Tea Knowledge: Zisha Teapot FAQs!

Zisha teapots are everyday utensils for tea lovers and should be treated with a casual attitude.

We've compiled some common Zisha teapot usage questions in a short Q&A format to help tea lovers get started.

01. Why use a Zisha teapot? Can't a gaiwan be just the ticket?

As everyday tea brewing utensils, gaiwans and teapots each have their own unique characteristics and limitations.

Gaiwans, made of porcelain, can authentically capture the aroma and flavor of tea, making them more objective for tea tasting. Zisha teapots, on the other hand, are breathable and absorb the aroma and flavor of tea, enhancing the flavor of the tea. Therefore, they are not recommended for tea tasting.

Generally speaking, lightly fermented, lightly fired oolong teas, white teas, and new Pu'er teas can be brewed with gaiwans; medium-fired oolong teas, aged oolong teas, aged Pu'er teas, and black teas are more flavorful when brewed with a Zisha teapot. Simply put, the lighter the tea liquid, the more suitable it is for a gaiwan, while the opposite is true for a purple clay teapot.

02. How do you open a purple clay teapot? Do you need to boil it?

After receiving the teapot, wipe it inside and out with a small toothbrush or a soft towel. Rinse it several times with warm water, then several times with hot water. Let it sit overnight, and you can brew tea the next day.

Start by brewing ordinary tea. After a week or two, the dryness of the teapot will gradually subside, and you can brew fine tea.

As long as the kiln temperature is sufficient, a purple clay teapot will not have any earthy or off-flavored odors. Don't believe claims like boiling tofu or sugarcane in water.

However, boiling it in clean water over low heat is indeed a quick way to open the teapot, but it's only for professionals.

03. Is it necessary to brew one teapot per teapot?

It depends on the individual. For beginners, if you don't have many teapots or are too hesitant, using one pot for all types of tea is fine. Just rinse with boiling water after each brewing. This won't significantly affect the brewing process, and there's no need to be overly particular about it. Tea brewing shouldn't become a chore.

Of course, if possible, use one pot for one tea. Zisha teapots have a certain absorbency, especially when brewing fine, delicate teas.

Using the same pot for both oolong and cooked tea is inappropriate.

In principle, a single pot should be used for each type of tea. Excessive divisions can become burdensome. For example, a single pot can be used for all types of tea, without having to distinguish between cooked and Liubao teas. Oolong tea can also be used in the same pot (without distinguishing between rock tea and Minnan oolong).

04. How to maintain a teapot: Is it okay to pour tea over it or leave it in the pot?

A Zisha teapot is best maintained with normal use.

After each use, clean out the tea leaves, rinse the pot with hot water, and keep the lid open to dry the pot in the shade. During normal use, try to rinse the teapot with clean water.

Occasionally, a light tea is fine; the main goal is to keep it clean. Once the tea has cooled, discard it as soon as possible; do not leave it in the pot for long.

A teapot needs fresh tea, just as a person needs fresh air and food.

Every time I see someone leave tea in a teapot for days, claiming to be caring for it, I feel heartbroken. Expired tea only stains the pot.

05. How to Prevent Zisha Teapots from Cracked?

Many novice tea lovers often fill their teapots with boiling water as the first step, which can easily cause cracking. Zisha, like porcelain, should avoid sudden changes in temperature. Always warm the teapot before use. Start with warm water and wait a few minutes before adding hot water. If a teapot has not been used for several months, soak it in cold water for half an hour before brewing. As long as you understand this principle, Zisha teapots are unlikely to crack, so there's no need to worry.

06. What's the most important factor when choosing a teapot?

Preference is paramount. Don't worry about the clay material or shape; just like it at first sight.

When brewing, the volume has the greatest impact; the shape and clay material don't have a significant impact, so don't worry about it.

07. What's the ideal capacity for a purple clay teapot?

Whether it's a purple clay teapot or a gaiwan, a capacity of 100-120 ml is ideal, with 7-8 grams of tea being the most common standard brewing method.

Tea pots tend to get smaller as you get older. More experienced tea lovers often prefer pots under 100 ml. The usual capacity can be adjusted to around 80 ml, which is sufficient for one or two people without overdoing it.

