China’s Yixing teapot

In my hub 'some facts about green tea' I mention the Yixing tea pot commonly used to brew Chinese tea. In this hub I will explain further about this interesting clay teapot from China.

Yixing teapot

The Yixing tea pot is named after the city Yixing from where the clay, Zisha (purple clay), needed to make the pot comes from. The purple clay is unique since it can preserve heat, flavor, aroma and the color of tea boiled in vessels made from the clay. Zisha is extremely absorbent and can with stand temperatures as high as 1000 degrees Celsius. The clay is made from the minerals iron, quartz and mica.

A monk from Yixing is credited for not only handcrafting the first Yixing tea pot but also for paving the way for more of the pots to be made throughout the country and made available to the rest of the world. Traditional Yixing tea pots were quite small and it was not uncommon to see a person drink tea directly from the pot.

Popular teas which are commonly brewed in a Yixing tea pot are black tea and oolong tea including green tea and white tea. Different varieties of tea cannot be brewed in the same Yixing teapot. The clay absorbs some of the tea and preserves it inside the pot after every brew and if more than one type of tea is prepared in the same pot the flavor of the tea will change and give an unpleasant taste.

Soap and detergent are not used when washing a Yixing tea pot. The pot is only rinsed in water. This results in a stain appearing on the inside of the pot which gets darker every time tea is brewed. The tea stain helps to improve both the taste and color of future teas which will be brewed in the pot. Some say after years of brewing tea in a Yixing tea pot, one need only to add hot water and the water will mix with the aged tea inside and produce a delicious cup of tea. The Yixing tea pot should never be kept near foods or places that emit smells since the odors will mix with the brewing tea and alter its taste.

It’s important to remember a new Yixing teapot has to be prepared in a certain way before tea can be brewed in it.

• Gently wash the teapot and lid thoroughly with a sponge/cloth using plain cold tap water.

• Take an empty large shallow pan and place it on the cooker. Put the teapot and the lid into the pan and gently pour water into the pan until the teapot has fully gone under the water.

• Turn on the heat of the cooker to low and heat the water until it begins to boil. Once the water is boiled turn off the heat and let the teapot stand in the pan of water until the water cools. Then remove the teapot and lid from the pan and allow to completely dry. Do not leave the lid on the teapot when drying it.

• Once the tea pot is completely dry, again fill an empty large shallow pan and place it on the cooker. Place the dry teapot and its lid into the pan. Gently pour water into the pan until the tea pot and lid is fully submerged in the water.

• Turn on the heat in the cooker and keep on low fire and let the water come to a boil. Turn off the heat once the water is boiled and put a handful of tea leaves into the water (make sure you use the same kind of tea leaves when soaking as when brewing). Allow the teapot and its lid to soak in the pan of water with the tea leaves overnight. Next day remove the tea pot and the lid from the pan and rinse in water. Once rinsed let it dry completely. Do not leave the lid on the teapot when drying it.

Brewing tea in a new Yixing teapot begins with first preheating the pot by adding hot water into it and then draining off the water. Once this is done, add the tea leaves into the empty tea pot. Pour water into the pot and allow the tea leaves to soak for 60 -90 seconds. Then strain and drink. The tea pot should be rinsed with hot water after every use.

© 2011 Suranee Perera