The use, maintenance, and cleaning of purple clay pots come with specific knowledge and methods. These practical tips are the summation of life experiences. Understanding this knowledge and mastering the correct methods can greatly enrich and improve Tea and pot arts.
Drinking tea in winter is a very healthy practice. Brewing tea with a purple clay pot not only brings out its rich aroma without any cooked taste but also offers an advantage over other teapots due to its excellent heat retention, especially in cold weather.
Preparing the Tea
This refers to brewing tea. Different teas require different Water temperatures for steeping. Tip: Remember to warm up the purple clay pot before brewing tea in winter, especially Zhu Ni pots, to prevent cracking.
Purple clay pots come in various heights. Tall pots are suitable for black tea, while short pots are better for green tea. Tall pots have a higher body and a more closed lid, making them ideal for black tea. Since black tea undergoes Fermentation during processing, steeping it in a tall pot allows for deep brewing, fully developing the tea's flavor, aroma, and color, resulting in a richer and more fragrant infusion. Shorter pots have a shorter body and a slightly wider lid, making them suitable for green tea.
Nurturing the Pot
Rubbing a clean hand over a Purple Clay Teapot while brewing tea is known as “nurturing the pot.” This practice is locally referred to in Yixing as “polishing the pot.” Since ancient times, lovers of teapots have kept their hands on the pot, polishing and cherishing it daily. Some people also use a cloth to wipe the pot. After the pot has been used to brew tea with boiling water, extremely fine tea juice seeps onto the surface, which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Wiping the pot back and forth with a damp cloth over time will make the surface of the pot delicate, lustrous, smooth, and shiny, providing a comfortable tactile experience.
Cleaning the Pot
The purple clay pot has a larger pore structure and strong adsorption capacity, making it resistant to souring when used for brewing tea. Given this characteristic, ordinary tea should be cleaned immediately after brewing.
For high-quality teas placed in the pot, they can be stored inside the pot and thoroughly cleaned later. If there are any unwanted odors, here's how to remove them: If a teapot has not been used for a long time and develops an unpleasant smell, simply soak it in boiling water and then rinse it with cold water to eliminate the odor. Before using a new purple clay teapot, you need to season it first before proceeding to use it.