Anybody ever purchase a teapot that started out bad?

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S_B
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 2:37 am

I have a pot from CWS - a late 90s Zini - that makes tea come out tasting slightly acidic and tart. I know of somebody else who has experienced a similar phenomenon with the same pot (but larger size) and yet another person who has had no issues. Is it possible for a pot to start out like this, but eventually season into a normal state? I hadn't done anything particularly odd to it, I boiled it a while back for a decent amount of time wondering if perhaps I hadn't managed to properly clean it when it first came. My plan is to try to leave my last brew in it overnight every other day or so, and see if I can't "brew out" that odd flavor alteration it imparts. Otherwise, I may just have to decommission the poor guy.
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ShuShu
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:43 am

In my view, the fact that its two of you by now justifies reaching out to Honza from CWP and ask about this. They are a pretty reputable seller. I know the other guy did quite a lot to try and clean it with no results.
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S_B
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:00 pm

ShuShu wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 6:43 am
In my view, the fact that its two of you by now justifies reaching out to Honza from CWP and ask about this. They are a pretty reputable seller. I know the other guy did quite a lot to try and clean it with no results.
Thank you. The other gentleman did reach out, but the response was something along the lines of "zini takes more time to 'start' and that it takes a few weeks, and that the clay may take some time before then to really get its flavor" I've been trying for a few days now to leave teasoup in it overnight, and I can still smell the tartness. I don't think either of us are looking for refunds, but it certainly is a bit unfortunate. Another friend of mine has my exact same pot and hasn't had an issue since day one. I don't know what to make of it. I guess I'll see after a few weeks, but the acidic tartness in there just ruins pretty much any tea I put through it, and I've never experienced that with another pot...
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ShuShu
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:09 pm

Oolong_Nug wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:00 pm
It sounds very frustrating. It is true that seasoning makes a lot of difference and that it can take time, but I never heard about such a serious case. I guess I would try a more aggressive seasoning, let it simmer (but not boil!) for an hour. Some say that using pure natural tofu is very effective in order to remove odors...

check this: https://www.teasenz.com/chinese-tea/how ... eapot.html
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S_B
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:26 pm

ShuShu wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:09 pm
Oolong_Nug wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:00 pm
It sounds very frustrating. It is true that seasoning makes a lot of difference and that it can take time, but I never heard about such a serious case. I guess I would try a more aggressive seasoning, let it simmer (but not boil!) for an hour. Some say that using pure natural tofu is very effective in order to remove odors...

check this: https://www.teasenz.com/chinese-tea/how ... eapot.html
The other owner of this particular pot had tried the tofu route. Perhaps I should try boiling it with a healthy dose of leaves for a good couple of hours? If that still can't get rid of this scent, I don't know what else to really do
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ShuShu
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:32 pm

Oolong_Nug wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:26 pm
The other owner of this particular pot had tried the tofu route. Perhaps I should try boiling it with a healthy dose of leaves for a good couple of hours? If that still can't get rid of this scent, I don't know what else to really do
I always let a newly dedicated pot simmer for an hour with some leaf. Not sure what the other guy exactly did with the tofu, but I have heard stories about pots that were saved when simmered for an hour with tofu *inside the pot itself*
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:34 pm

ShuShu wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:32 pm
Oolong_Nug wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 12:26 pm
The other owner of this particular pot had tried the tofu route. Perhaps I should try boiling it with a healthy dose of leaves for a good couple of hours? If that still can't get rid of this scent, I don't know what else to really do
I always let a newly dedicated pot simmer for an hour with some leaf. Not sure what the other guy exactly did with the tofu, but I have heard stories about pots that were saved when simmered for an hour with tofu *inside the pot itself*
Interesting. I don't have any tofu on hand, but I had given it a bath a ways back, and now I will try to simmer with some leaf, to see if maybe it won't just give me a little bit here...
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Victoria
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:15 pm

It is possible your pot was stored differently than the other ones. Too much humidity over time makes a pot taste very bad. I recommend patience, it might take a few years after which your pot might be great to use. Slow simmer, slow simmer with tea leaves (inside & out), air dry with sun - do this over and over again until you get good results. It might take a long while, so don’t be in a hurry. I think it took four years or more to reset a 60’s pot that had been stored very poorly, then I got another 60’s pot that was very dirty, several times I thought they were never going to be functional. As a result I wrote this piece after many years trying to get these pots to be functional; viewtopic.php?f=26&t=612&p=7282#p7282
Last edited by Victoria on Wed Sep 05, 2018 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: updated url link
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ShuShu
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:57 pm

Victoria wrote:
Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:15 pm
I think it took four years or more to reset a 60’s pot that had been stored very poorly
you can't be serious...I hope it makes a great a tea now!
Teachronicles
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Tue Apr 10, 2018 1:59 pm

I remember reading someone else having an issue with a similar pot from CWS, although it might have been the late 90s hongni. Steanze recommend scrubbing the inside with a baking soda water solution and that got rid of the off flavor/smell.
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