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A couple months ago I got a blue Yamada Sou cup and when you put hot tea or water in it it gives off a sort of sharp tang, like brand new ceramics. It hasn’t gone away, though it has lessened somewhat but not completely. I keep soaking it in hot water but it still does this, it also imparts a sharp taste to tea that is unpleasant. Again, this issue has lessened but not gone away entirely, maybe it just needs to be seasoned a bit? But it’s glazed, so it shouldn’t need that, should it?

Sounds like a problem of the glaze... maybe not properly fired, or it is the glaze in itself that has this issue.

Is it boiling water or also with Japanese Tea temperature? I had issues with Japanese teaware before, maybe because the potters do not realise the issue with certain glazes as tea there is prepared with much lower heat than for Oolong?

Although I would expect someone as experienced as the Yamadas to not have this kind of issue.

Boiling water. I haven't used it with lower temperature stuff yet. I have mainly used it for gaoshan. The issue has lessened somewhat but not gone away completely. The glaze is somewhat porous, not smooth. There are little teeny microscopic cavities in it, especially at the bottom of the cup, don't know if that changes anything but worth noting.

Sounds like the glaze/firing combination is not suitable for high temperature water... doubt that it will completely go away. Have you tried contacting the seller on the issue?

I haven't yet. I'm gonna try it with lower temp tea, and we'll see what happens. Thanks bok.

As I've answered elsewhere, I have a blue Yamada Sou cup, and have used it mostly for sencha, but I routinely finish my sencha sessions with at least one infusion of water just off the boil, and have had no concerns. I've used it occasionally for puerh and gaoshan, and no off scent or flavor. So I wouldn't think it has to do with the general chemistry of the glaze or tea temperature.

I've only had one cup ever that detracted from tea with off scents (not from a Japanse artisan), and that one has significant ash on the inside that didn't get completely glassy (it looks a little rough in places); I've hoped that it would resolve with time but it hasn't completely after 3 or 4 years and many uses.

maybe just one piece off then?

So I've tried using it several times in the past few days and the smell/taste has continued to decrease. I think it's just a matter of using it. Or else using it with slightly more robust tea. I had previously been using it with gaoshan, so naturally issues were very present. I tried using it with some roasted stuff earlier and the issue is much decreased. I'll try that for the next week and see if it goes away.

You can also try to boil the cup a bit, maybe adding some baking soda.

After that boil with clear water and sun dry if possible.

Bok wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 25, 2019 5:10 am

You can also try to boil the cup a bit, maybe adding some baking soda.

After that boil with clear water and sun dry if possible.

I was about to give you the same advice.

Elise wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 25, 2019 5:27 am

Bok wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 25, 2019 5:10 am

You can also try to boil the cup a bit, maybe adding some baking soda.

After that boil with clear water and sun dry if possible.

I was about to give you the same advice.

I would recommend adding some vinegar to 2nd water boil, to neutralize any baking soda left behind. Any vinegar smell will evaporate as it dries out.

This is why I don't buy new cups anymore. Firstly, cause I have enough cups. But secondly, because it's a bit of gamble whether a cup will have a neutral, negative or positive impact on tea. Even glazed cups, which you'd think would be neutral. The best imo are neutral but I've had too many that I loved the look of, that tea didn't taste good in. I stick to 4 or 5 sets of cups now, that I know tea will taste good in.

Teachronicles wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 25, 2019 9:08 pm

This is why I don't buy new cups anymore. Firstly, cause I have enough cups. But secondly, because it's a bit of gamble whether a cup will have a neutral, negative or positive impact on tea.

Porcelain all the way for me! Mind you though, even porcelain has different grades and effects on tea, although mostly neutral.

Clay cups can be very tempting, so many talented artists out there, but I do not want to alter what my nice teapots have painstakingly produced with their clay. I completely discarded glazed clay cups, too many unknowns and bad experience in the past. Glazes can have vastly different effects on the tea, rarely a good one.

Bok wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:00 pm

Teachronicles wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 25, 2019 9:08 pm

This is why I don't buy new cups anymore. Firstly, cause I have enough cups. But secondly, because it's a bit of gamble whether a cup will have a neutral, negative or positive impact on tea.

Porcelain all the way for me! Mind you though, even porcelain has different grades and effects on tea, although mostly neutral.

Clay cups can be very tempting, so many talented artists out there, but I do not want to alter what my nice teapots have painstakingly produced with their clay. I completely discarded glazed clay cups, too many unknowns and bad experience in the past. Glazes can have vastly different effects on the tea, rarely a good one.

Yep, same here re porcelain. It's what I use 95% of the time. And I feel the same, don't want my cups altering what my pot did. Almost all unglazed clay cups I've had didn't compare to porcelain and I've only found a few glazed ones that were good for drinking tea.

Thanks for all the help guys, gonna try boiling this weekend when I have the time, with the baking soda/vinegar. I’ll let y’all know if it works.