Yixing teapot

[MelissaB]

Anyobody have one? Are they really worth the $$ ? Hubby has a birthday coming up and loves hot tea, and I've signed him up for the tea club here: http://www.taooftea.com/index1.php3?id=c4c2bd723b484e4ba330d6a2e9fa04e4

Aren't they pretty?










These are from http://www.mrslinskitchen.com/index.htm

[NMDemDist2]

1. i dunno if they're worth it. what complaints does he have with his current

pot? PM me and i'll see if I can help...

teapots are a very personal thing with me. I want a heavy clay pot that has a well fitted infuser and a method to keep the lid on while pouring

teapots..... I love em tooo!

[MelissaB]

2. He only has a plain teapot

and NO infuser. He orders Twinings online because we don't have a tea store here, and I thought he would enjoy branching out. When I sent him a link to this site a while back he expressed interest in the yixing.

Edited to say that he doesn't have any complaints about his current teapot. Also, what should I look for in an infuser?

Another thought: I guess I'm becoming more interested in tea since he pours me a cup every morning becasue I'm trying to stop drinking so many Diet Dr. Peppers.

[politicat]

4. Infusers: VERY fine mesh.

Standard tea-ball mesh is usually wide enough to let finer flakes get in the tea, and that can lead to a stewed flavor.

He's drinking Twinings?????? Sweet merciful Zeus, if you're ordering online, there are cheaper and better teas out there. Twinings is what they sweep up off the mixing floor.... If you must drink name brands, go with Fortnum and Masons.

We use: Adagio.com, specialteas.com and Zhena's Gypsy teas. Republic of Tea is very good, but there aren't a lot of blends I like.

What do you want to know about tea? I blend my own blends and flavors.

[MelissaB]

8. "...Sweet merciful Zeus"

:rofl:

Yeah, I've heard most tea drinkers turn their nose up at Twinings, and it's past time he tried something else.

BTW, I know nothing about tea. Hubby is always the one who is in charge of making the tea. I guess it's time for me to learn now that I'm drinking it.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

9. I think it would be a very fun thing to learn about.

I'll bet there are a brazillion forums on the nets that could help you too.

:hi:

[Warpy]

3. My favorite teapot is an English brown Betty

because it's the right size, the lid doesn't fall off, and it has a strainer built into the spout, so I don't have to use a mesh strainer as I pour into the cup.

My second favorite is the one I bought to replace the brown Betty pot I broke last year, a Portuguese dragonfly pot in green, same size and shape as Betty, but without the strainer. At least the lid stays on.

My least favorite was a dark brown Japanese job. Lid didn't stay on, no strainer, and an inconvenient shape that made for sloppy pouring. It was tall and cylindrical with a high spout.

More important than the pot, though, is what goes into it, and no pot of mine will EVER see Lipton. PG Tips is my favorite, followed by Red Rose, and I'll drink Tetley if I'm desperate. My favorite Chinese tea is the jasmine tea in the orange and gilt box. Second favorite is pu-erh, AKA Chinese Alka Seltzer, great with meals that are a wee bit higher in fats than my usual.

The top and bottom pots in your pictures look like they're easy to pour. The center one may be a bit tall with the spout a bit too high and would suffer from Japanese cylindrical pot syndrome. It would be very pretty on a shelf, though.

[MelissaB]

10. I had to google English brown Betty.

:blush:





It looks like I won't have any trouble finding it, and having a built in strainer sounds really nice. Do you (or anyone) have a suggestion as to where I should order it? Also, what about ebay? They seem to have everything.

http://search.ebay.com/english-brown-betty_W0QQfromZR40

[Warpy]

13. They're all over the place

I was looking for one before I had to drop everything and head for Florida. I'll probably get one when I get back since it's my all purpose workhorse teapot. There are quite a few online gourmet, tea, spice, and cooking shops selling them new. They run anywhere from $26.00 to $50.00 depending on size, or did before I left what seems an eternity ago.

[MelissaB]

16. I'm finding plenty of Brown Betty's, but none say they have a built in

strainer. :( Do most of them have this built in?

[NMDemDist2]

17. there's two kinds of strainers that you'll find in teapots (usually)

one is built into the spout and basically worthless (holes are HUGE! and let the tea through) and the drop in type (like the Bodum I showed you)

another type is the one you hold over the cup and catch it that way. if you don't mind that, the pots with the holes in the spout work fine!

