How Many Yixings Do You Have and What Teas Do You Use Them For?

Having now acquired my first, I’m curious to know what those of you who are collectors have and what teas you’ve assigned to them. And anything else you want to say about them, such as whether you have a favorite and if so, why it’s your favorite. If you have pictures you want to share, that’s even cooler.

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My first Yixing was purchased in Autumn last year after months of looking for something in my price range and something I like. The price differences between Yixing can be shocking depending on where you look. In the end I found this beauty which was only £40.
https://twitter.com/kittylovestea/status/375925148878008320/photo/1
I decided to use Shu Pu Erh in it :)

Also I have a Yixing flask from Teavana (that I got on eBay otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to buy one). They had a range of flasks with colours and logos to represent different teas, turns out I bought a black tea one but decided that when I’m out and about (walking, day trips etc) that I would prefer to be sipping on an Oolong. So now it’s an Oolong flask, and it has worked very well so far. Plus my Oolong is much nicer than what I can buy from a small cafe :)

What tea did you ‘assign’ to your Yixing Morgana ?

Thanks for posting the pic! I love the bird! So pretty. I also like the idea of a flask. Are you finding your shu pu erh tastes better?

I think I will use mine for that, too, though I haven’t seasoned it yet. In the reviews for the one I got, it seems that everyone is using it for shu pu erh. :-)

I seasoned my pot twice just to make sure it worked at least one of those times. I’ve had Shu from it a handful of times (not as often as I really should) and so far the only difference I’ve noticed is that I can taste the clay from the pot. It still smells the same too so I think I need to keep at it and use it more often. Will break it out in a bit. From what I hear though it will take a year or so of regular use for it to be noticeable.

The seasoning is a little weird but kinda fun to do at the same time :)

JC said

Hi KittyLovesTea,

If you are still tasting the clay then you need to wash/rinse a few more times and then do some seasoning. Just place the Yixing pot over a towel in a clean cooking pot(you haven’t used it for oily things or it doesn’t have oil/food residues; basically, it means using a new cooking pot). Boil the water and let boil with the pot in there for an hour or two. Take it out and let it dry out.

Then prepare tea of your choice and set a bowl or container deep enough to cover your Yixing pot, and pour the steeps into your pot, overflowing it until you cover your pot with tea. Let it rest for a few hours (a day is ok). This may not remove the clay taste completely depending on the material, but it goes a long way.

Enjoy!

Hi JC

I did that twice before seasoning the pot and seasoned it twice afterwards also. The clay taste is only subtle but I tend to taste these things, same as liquid that’s been in plastic tastes like plastic to me. Could just be the knowing.

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I have 3 yixing pots. I’d like to buy 1 more, but money is tight for me at the moment, so I’m waiting. I seasoned them all around the same time.

My first yixing is from Hong Kong – my inlaws did a river cruise in China and picked me up one http://oolongowl.com/oolong-owls-special-new-teapot/
I seasoned it for dark oolongs. I find I use this one the least as the pot seems extra special and worth the most. I found it seasoned okay, but this one works the best – pours amazing and I love the size.

My second is from yunnan sourcing http://oolongowl.com/yixing-pot-2/ I bought it for the cool clay colour thats supposed to change. This one seasoned amazingly well and doens’t flavor suck as much as the other 2 in the beginning, but I found the size on the small side for me. This one’s for raw pu’er and often I find the leaves are bursting with no room. This one sucks at pouring, moreso dribbles out.

My third was a cheap $29 find at a tea shop. http://oolongowl.com/yixing-teapot-3/ I should really go back to that tea shop, though it’s quite a drive.
I use this one the most. Maybe since I know I didn’t pay much for it. It’s finally stopped making my shu/ripe pu’er taste like clay, hopefully it’ll be putting out flavor soon.

They are all gorgeous! I love the color of the second one. Sorry that it dribbles. :-( And the design on the third is v. cool. I can understand the impulse to use the least expensive one the most especially since they seem so fragile. I’m afraid I’m going to break mine during the seasoning which is part of the reason I’ve been putting it off. Sounds like the first one is amazing.

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Dustin said

So with Yixings you usually dedicate them to one type of tea?

Yep, that’s my understanding. Some people argue that point, but the general consensus seems to be that since the clay absorbs the flavor and then “gives” it back eventually, putting a lot of different kinds of tea in it will produce a confused, muddy flavor.

Yes the clay absorbs flavours from the type of tea that you use, but in order to notice the difference I believe you have to use one frequently for a few years(perhaps longer).

“Being porous, the clay slowly absorbs the tea oils and is thus ‘seasoned’. It is said that after several years of use tea can be brewed by simply pouring water into a well seasoned Yixing teapot.”

Got the info from the website I used to buy my Yixing from.
http://www.theteapot.co.uk/about-yixing-teapots/

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I have one yixing I bought a few years ago for dark oolongs but I don’t use it nearly as often as I should. I’m also pretty certain I didn’t season it correctly. I have a new pot coming soon for shu pu’erh so I’ll likely re-season the first pot when I season the new one. I want to get one more for golden yunnans. Both of my yixing purchases have been cheap ebay finds but I’m ok with that. Whatever fits my budget :P

I hear you on the budget! Congrats on your new addition. How does the oolong taste out of the one you think needs to be reseasoned? (I’m wondering how I’ll be able to tell if I season mine correctly, or whether that’s just one of those things you have to guess at.)

I can definitely still taste the clay and the color is the broth isn’t as dark as I remember it being from steeping in a cup. My seasoning wasn’t quite as . . . immersive as a couple video tutorials I’ve seen since then. It certainly can’t hurt to re-season anyway.

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sandra said

have one, but hardly use it at the moment, seasoned it for oolong. Drink green most of the time, and use my Japanse pot for these.

That makes sense, Sandra. I quite like both green and oolong but it seems pretty clear from everything I’ve read online that green is better drunk from other types of implements.

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RavenAnne said

I was given a gong fu yellow yixing tea pot with the heart sutra inscribed onto it. I don’t know how old it is but since I was gifted with it and a mini tou cha pu’erh I have been using pu’erh teas in it ever since.

As far as flavour enhancement goes; I’m just not sure. It could be very subtle and I haven’t compared the taste with other tea pots yet.

I’ll probably buy one in the future; I would like it to be decorated and larger, for oolong tea.

Your pot sounds very pretty! I think I will be diving into seasoning mine this weekend (fingers crossed). It sound like I should prepare myself for using it for a while without noticing a change in flavor which is a good thing to know.

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teaenvy said

I had 6 but gave 2 to my son. I dont use any of them. I am a sloppy American tea drinker and I kept forgetting which pot I had seasoned for which tea. So now they grace my kitchen and remind me to slow down and enjoy my tea.
However, my first pot was seasoned with pu’erh and I have some 10 year old toucha. I might have to reseason that pot.
In all honesty though, I prefer a glazed pot. I love the simplicity of one pot.

LOL! I fear I may be too sloppy to deserve my Yixing, but I will try to live up to the responsibility!

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I don’t worry about keeping one for a particular type of tea, but I do prefer their small size. I have three pots that range from about 2.5 oz to about 3.5 oz each. This way I can brew one set of leaves 6 or 7 times and not end up drinking a gallon of tea, plus each brew has a pretty high leaf to water ratio for full flavor. I pick the pot that matches the amount of tea I want — 3.5 for a larger cup (or to split with a friend) and 2.5 when I just want a few sips per brew

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