Puzzled wannabe Yixing buyer

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Youzi
Posts: 533
Joined: Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:03 pm
Location: Shaxi, Yunnan, China
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Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:27 pm

faj wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:44 pm
-
If you have disposable free time and want to read broken Google Translate english, then you can read through the many articles from this site:
https://news.taohuren.com/zishaniliao/list-174-1.html

It's more knowledge than anyone could provide you with here.
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Baisao
Posts: 1397
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2017 5:17 pm
Location: ATX

Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:40 pm

Youzi wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:27 pm
faj wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:44 pm
-
If you have disposable free time and want to read broken Google Translate english, then you can read through the many articles from this site:
https://news.taohuren.com/zishaniliao/list-174-1.html

It's more knowledge than anyone could provide you with here.
Ouch!

Add insult to injury: the site doesn’t even work.
swordofmytriumph
Posts: 429
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:19 am
Location: Seattle, USA

Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:55 pm

faj wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 2:34 pm
For instance, I drink senchas and mountain oolongs on a regular basis. Following hints on this thread, I saw many positive comments about several experienced members mentioning kobiwako kyusus from Hojo being real winners for these teas, and having an easily observable impact on the tea. Should I refrain from considering a product like this? The full value of the (modest) investment might not materialize in the short run, but it seems like it should not have a detrimental effect on my journey either, even though I am not "worthy of that teapot" yet...
If you drink sencha and mountain oolong, then you cannot go wrong with the the Kobiwako. I have tried it for both sencha and gaoshan and it was good,@Bok uses it for goashan, and @Chip uses it for sencha. This is a very good pot to buy for a beginner, the effects it has on the tea are very noticeable and will teach you a lot.
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Youzi
Posts: 533
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Location: Shaxi, Yunnan, China
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Sat Oct 19, 2019 8:13 pm

Baisao wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:40 pm
Youzi wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 7:27 pm
faj wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:44 pm
-
If you have disposable free time and want to read broken Google Translate english, then you can read through the many articles from this site:
https://news.taohuren.com/zishaniliao/list-174-1.html

It's more knowledge than anyone could provide you with here.
Ouch!

Add insult to injury: the site doesn’t even work.
That's strange, it works for me both from computer and mobile... :|
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Baisao
Posts: 1397
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Location: ATX

Sat Oct 19, 2019 8:26 pm

Youzi wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 8:13 pm
That's strange, it works for me both from computer and mobile... :|
It seems to not work from the EU. Must be a privacy thing.
faj
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:45 am
Location: Quebec

Sat Oct 19, 2019 9:09 pm

Baisao wrote:
Sat Oct 19, 2019 6:45 pm
faj, I don’t know how far you are from Montreal but there is a tea group there. Of course they sound like pillocks in the Vice article so I cannot say if it is the group or the author: secret names, a “Fight Club” environment, purposely trying to get tea drunk, etc.

“ This select group of collectors had gathered in North America's best tea shop for the free-for-all that K officially calls ‘After Hours.’ When he described it to me, he said, ‘Think Fight Club.’ Everybody brings his or her best stuff and, under the guise of camaraderie, hopes to be pummeled into enlightenment.”

My thinking is that if there’s a group of tea enthusiasts in Montreal there are likely other groups of tea enthusiasts in your province.
Montréal is five hours away from here, Québec city about half that... Too far away, unfortunately. The tea shop discussed in this article is obviously Camellia Sinensis, which is where I have purchased the majority of my teas (online, not in person). You do not have to go through much of their material to figure out who "K" is, I would say.
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There is no self
Posts: 112
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Location: I think you say, convenience store?

Sun Oct 20, 2019 4:44 am

About forums being echo chambers: it's true that taking the advice of random users on a forum is as risky as taking the advice of a seller. The advantage here is you can take some time to read other people's posts and see for yourself whether they're knowledgeable or not.

I'm afraid I can't offer you any real advice, as the Yixing world is pretty much new to me as well. I can however recommend this flowchart from Steanze on the different types of clay: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=318. Should help clearing some doubts along the way.

