The Right Tea Newsletter
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Issue #46 - March 2022

Teapots are an essential item when it comes time to brew your tea. Sure, you could brew tea directly in your mug, but if you want to brew more than a cup at a time and make the most out of great quality loose leaf tea, then a teapot is the way to go.

Some teapots are small and some are big. Some are cheap and some are incredibly expensive. Some are made of glass, of clay, of steel, of porcelain or even silver. There are teapots to suit all tastes and wallets.

In this issue we will be focusing on one very special type of teapot: the Yixing teapot. A Chinese teapot that is made of a special clay and is usually small.

If you own an Yixing teapot, you should know how to properly care for it so that you can enjoy the best possible tea brewed inside it.

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Caring for an Yixing Teapot

Yixing teapots are either simple little clay teapots or amazingly complex works of art. They are made specifically from Chinese purple clay from the area of Yixing called Zisha.

In China there are records that show that this type of clay was being used for teapots since the Song Dynasty (10th to 13th century). Over time these little teapots were not only used to serve tea, but were also being collected as valued items.

Today teapots are still shaped and carved by hand, but casts are also being used to produce different items of Yixing tea ware.

Yixing purple clay is a highly valued material because it gives the teapot a porous nature that will absorb the flavor of the tea over time. It is even said that the clay itself improves the flavor of the tea.

How to use your teapot

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  Always brew the same tea in this teapot. Or at least brew the same type of tea. As the clay absorbs the flavors, you don’t want your teapot to influence the flavor of a freshly brewed tea with the taste notes of different past brews.


• Before starting to use you should season your teapot, a process through which you not only clean any dust and particles from your teapot, but also it starts the process of giving the teapot its first notes of flavor.
  
  For instructions of seasoning your teapot, read the more detailed page on Yixing teapots.


• It is when you commit your teapot to a specific type of tea.


• Use your teapot often so that you keep feeding the porous nature of the clay and making sure it does not dry out too much and possibly crack when you do come back to it with boiling water.

How to clean your teapot

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  Do clean your teapot with plenty of hot water to make sure to clean out any leftover tea leaves, making sure there are none stuck inside the tiny spout.


• Don’t use soaps or detergents clean your teapot as these will be absorbed by the clay and give future teas a bad flavor.


• Do learn to live with stains that may appear over time, as long as you are sure to use lots of hot water to clean your teapot.


• Don’t scrub your teapots with harsh brush or sponges as you may scratch the clay and ruin any decorations.


• Do use a soft clean towel to pat it dry and remove most of the moisture on the teapot, leaving it to dry completely without the lid before storing it away.


• Do remove any oil stains with a dry soft towel as quickly and as gently as possible as these may leave your teapot looking dirty.


• Don’t use fibrous materials with smells that may be transferable to scrub or forcibly dry the teapot and don’t put it away wet as it may cause mold to appear.


• Do store it away from direct sunlight.

Using and caring for your teapot will allow you to have wonderfully brewed tea for many years. And, in time, you may be even lucky enough to enjoy the rare pleasure of filling your teapot with boiling water alone and getting a tea-flavored brew as a result.

Find out more about these little teapots, how to use them and what teas are best recommended for Yixing teapots here:

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What’s Next?

More articles about tea are coming, so keep on the lookout for the next issue of our newsletter. While you wait, look around our website and learn more about tea and its health benefits.

Until then make sure to follow us on Facebook for daily tips and other wonderful tea related items.

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