While it's great to steep Tea in a Purple Clay Teapot, it can accumulate tea stains. During the process of nurturing the pot, frequent steeping inevitably leaves tea stains inside.
There is a story about a wealthy man who saw an old teapot passed down through generations in a farmer's home and offered a tempting high price for it, agreeing to come back the next day to collect it.
The simple farmer, seeing that the purple clay teapot was rather dirty, scrubbed it clean. However, when the wealthy man saw the freshly cleaned teapot the next day, he no longer wanted it because what he was buying was precisely the tea stains accumulated over many years.
Many teapot enthusiasts share the same idea as the farmer in the story, believing that tea stains are the essence accumulated over time. With this layer of tea stains, even pouring boiling water into the purple clay teapot would result in a faint tea aroma.
However, the truth is that leaving tea stains uncleaned can easily lead to bacterial growth, which is not good for health. So, how can you clean the teapot without removing the patina?
Teapot Cleaning Method
Many teapot enthusiasts are hesitant to thoroughly clean their Teapots due to the developed patina, fearing that it might be washed away. Below is a method to clean the tea stains from the inner walls of a purple clay teapot without damaging the patina.
Step 1
Take one spoonful of edible baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and put it into the teapot. Pour in boiling water (100 degrees Celsius) (note: don't forget to warm the teapot first), fill the teapot completely, and cover with the lid.
Step 2
Wait for about two to three minutes, then gently scrub the inside of the teapot with a teapot care cloth or a soft-bristled brush. You will see the tea stains turn into yellowish water flowing out, leaving the inside of the teapot bright and clean as new.
If the first attempt doesn't feel like it has thoroughly cleaned the teapot, you can repeat the process, but be sure to use a soft brush or teapot care cloth to avoid damaging the teapot.
Note: To avoid damaging the patina, when soaking the teapot, only fill it with alkaline water as if you were steeping tea. Do not soak the entire teapot in a large container filled with alkaline water, as this could affect the patina on the outer surface of the teapot.
Points to Remember
After each use, always remember to wipe the outside of the purple clay teapot clean; otherwise, there's a risk of uneven coloring.
Some people do wipe the teapot after each use, but they don't do it promptly, and by the time they get around to caring for the teapot half a day later, it may be too late.
In fact, purple clay teapots also need rest. Continuous and uninterrupted steeping keeps the teapot in a state of constant dampness, preventing it from thoroughly Drying out, which can lead to bacterial growth. Generally, after using the teapot for a few days, let it rest for two to three days before using it again.
Published by: Purple Clay Teapot Research Society
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