Also, @Baisao, always copy your posts before submitting them. AFAIK most forums are still designed to refresh after a while.
faj
Posts: 710
Joined: Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:45 am
Location: Quebec

Sun Oct 20, 2019 7:08 am

There is no self wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 4:44 am
I'm afraid I can't offer you any real advice, as the Yixing world is pretty much new to me as well. I can however recommend this flowchart from Steanze on the different types of clay: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=318. Should help clearing some doubts along the way.
I had stumbled onto that chart as well, and after everything I have read it mostly makes sense to me. The only thing that bugs me about it is that it splits teapots between slow pouring and fast pouring, and lists some teas under "slow pouring" only. I assume a quick pouring pot can always do the job of a slow pouring pot.
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Baisao
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Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:22 am

faj wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 7:08 am
.
I assume a quick pouring pot can always do the job of a slow pouring pot.
A slow pouring teapot can be worked around with technique (timing) so I suggest you don’t obsess too much on fast pouring teapots like so many others do.

Fast or slow, you’ll find your path.
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Youzi
Posts: 533
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Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:48 am

Baisao wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:22 am
faj wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 7:08 am
.
I assume a quick pouring pot can always do the job of a slow pouring pot.
A slow pouring teapot can be worked around with technique (timing) so I suggest you don’t obsess too much on fast pouring teapots like so many others do.

Fast or slow, you’ll find your path.
Yes, a slow pouring pot only determines your shortest steep time, which unless you do Chaozhou Gongfu Cha, shouldn't be too big of an issue.
Tetsubin
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:21 am
Location: Sweden

Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:29 pm

Baisao wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:22 am
faj wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 7:08 am
.
I assume a quick pouring pot can always do the job of a slow pouring pot.
A slow pouring teapot can be worked around with technique (timing) so I suggest you don’t obsess too much on fast pouring teapots like so many others do.

Fast or slow, you’ll find your path.
I respectfully disagree with this. If you have a pot with a 19 seconds pour and you are drinking a semi aged sheng the first 3 infusions will taste quite different from a teapot with a 9 seconds pour. I find pour time quite important regarding what tea I am using a pot for.
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Baisao
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Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:03 pm

Tetsubin wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:29 pm
Baisao wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:22 am
faj wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 7:08 am
.
I assume a quick pouring pot can always do the job of a slow pouring pot.
A slow pouring teapot can be worked around with technique (timing) so I suggest you don’t obsess too much on fast pouring teapots like so many others do.

Fast or slow, you’ll find your path.
I respectfully disagree with this. If you have a pot with a 19 seconds pour and you are drinking a semi aged sheng the first 3 infusions will taste quite different from a teapot with a 9 seconds pour. I find pour time quite important regarding what tea I am using a pot for.
I suggest pouring earlier so that part of the steep time happens as the tea is exiting the spout. I’ve done it many times with shou, which is even trickier than a lightly aged sheng. :-)

Most of us aren’t pouring into separate cups directly from the teapot and trying to get equal flavors in each cup, where, indeed, a fast pouring small teapot is ideal. Even then, I feel I can work around a slow pour.
Tetsubin
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Aug 14, 2019 11:21 am
Location: Sweden

Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:11 pm

Baisao wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:03 pm
Tetsubin wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 12:29 pm
Baisao wrote:
Sun Oct 20, 2019 11:22 am


A slow pouring teapot can be worked around with technique (timing) so I suggest you don’t obsess too much on fast pouring teapots like so many others do.

Fast or slow, you’ll find your path.
I respectfully disagree with this. If you have a pot with a 19 seconds pour and you are drinking a semi aged sheng the first 3 infusions will taste quite different from a teapot with a 9 seconds pour. I find pour time quite important regarding what tea I am using a pot for.
I suggest pouring earlier so that part of the steep time happens as the tea is exiting the spout. I’ve done it many times with shou, which is even trickier than a lightly aged sheng. :-)

Most of us aren’t pouring into separate cups directly from the teapot and trying to get equal flavors in each cup, where, indeed, a fast pouring small teapot is ideal. Even then, I feel I can work around a slow pour.
I wouldn't say that I am pouring into separate cups and are trying to get equal flavors in each cup. But I do feel that the 3 first infusions get oversteeped when I try to flash brew them with a pot with a 19 seconds pour time. I like the change in flavors to be a gradual process. This seem to have to do more with personal preference so I suppose we have to agree that we are in a disagreement in this matter :)
faj
Posts: 710
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Location: Quebec

Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:35 pm

@Tetsubin and @Baisao,

I understand there is no hard and fast answer to how good a slow pouring pot can be. It depends on many factors, including tastes and opinions.

But my question was the other way around : can a teapot pour too fast? Is there a reason to avoid fast pouring pots for some teas? Intuitively I would think the answer is "no", but the chart from @steanze had me wondering if there is something at play I might not be aware of.
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d.manuk
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Sun Oct 20, 2019 2:42 pm

no
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