Many Teapot enthusiasts choose to use purple clay teapots when Drinking Tea, one reason being that over time, with the continuous soaking in tea water, they become smooth and lustrous, which is referred to as “forming a patina.”
▲ A lustrous patina
Thus, nurturing the teapot becomes a subject of study for every user and lover of these teapots. However, upon closer examination, we can discern three levels of nurturing a purple clay teapot. Let's delve into them.
1. Seeking But Not Achieving
“Seeking but not achieving” is something many novice teapot enthusiasts encounter. Despite trying various methods, the teapot shows no change or fails to develop a beautiful patina.
▲ Tea stains on the bottom of the pot
In previous articles, we have analyzed that this can be due to several reasons:
Reasons related to the teapot itself: Novice enthusiasts may have purchased slip-cast or hand-pulled teapots or teapots made from inferior clay, all of which can lead to failure in developing a patina.
Reasons related to the method of nurturing: For example, failing to clean tea residue regularly or allowing the teapot to come into contact with oil, which can result in uneven coloring on the teapot body.
The first level is the pursuit of developing a patina without success—seeking but not achieving.
2. Seeking and Achieving
With a good quality teapot and the correct method of nurturing, many enthusiasts begin to pursue the development of a patina on their purple clay teapot.
They Brew tea daily, selecting appropriate tea leaves for the teapot, and frequently clean and wipe it to keep it clean.
▲ Patina comparison
You would often take photos to record the changes in your purple clay teapot, feeling delighted as you see it gradually become glossy and refined.
This is the second level—seeking and achieving. Putting effort into developing a patina and succeeding.
3. Achieving Without Seeking
After experiencing the first two levels, comes the third level—achieving without seeking.
After using a purple clay teapot for a long time, one returns to the simple act of drinking tea, finding peace and tranquility.
No longer deliberately pursuing the development of a patina, in daily use and during the process of drinking tea, one's mind becomes calm, and the teapot grows increasingly smooth. Nourishing the mind is also nourishing the teapot.
Therefore, this third level is achieving without seeking.
Now that we've discussed these three levels, which level do you think you belong to? Feel free to leave a comment at the end of this article~
Finally, here are the eight-character guidelines for nurturing a teapot: frequent brewing, frequent cleaning, ventilation, and air-drying.
Frequent brewing means using it regularly;
Frequent cleaning means cleaning it after each use to maintain cleanliness;
Ventilation means not storing the purple clay teapot in a sealed environment but ensuring that its storage area is well-ventilated;
Air-drying means allowing the teapot to air-dry naturally after cleaning before storing it.
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