08. What teapot shape is best for beginners?

For beginners, it's generally recommended to start with easy-to-understand shapes like horizontal teapots and pear teapots.

Once you're familiar with them, you can move on to other shapes. Generally speaking, wide, low vessels, such as the Dwarf Pear, Shipiao, Round Fruit, and Apple pots, are suitable for bolder Pu'er teas. Tall, thin vessels, such as the Gaoli, Siting, and Qiushui pots, can enhance the aroma and are suitable for medium-fire oolong teas.

Or simply put, teas with a light tea soup are often suited to wide, low vessels, while teas with a dark tea soup are often suited to tall, thin vessels.

09. How to Choose Clay?

Purple and red clay are the most common clays used for purple clay teapots. For oolong tea, red clay is generally preferred; for Pu'er and black tea, purple and Duan clay are more commonly chosen.

If you're really unsure how to choose, then "light tea with light tea, dark tea with dark tea."

For teas with light tea soups, such as delicate oolong teas, low-aged white teas, green teas, and yellow teas, use white clay pots or silver pots to boil the water, and choose red clay for its warm texture.

For teas with amber or chestnut-red tea soups, such as raw Pu'er teas under 20 years old, red clay pots should be used, and darker purple clay pots should be chosen.

For aged raw teas, aged cooked teas, and aged oolong teas with a deep chestnut-red or even purple-black tea soup, black iron pots, black pottery, or old rock clay pots should be used.

For medium-boiled oolong teas, red clay pots with a blended sand should be used, and purple clay pots should be made from red clay. In short, lighter tea soups tend to have lighter-colored water boilers and teapots, and vice versa.

This is just a convenient method for daily use and is not absolute. It is for reference only.

10. Does tea brewed in a fully handmade teapot taste better than tea brewed in a semi-handmade teapot?

The difference is not significant. The reason fully handmade teapots are more expensive is that the hand-molding process requires more labor, resulting in a more refined flavor and detail that withstands scrutiny, which is an aesthetic consideration. Of course, if the clay and kiln are the same, a handmade teapot that undergoes more manual patting and has better air permeability will have a subtle improvement in brewing.

However, this effect is likely minimal and unlikely to be noticeable to the average tea lover, so don't take it too seriously.

11. What are the spots on a purple clay teapot?

When it comes to teapots and utensils, it's crucial not to approach them with an industrial eye, demanding a completely smooth surface without any blemishes. For example, a genuine purple clay teapot will inevitably have small black, white, or even tiny specks.

Black specks are iron ion specks, while white specks are mica specks. The presence of these small specks is normal and indicates the purity of the purple clay; otherwise, it could indicate a problem with the raw materials.

If industrial standards are used for a purple clay teapot, achieving a spotless finish is not difficult. Someone has developed the "slurry sand blasting method," where the raw material is not screened for impurities and then crushed at high density using a machine, resulting in a flawless surface.

If this saves labor and materials, and eliminates the process of sorting out impurities, will the raw materials still be good? Furthermore, if the raw materials are crushed, how can the sandy feel of the purple clay teapot be achieved, how can the double-pore structure be achieved, and how can the joy of playing with and brewing tea be achieved?

Even worse, the raw materials are acid-washed and acid-soaked to dissolve the iron. But is this still purple clay?

12. What are your thoughts on the dripping from the lid of a purple clay teapot when pouring tea?

Purple clay is a daily item. A beautiful shape, smooth water flow, no leaks, and a tight lid are fundamental skills that should be strictly adhered to, but not excessively demanding.

Some tea lovers pursue a completely water-free state (not even a drop or two), with no iron ore specks allowed, or a perfectly tight lid, which is a bit extreme.

Purple clay teapots are handmade, fired in a single pass over an open flame at high temperatures. Expansion and contraction are inevitable, and there are many uncontrollable factors, which are completely normal. The reason many new teapots today achieve near-perfect standards is because they undergo repeated firing, removal, trimming, and re-firing.

The resulting shape is quite standard, but it also suffers from severe vitrification and poor air permeability. The deeper you delve into teapot craftsmanship, the more problems you'll encounter.