To Reset My Pots or Not

entropyembrace
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Tue Feb 27, 2018 7:38 pm

Tor wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 8:22 am
Baisao wrote:
Tue Feb 27, 2018 12:37 am

Based upon a recent experience with a reset pot and how my seasoned pots behave, I have a feeling that too much seasoning may be detrimental. Essentially, the internal surface has changed significantly from what it was. They are now coated with minerals and the natural waxes from teas brewed in these teapots. The result seems less lively and somewhat inert.

I wonder if others have had the same experience.
I just reset my shudei Tokoname pot a couple of months ago. The pot is only 2 years old but lately I noticed that I missed the subtleties of sencha that I brewed in this pot. After resetting, it now makes cleaner and clearer tea. For me, sencha doesn't seem to benefit from a seasoned pot. Just my 2 cents.
I reset the pots I use most frequently every 6 months or so. If I leave the patina on my pots eventually everything I brew starts to taste the same and it really ruins the fresh taste of green teas especially. Also, I like to drink a variety of tea and don't have that many pots so clearing out the patina to preserve the differences between teas is important for me.

I do use pretty hard water so I do get a lot of build up in my pots it might be less of a problem for people who brew with softer water. I think it would also be less of a problem if you keep brewing similar aged tea in the same pot all the time...no fresh taste to ruin and not so much variation to get disguised.
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There is no self
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Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:42 am

Having recently reset my yixing after more than three years of use, I can tell you it did wonders for the greener wulongs.
Just like entropyembrace I use the teapot for more than one tea. I brew only wulongs in it, and wash it thoroughly, but it's still a wide range of flavours and odours that get mixed inside. Two days ago I scrubbed it with a bit of baking soda paste and when I brewed my Bao Zhong afterwards I could immediately taste the subtler and more floral notes.
Granted, I used that pot for virtually anything but greens, so in your case the results might be less astonishing.
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Baisao
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Fri Apr 13, 2018 1:16 pm

There is no self wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:42 am
Having recently reset my yixing after more than three years of use, I can tell you it did wonders for the greener wulongs.
Just like entropyembrace I use the teapot for more than one tea. I brew only wulongs in it, and wash it thoroughly, but it's still a wide range of flavours and odours that get mixed inside. Two days ago I scrubbed it with a bit of baking soda paste and when I brewed my Bao Zhong afterwards I could immediately taste the subtler and more floral notes.
Granted, I used that pot for virtually anything but greens, so in your case the results might be less astonishing.
That's good feedback.

I haven't reset them yet because I don't want to damage the exterior patina, which is like a map of my tea experiences. The fuller expression of top notes, that you allude to, is what I expect to be the largest difference. They are still present when expected but could, perhaps, have more definition if the pots were reset.

If I had it to do all over again I would rinse with hot water every time I finished a session rather than just clearing the leaves and letting dry with the lid off. I think the take away for anyone beginning the journey with seasoning teapots is that seasoning may not be ideal if you have high-end clays.
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pedant
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Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:06 pm

Baisao wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 1:16 pm
I haven't reset them yet because I don't want to damage the exterior patina, which is like a map of my tea experiences. The fuller expression of top notes, that you allude to, is what I expect to be the largest difference. They are still present when expected but could, perhaps, have more definition if the pots were reset.
I think you can clean the interior without damaging the patina by scrubbing it with thick baking soda paste. What I do is take a strip of an old cotton tshirt, put a couple of layers of it over my index finger, and scrub around inside.
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Manttea
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Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:17 pm

Baisao wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 1:16 pm
There is no self wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 10:42 am
Having recently reset my yixing after more than three years of use, I can tell you it did wonders for the greener wulongs.
Just like entropyembrace I use the teapot for more than one tea. I brew only wulongs in it, and wash it thoroughly, but it's still a wide range of flavours and odours that get mixed inside. Two days ago I scrubbed it with a bit of baking soda paste and when I brewed my Bao Zhong afterwards I could immediately taste the subtler and more floral notes.
Granted, I used that pot for virtually anything but greens, so in your case the results might be less astonishing.
That's good feedback.

I haven't reset them yet because I don't want to damage the exterior patina, which is like a map of my tea experiences. The fuller expression of top notes, that you allude to, is what I expect to be the largest difference. They are still present when expected but could, perhaps, have more definition if the pots were reset.

