And as far as seasonnig Yixing for expensive oolongs...

For those of you who season their yixing...if I were to want to dedicate a pot to an expensive oolong (for me say Bai Hao) then what would I season it with that would be less expensive? Anyone have a good idea for a "neutral" oolong that seasons well for the more expensive teas? Or do you just not season it in the usual way by boiling in steeped tea, and just boil and clean the pot and then steep in it "raw" as it were?

I've been meaning to ask these questions for quite awhile but I go through phases and right now I'm in a green/pu-er phase. :D

Melinda

Reply to
Melinda
Loading thread data ...

I dunno...Bai Hao is such a singular taste...use a lesser-grade Bai Hao or a light yet fruity/toasty black? (B.H. was supposedly developed to resemble black teas.)

When I seasoned my two pots for green and dark oolongs, I did use lesser grades than I brew for drinking. Doesn't seem to have made any difference.

In seasoning my new puerh pot, I used a cheap but decent cooked puerh for the first few steeps (didn't drink). Usually, though, I'll be brewing green puerhs in it, so that may have been a faux pax -- though, to be honest, I don't notice any problem.

Have not tried the "soak post in tea" method myself.

I do think some clay pots pick up tea characteristics more readily than others.

Joe Kubera

Reply to
Joseph Kubera

Recently bought yixing for Big Red Robe...seasoned with the best ($$$) I could afford.

Doug

Reply to
Doug and Claire English

I thought every RFDT post was tea-soaked.

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin

Did you steep the teapot in a pan of water steeped with the tea or did you just brew the tea in it a few times before you started drinking the results?

Melinda

Reply to
Melinda

The seasoning of yixing ware is really two processes: removing the clay-taste and marrying the aroma of the tea to the pot. I don't think it makes sense to use any tea to season a pot other than the one you plan on brewing. On the other hand, I think a lot of people waste good tea by using the pot before the clay-taste is gone.

If you want to avoid wasting tea, I recommend just boiling the heck out of the pot until no trace of clay-taste remains. After that, use the pot as a serving pitcher, brewing the tea in a porcelain pot. Pots absorb the aroma of the tea faster when used a pitcher than a brewing vessel. If and when the pot acquires a residual fragrance of Bai Hao (or until you just can't stand waiting any longer) you can start using the pot as normal.

Cheers,

Camer> For those of you who season their yixing...if I were to want to

dedicate a

Reply to
Cameron Lewis

Yes...It is a small 5 oz pot and I brewed some tea, then poured it out into the bowl (that I soaked the pot in) and then did a second steep, and completely covered the pot and let it set until the water was tepid...then I couldn't stand it anymore...I cleaned up...dried the pot and brewed some tea for its intended purpose, several steeps...worked okay for me...

Doug

Reply to
Doug and Claire English

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.