Bok wrote: ↑Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:46 pm
Yes! For me the simple fact of handling something so old with all its history, imagined and real, is a pleasure in itself! Enjoyment of tea is a sum of factors.
Nowadays one might add that using something second hand is also good for the planet by re-using resources
Exactly. I think that aspect is underrated, there is a lot of focus on the flavor performance, but a tea session is made of so many aspects...
Usually when I evaluate a pot I look at 4 criteria:
1) does it make good tea? (tea performance)
2) is it beautiful? (aesthetic value)
3) is it representative of a period in terms of its workmanship and material? (historical value)
4) is it an example of a particular technique, or clay, or phenomenon (i.e. yaobian)? (learning value)
few pots score very highly on all 4 aspects, but doing well in 1 or 2 can be already a good reason to have the pot.
If I am debating whether to buy a pot, I evaluate one more:
5) is it complementary to what I already have?