Yixing teapots and cups are made from a special purple clay called zisha which is found only in Yixing County of Jiangsu Province in China. The clay is very porous, and over time, will absorb the flavor of the tea brewed in it. Because of this, the Chinese only make one kind of tea in each Yixing (pronounced ee-shing) pot.
Cleaning a Yixing pot in hot, soapy water or even in a dishwasher will ruin the pot for further tea making. The soapy water will remove the built-up tea flavor from the pot, leaving a soapy flavor in its place. To clean the teapot between uses, just empty the leaves and rinse out with hot water, preferably water that is not chlorinated. If tea leaves are stuck to the pot, use only a finger to clean them out – do not use any kind of abrasive tool. Let the pot air dry upside down so it can drain; do not use a towel to dry it.
New Yixing Clay Pots Must Be "Cured" Before First Use
New pots must be “cured” before making tea that can be drunk, according to Imperial Tea Court.The process is a test-run for making tea in the pot. It is the same process as making drinking-tea, only the tea is allowed to steep longer and is not drunk. This step must be done several times, with this tea tossed out, before the pot is considered ready for drinkable tea. Chinese aficionados recommend using the same tea for the curing process as will be used for the drinking-tea so the flavor will be the same.
Before starting the curing process, make sure any sandy residue has been cleaned out from the inside of the pot.
To make tea in a Yixing pot, first fill it with hot water and then drain it. Put a teaspoon of loose tea in the pot. Then fill the pot with hot water and let it steep for at least one minute. (The tea can steep for up to a half-hour during the curing process.)
Most Pots Hold One Serving of Tea
Yixing teapots are usually small, designed to make individual servings of tea. In China, each person would have his own teapot.
The Chinese have been making teapots from zisha clay since the 14th century, but made other pottery items for hundreds of years prior to this. The teapots are usually crafted by hand; small studios outside the China Yixing Ceramics Museum offer demonstrations on making teapots and cups. Teapots and cups come in all price ranges; Chinese tea drinkers recommend not drinking tea from the cheapest pots as they may contain lead.
Dingshan, where most of Yixing tea pottery is made, is about a three-hour drive from Shanghai.
Tea drinkers who visit Beijing will find that Malinandao Street is a good place to stock up on teas and tea ware. There are more than 1,000 shops in a two-block area.
Cheryl Probst - Cheryl Probst is an award-winning photojournalist who specializes in writing about motorcycles, China and the Pacific Northwest.
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