Recently, some Tea enthusiasts have been asking me if it's best to brew tea using a purple clay pot? What are the best brewing tools for Green Tea, Black Tea, and Pu'er tea? Before I address these questions, I should clarify that I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to purple clay pots. I only know a little about them, even though I have quite a few here and have used several of them, so I do have some practical experience. However, I don't know much about their cultural history. Today, I'd like to share my thoughts with you.
Let's start by categorizing teas. First, there is green tea, which is most commonly brewed in a teacup, be it porcelain or glass. Every tea drinker knows that this is the simplest, most common, and most practical method. However, some also use gaiwans, purple clay pots, Jian ware, or porcelain kettles. But brewing tea in paper cups is not recommended; it's merely for convenience! If you use a paper cup for more expensive teas, you're essentially wasting it. Additionally, brewing in multiple infusions can enhance the layers of flavor in the tea. Each infusion brings a slightly different experience, avoiding the problem of overly concentrated tea. Therefore, for high-quality teas, I still recommend using a Gaiwan or teapot.
The most common way to brew black tea is using a gaiwan, although many enthusiasts prefer to use a pot. Few directly brew it in a cup because the appreciation of black tea focuses on its aroma and smoothness. If you directly brew it in a cup, both key aspects are significantly reduced. Thus, for the best appreciation of black tea, use a gaiwan or teapot. Based on my experience, I would more strongly recommend a gaiwan.
Let's focus on Pu'er tea, which can be accurately divided into four categories. The first category is new tea, i.e., Pu'er raw tea produced in the same year. When brewing this type of tea, it's essential to use a porcelain or glass gaiwan. I don't recommend using clay or purple clay gaiwans, let alone a pot. This is because new tea, having just been made, has the weakest aroma and character in its lifetime. Using a gaiwan maximizes the display of the tea's true flavor, allowing you to taste the most fundamental essence of the leaves. If you use a clay or purple clay gaiwan, the lower density and porosity of these materials will absorb the tea's aroma, weakening its fragrance, especially affecting the lingering aroma.
Brewing new tea in a pot, where the temperature remains consistently high and the pouring speed is much slower than with a gaiwan, creates a stewing effect. This not only weakens the aroma but also makes the inherent bitterness and astringency of new tea more pronounced. The astringency, in particular, becomes more noticeable. If you stew it further, it amplifies the bitterness and astringency, potentially reducing a good tea by more than one or two levels. However, if your goal is to identify certain characteristics of the tea, using a pot is better, similar to how we might use a judging cup to stew a tea we've never encountered before.
The second category is tea aged between one and five years. For this type, porcelain or glass gaiwans are still recommended. Although the tea has undergone some transformation, improving its internal quality, it still lacks the ability to overcome the negative effects of clay or purple clay utensils.
The third category includes older teas, such as those stored for over ten years in the south or 15 to 20 years in the north. At this stage, more brewing utensils become suitable options, including clay or purple clay gaiwans, but I still wouldn't recommend a pot for the reasons mentioned earlier.
The fourth category is teas over 20 years old or ripe teas. These are better brewed in a pot, especially ripe teas. Clay and purple clay pots have the effect of softening water. For Pu'er teas over 20 years old, particularly those stored in the south that have taken on a ripe tea-like character, the nature of the tea has become less harsh and more mellow. After being softened by the pot, the tea soup becomes smoother, thicker, and more delicate, better expressing the advantages of an aged tea. Personally, I suggest that in drier areas like the north, when drinking locally stored aged teas, even those over 20 years old, you should still use a gaiwan for raw teas, while ripe teas can be brewed in a pot. In southern regions, aged raw teas or ripe teas over 20 years old are better brewed in a pot.