Can you answer my teaware questions?

I’m no expert, but I’ll put in my two cents…

a) I’m not sure if wood would be the best choice for tea-ware if the wood is untreated. I feel that the wood would “flavor” the tea…i.e. your tea would soak in some of the flavors/oils/chemicals/etc. of the wood. Not really sure what the technical terms would be, but I feel that the wood would impact the flavor of the tea

b) I can’t say for certain if it would soak up the flavors, but it makes sense in theory. Wood is fairly porous, so it would also soak in the flavors of the tea (this is how yixing clay tea pots work…the clay is porous which absorbs the flavors of the tea). So my guess is at some point (not sure how long it would take if it does in fact occur) it would begin to absorb the flavors of the tea.

c) Pros: looks rustic; probably would be nice to handle (i.e. wouldn’t be too hot to the touch like cast iron or some ceramic mugs are); seems like a neat idea

d) Cons: splinters; wood begins to mold/rot because it would take a long time to dry; would absorb soaps/detergents if washed with them

e) While I enjoy woodworking, I do not know enough about the different types of wood which would best suit your purpose. My guess would be some kind of hard wood

Thanks! You had some great points, I might make a few cups to test out and try. I think its a cool idea but maybe the cons out weigh the pros for wooden teaware.

I definitely toyed with the idea this summer while I was building a treasure chest. I think it would be really awesome, you would just need to find a heavy-duty food-grade wax finish you could use. I think I remember looking up videos on how to make wooden cups, and if I recall correctly, the only thing you really needed to do to “treat” the wood was sand it down very fine and get top-grade wax…put a few coats of that on or whatnot. It seemed relatively doable, but I don’t know that I personally would use an unfinished mug just for the risk of mold/bacteria developing due to the constant moisture levels in the wood.

Okay cool Ill have to check out those videos and find some of that wax.

I think hot water would destroy wood pretty quickly, there’s a reason teaware is all made of ceramic.

I own a wooden tea pot. Apparently it is usable, but I haven’t gotten the guts to try it on fear of it getting ruined or making bad tea. I don’t know much about wood, so I couldn’t tell you what its made of, but maybe a pic of it may be helpful. http://oolongowl.com/oolong-owls-2013-christmas-tea-haul/

Those pictures are awesome lol I really like the owl gourd and teapot.

If you plan on brewing the same type of tea over a long period of time I would recommend a Yixing pot for you. A “true” Yixing will absorb the tea oils over the years and “enhance” the flavor of the tea you brew in it. ceramic is “neutral” if you want to brew a variety of tea in it. I guess you would have to decide on those two points. I would shy away from the wood if you want the “true” flavor of the tea.