturer of your cup set (Porzellanfabrik Český porcelán, a. s., Dubí - https://cesky.porcelan.cz/) actually offers a small 350ml teapot, which is pretty good for European standards (the 'small' size Meissen onion pattern teapot is 1000ml). But that's probably still too large if you are 1-2 people exploring different teas. My go-to exploration pot is 140ml porcelain (to the brim).

[caj]

blah blah blah teaware blah blah blah I'm not listening

I really like the little green one, @Baisao thank you for bringing that clay artist to my attention! Will keep an eye out now. I don't want to impulse accumulate and lose myself in the gear, goal is only enough to enjoy the tea so I will be extra picky. What @Ethan Kurlandwrote really struck a chord: "Water that does not ruin a session & good leaves = > 90% of happy drinking" and that's going to be my focus right now.

To @teatray, I have been thinking about volumes - this forum and much of the internet ranges consistently from 20-160ml, with majority around the 50-60ml or 100-120ml - at least, that's the impression. I'm not accustomed to working with volume, and thus I wanted to calibrate my senses to exactly how muchlittle that is. 100ml seems like barely enough, but with 3-5 infusions, you're looking at up to 2 cups and my brains is having difficulty accepting such math, hah.

Thanks to all again for the help. I have several teas on order now

[Bok]

@caj a 80-100ml pot will on very rough average have a length of 10cm(spout to handle).

[Baisao]

100ml seems like barely enough, but with 3-5 infusions, you're looking at up to 2 cups and my brains is having difficulty accepting such math, hah.

I end up using almost 1 liter of water per session when brewing Taiwanese or Chinese teas in 60-100ml teapots. Some of this water is lost in warming but not much since I reuse rinse water when possible. My tea cups are usually between 20-45ml each. Small teacups make a difference.

[caj]

I measured out 50, 80, and 100ml this morning just to see what it would be like. It will take some time to adapt.

[caj]

First shipment arrived, thank you @Ethan Kurland!

An attempt was made!

[Ethan Kurland]

What a fancy cup! Fantastic!

[caj]

Whoops, I mixed up my adjective placement, should be -- first cup of fancy tea -- clearly it works either way Tea was delicious!