De-seasoning a Yixing?
So I have a yixing pot that I’ve been using for black tea for a few months now. I can smell the flavor in it which means that the pot is definitely seasoned, but I’m finding that I’d rather have my yixing set to an Oolong instead of a black.
Is there a way that I could “reset” the yixing? Thanks :D
I have reset a few teapots. Typically, I use a soft brand new (that is important) toothbrush and scrub with water. Then I follow the first step in seasoning by boiling it in plain water. After that I see how it is. Sometimes I repeat the process and if necessary I have used baking soda mixed with water to scrub the pot with the toothbrush. There was only one teapot this method hadn’t worked for and that pot had some mold issues.
From what I’ve read, the best way to really clean them is a good soak in some diluted bleach (followed by a warm water soak to get the bleach smell out), should make the pot look and taste brand new again.
MarshalN’s blog has some dramatic before/after shots of its effectiveness:
http://www.marshaln.com/2011/05/baths/
http://www.marshaln.com/2008/04/monday-april-28-2008/
Wow, I would never have guessed bleach was a good idea in yixing. Because of the porous nature of the clay, it would be very difficult to remove the bleach entirely and I wouldn’t use it for drinking.
I find that hard to believe. The nature of yixing is to absorb whatever is put in it. It is not like a porcelain pot that wipes clean. I haven’t tested it, but it is hard to imagine all the bleach miraculously disappearing from the clay once it has absorbed in.
well, bleach is completely water soluble, so soaking in clean water will leech it right back out of the porous clay. I’ve not had occasion to use it myself, but MarshalN and some others swear by it, seemingly just soaking it in clean water overnight and then making tea in it, repeating if you can still smell the bleach.
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