One of the subjects we receive a lot of questions about is how cups and tea pots can change the taste of the tea, and if there is special advice on choosing a Kyusu tea pot. To help with these queries we recently held a lively zoom workshop. For those who were unable to attend the workshop, I thought I would set out some of the ideas.
I prefer loose tea to tea bags, and actually hardly use tea bags. Loose leaf teas tend to be much more delicious - and in fact work out as much cheaper - compared with tea bags. In a tea pot the tea has more space to swim around. And you can get even more wonderful experiences and flavours if you choose the right tea pot for the right tea!
There are lots of different types of Kyusu tea pots, each one with its own different character, and to suit a different tea. Many of these tea pots have their own tea strainer on the inside.
Basically, Kyusu tea pots can be made from two different materials – clay and porcelain.
Many clay Kyusu are unglazed. These unglazed clay Kyusu are able to absorb tannin, which reduces the bitterness of the tea. So this type of Kyusu is very popular with green tea lovers in Japan. However, these Kyusu also absorb the fragrance of tea, so unglazed clay tea pots are not really suitable for use with aromatic teas such as Earl Grey or herbal teas.
Porcelain Kyusu tea pots, on the other hand, don’t absorb much tannin or aroma, so these work particularly well for green tea as well as aromatic teas.
This is a good opportunity to introduce some very elegant white porcelain tea pots. These have been made by the renowned female artist Maki Nakahara, from the Nagasaki region in Japan. Her porcelain collection was very well received at the store last Christmas, and we now have a collection of her unglazed white porcelain tea pots.
Generally, porcelain has a white, smooth texture. By heating the clay at high temperatures it becomes ‘vitrified’, which means there is no need to worry about later water leakage - even with unglazed porcelain.
Some people may be concerned about tea stains due to the texture of unglazed porcelain, but one characteristic of porcelain is that the clay does not absorb water, so there is no problem with stains. For daily care, we recommend using your usual neutral dish soap and water, with a sponge or by hand.
With some of the tea pots in Maki Nakahara’s collection, the brass handle was specially commissioned from a Nagasaki-based artist who also makes bangles and other accessories.
All tea pots are available on line as well as in store. Your tea life is much more enjoyable with your favourite Kyusu and cups!