If I had it to do all over again I would rinse with hot water every time I finished a session rather than just clearing the leaves and letting dry with the lid off. I think the take away for anyone beginning the journey with seasoning teapots is that seasoning may not be ideal if you have high-end clays.
Wait, I clear the leaves, then let it dry, why shouldn't I do this?
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Baisao
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Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:08 pm

Manttea wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:17 pm
Wait, I clear the leaves, then let it dry, why shouldn't I do this?
If we assume you are buying well crafted teapots that have forms that are complementary to your teas, so we can then focus the conversation on just the (supposedly) beneficial concept of nurturing an internal patina...

If you spend $$$ to purchase teapots made from exceptional clays because those clays enhance characteristics of your tea, it doesn’t make sense to clog/coat the inside surfaces of your pots with waxy tea residue, even if it is commonly accepted as a best practice. Your teas are no longer being enhanced by the clay but by a waxy residue (actually, a compound of fatty acids) that has accumulated after years of frequent use. I suspect that this waxy residue is oxidizing, subtlety tainting the flavor of our teas. This is why I advocate thoroughly rinsing porous teaware with hot water after use.

Imagine buying a Ferrari and never having the oil changed because Italians say (not really) to never change the oil because that’s how it’s always been done. Excluding mechanical failure, the car simply wouldn’t perform the same after enough grime coated the inside of the engine.

In a way that’s what we are doing to our Yixing and Chaozhou teapots when we “nurture” them.
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Victoria
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Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:25 pm

Baisao wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:08 pm
Manttea wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:17 pm
Wait, I clear the leaves, then let it dry, why shouldn't I do this?
If we assume you are buying well crafted teapots that have forms that are complementary to your teas, so we can then focus the conversation on just the (supposedly) beneficial concept of nurturing an internal patina...

If you spend $$$ to purchase teapots made from exceptional clays because those clays enhance characteristics of your tea, it doesn’t make sense to clog/coat the inside surfaces of your pots with waxy tea residue, even if it is commonly accepted as a best practice. Your teas are no longer being enhanced by the clay but by a waxy residue (actually, a compound of fatty acids) that has accumulated after years of frequent use. I suspect that this waxy residue is oxidizing, subtlety tainting the flavor of our teas. This is why I advocate thoroughly rinsing porous teaware with hot water after use.

Imagine buying a Ferrari and never having the oil changed because Italians say (not really) to never change the oil because that’s how it’s always been done. Excluding mechanical failure, the car simply wouldn’t perform the same after enough grime coated the inside of the engine.

In a way that’s what we are doing to our Yixing and Chaozhou teapots when we “nurture” them.
A wonderfully poetic reply, perfect. I’d like to add that pouring near boiling water into the pot and letting it rest a few minutes, also heats the pot up enough for dampness to steam off, and dry more quickly. Dab with a soft cloth to partially dry, and then letting the pot further dry on a window sill with sunshine a few days is also a good idea.
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ShuShu
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Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:03 pm

Baisao wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 9:08 pm
Manttea wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 7:17 pm
Wait, I clear the leaves, then let it dry, why shouldn't I do this?
In a way that’s what we are doing to our Yixing and Chaozhou teapots when we “nurture” them.
I agree. I have two late 70s F1 zini pots. One has been intensively used the other just every once in a while. The former has become much less porous and lost much of its impact on tea while the latter (which I also clean with hot water after usage because I use it to brew more than one kind of tea) feels like new.
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There is no self
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Sat Apr 28, 2018 7:00 am

Baisao wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 1:16 pm

I haven't reset them yet because I don't want to damage the exterior patina, which is like a map of my tea experiences.
I didn't touch the exterior precisely for that reason. I love the difference in colour between the cups and the pot they were once supposed to match.
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Baisao
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Sun Apr 29, 2018 12:38 am

There is no self wrote:
Sat Apr 28, 2018 7:00 am
Baisao wrote:
Fri Apr 13, 2018 1:16 pm

I haven't reset them yet because I don't want to damage the exterior patina, which is like a map of my tea experiences.
I didn't touch the exterior precisely for that reason. I love the difference in colour between the cups and the pot they were once supposed to match.
That's still what's holding me back. Perhaps one or two more gatherings with friends as a farewell, then I'll reset them.
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