The purple sand teapot is a unique artifact. Its organic quality allows the absorption of tea oils into the body of the teapot. For that reason preparing the teapot is most important, and serves as a reminder of its distinction. Another special feature is that the yixing teapot comes alive in the human hand and develops a patina that improves its beauty and value over time.
One of the unique features of purple sand teapots is that the inside of the teapot is unglazed and it consists of thousands of micro-air pores. These pots also have a thermal quality giving them the ability to maintain optimum water temperature. The teapots are able to keep the water hot longer, brew teas better and reduce oxidation. The on-going self-seasoning occurs due the pots ability to absorb aromatic oils from the tea leaves. The cumulative effect of which is said to produce tea without tea leaves.These attributes have only been found exclusively in the purple sand mined in China. For that reason, yixing teapots are most popular with serious tea drinkers and collectors.
Serious tea drinkers and enthusiasts like me use only one teapot per tea choice, and prefer this type of teapot because of this special feature. One teapot per tea is used in order to preserve the tea experience in whatever pot it was originally placed. What this means is that if I choose to drink an oolong tea in a particular yixing teapot, I will continue to drink the same oolong from that pot. The choice of oolongs must be consistent and not be mixed with any other oolongs (i.e. tung ting or formosa), as this mixing will corrupt the taste of the tea flavor already absorbed in the pot. The same applies to aged or raw puerh tea.
A serious tea drinker may decide that a teapot for each of his or her favorite teas such as a black, oolong, puerh or green tea is ample however; the water temperatures are different for the differently aged teas. Brew temperatures are as follows: Black, just under a boil at 210F, Oolong 185-195F, Puerh boiling 212F, Green or White teas 160-180F. Brewing a really good cup of tea requires different steeping times of 1-2 minutes is a general guideline and is according to taste or preference.
When purchasing a brand new yixing teapot, do not brew your tea in it until you have prepared it to receive the first steeping of tea leaves. There are shorter methods with the same outcome of fully functional micro-pores however, the following long seasoning process is outlined here:
Carefully position the teapot in a large cooker with the lid off. The pot should not be too big, but big enough to comfortably hold the teapot and the teapot lid without the lid touching the teapot. Water should cover the teapot completely. Leave the cooker uncovered.
Choose the tea that you will be using for this particular teapot as those are the tea leaves you will want to use during seasoning. Once you carefully select your pot and your leaves, you can begin.
Put your teapot in the large cooker. Remove the lid and place it (not touching) beside the teapot. Fill the cooker slowly with fresh water. Turn on the fire (med-low heat) and wait for your teapot to come to a slow-moving boil. A rapid boil may damage the teapot as the pieces may jump around in the water, hitting each other, the walls of the cooker and get damaged. If the pot is moving too much reduce the fire a bit more.
After the teapot seasons for about an hour in the slow boil, turn off the fire and let the items stand in the water for about 24 hours. This is your first boil.
After standing 24 hours, the water is cooled and you can easily take the teapot and lid out of the water and rinse off well any purple sand residue inside of the teapot and repeat steps 3 and 4 again. This is your second boil. (The teapot should be fully immersed in the tea water during seasoning. Add additional fresh water as needed to ensure full coverage)
The next day, you can take your teapot out of the water again and rinse it with hot water. Hereafter the micro-pores in your yixing teapot are open, functional and ready to receive the flavor and aroma of your favorite tea.
NEVER use any kind of soap to wash out your yixing teapot. If you do, you will be tasting soap for several cups. Hot water is sufficient to cleanse the teapot after use. Use boiling water to clean your teapot.
You should have a designated space for your yixing teapots. When you are finished using your yixing teapot, rinse with hot water and allow to air dry with the lid off. Keep your teapot away from grease, strong odors and do not put in the dishwasher. Allow your teapot to fully air dry before you put it away. Tea stains on your teapot are fine. Do not try to remove them. This is a desirable feature that is part of the patina of use, age and valuation of aging or vintage teapots.
Enjoy the journey of discovery with your teapot that is like the silent friend you have tea with. Relish the moments of drinking tea, gazing at your pot and savoring the tea within. Prepare a small space in your house for your tea drinking time, and make it your special corner of the world for as many minutes as you can. Add a tea scroll or tea picture to compliment the mood. Simple is best.
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Karen Davis is an Yixing Teapot enthusiast and collected her first pot back in the 1980's. She is the founder of Brownstoneshopper, an online webstore that sells Yixing teapots. We have avariety of teapots showcased in our online gallery. If you enjoyed this article, visit us now online at http://www.brownstoneshopper.com/contact-us/ and sign up for your FREE Report!
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