Hope that helped...

[Warpy]

18. Yes, real English brown Betty teapots have a strainer

built into the body of the teapot underneath where they attach the spout. They never mention it because they think that's just the right way to make a teapot---and they're right. It's ceramic, so it's a coarse strainer (just round holes poked through the clay while it's wet) but it's enough to hold back most of the leaves.

[Shakespeare]

5. I collect them, and have one "utilitarian" one I use every day....

They're really lovely; here are a couple of mine:





And here's my "everyday" yixing teapot:



If you drink a lot of green or white tea, these are really ideal. The clay retains just enough heat to keep the tea warm for awhile without causing it to go bitter, and it also takes on a kind of patina of the teas you use (which devotees like me swear enhances the flavor). I do NOT recommend using them for oolong or black teas, by the way. The water you use for those teas is a little hotter than is good for the pot, and the clay will really pick up the more bitter notes of the darker teas.

[wildeyed]

7. I like your everyday pot best.

But they are all beautiful.

[MelissaB]

11. I think that may become my problem.

I've found too many "pretty" teapots that I would love to collect. :)

[MelissaB]

12. Aarg! I think Tony drinks a lot of black teas.

I guess with that tea club I just joined he will be trying different things, though. Thanks for pointing that out.

[NMDemDist2]

14. an option for multitudes of teas are the glass ones ( I can get you one)

Bodum makes a pretty nice one that big enough to work with

[MelissaB]

15. Thanks so much, AZDemDist6!

I think I'm going to try find a Brown Betty and a glass teapot. I'll let you know if I run into any trouble. :hug:

[wildeyed]

6. I have a yixing pot.

I grooved on it in the store, and someone bought it for me as a gift.

You are only supposed to brew one type of tea in the pot for ever and ever. It becomes seasoned with the tea flavor. You never, ever wash the pot with soap.

I use my "house tea", a green tea called Three Cup Fragrance in mine. I don't know that it makes the tea taste any better. My understanding, once the pot is heavily seasoned it does makes a difference. Mine may still be too new.

I enjoy the ritual of tea, and my pots are part of that. First I choose my tea. Then I choose a pot and cup. Then I smell the tea. Then I brew loose tea in the pot, making sure to use the correct temperature water and brewing time for the type. Then pour it through a strainer that fits over my cup. Then I look at the tea color and smell it some more. Then I *finally* drink some.

I quit smoking years and years ago. I think tea ritual somehow replace the whole smoking ritual. Cheaper and healthier, too :)

[MelissaB]

19. I got these in the mail,

and they are tiny! :rofl: I'm glad I opened them before Tony did. Today is his birthday, but he won't open these for a couple of days because we are so busy running the kids to activities. He did open one present at lunch today, but we'll celebrate properly Saturday.

Thanks for all the help and guidance!

BTW, Tony got 3 yixing pots, a Bodum, and a Brown Betty. He is also now a member of a tea club so that he can try different kinds.

[Shakespeare]

20. ooooooh, yup....shoulda warned you about that!

Most of the yixing pots are primarily ornamental, and tiny tiny tiny. My "utilitarian" pot I showed you above holds about 20 oz., and it looks like a monster compared to my for-show-only ones!

He's gonna love the very-very-thoughtful presents!

[MelissaB]

21. Well, he loves the Brown Betty and since he expressed an interest

in the yixing, I'm sure he'll love those, too.

BTW, the may be small, but they are beautiful. ;)

[NMDemDist2]

22. hope he has a wonderful b-day, but how could he not with such a thoughtful

SO

:party: :bounce: :woohoo: :yourock:

[Cassandra]

23. Denby Nevadrip

Denby makes wonderful teapots. Their Nevadrip (an old name) uses a similar design to Japanese iron teapot spouts; a bit of a bump inside the end of the spout to contain the drips. If you don't want to buy new, go to ebay and look for Denby teapot and try to find one close to home; shipping from England is a bitch. I prefer Denby to the Brown Betty and over the years they made many beautiful styles. Because they are fully vitrified stoneware, they are also very sturdy.
I make a pot of loose tea (single estate Assam) every morning and have probably more than a dozen teapots, including a yixing, which is gorgeous but I never use it. I have 3 Denby teapots and they pour the best.
The Swiss Gold filter for teapots is the best and easiest to use.