Puple Clay Tea Pots - what is good about them?

Tt7G8d.7197$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr13.news.prodigy.com10/5/04

Nobody minds.

Tia,

It's a particular "clay" mined in a particular region around a town called YiXing, in China. This clay is considered very good for tea partly because, even fired at a high heat and therefore more glass-like than for example earthenware, it remains porous. Porosity allows the pot walls to pick up the molecules of residual tea, improving the flavor of tea brewed in in it as the pot ages. Therefore, the it ages more gracefully than pots made of other clays. Some say, undoubtedly rightfully so, that this is not technically a clay but rather a paste, produced from pulverized rock. OK by me.

In addition, there are traditional forms for these pots that are quite simple and quite nice. Further, the pots are often made into absurdly modernistic and animalistic forms that scream look-at-me. These are not nice. Others' opinions might differ because some people have no taste. IM*H*O. There is much more to say, but I won't bore you more than is necessary.

Michael

There is definitely truth to these pots being excellent for tea. I used to use glazed pots for everything until I finally found an inexpensive Yixing (purple clay) pot. After an initial seasoning, each pot of tea gets better and better. The only example I can think of is a meerschaum tobacco pipe. Like a yixing pot, they are relatively porous. After being used, the pores are filled with good essences of whatever has been put in it, enhancing the item for the next use.

Now that being said I have two pots, one for lightly oxidized green oolongs, and one for darker oolongs like Bai Hao. I still use glazed ware for pu-erh, greens, whites and blacks.

-ben

OK, Thx (both replies).

btw, My 1st Initial is indeed T, but tia = 'Thanks In Advance'.

TBerk