Do we have to use one tea pot for one tea?

It often comes to the discussion whether or not we should use one teapot for one tea. I would like to share some knowledge based on my first hand experience.

It is the mineral that you need to care about

Flavor of tea disappears fast as it gets oxidized

Flavor of tea comes from organic substances. When we brew tea using a clay teapot, its flavor may remain for a short period of time. Once the organic substances are oxidized, the flavor disappears from the clay. In other words, organic substances present in tea are not our main concern.

Mineral keeps growing on the inside

Minerals contribute to aftertaste. Minerals are very stable. For example, salt found in the mountains remains unchanged and does not deteriorate even if it is kept for thousands of years. Therefore, we need to pay attention to minerals and not the flavor of tea. When we brew tea in a teapot, both tea and water supply minerals. As such, there are three sources of minerals as follows: A. Tea B. Water C. Clay

Both tea and water are sources of minerals

If the clay and water are of the right quality, we are supposed to experience more aftertaste than that of water by itself. 1. B + A 2. B + C 3. B + A + C

Right clay increases the aftertaste of water

The combination of clay and water gives a stronger aftertaste than water by itself. This is due to the interaction of minerals from clay with water molecules. If a teapot is used only with water over and over again for many months, minerals from water will accumulate on the surface of the clay and form a layer of scale. Scale consists not only of calcium carbonate, but also various kinds of trace minerals such as iron, magnesium and zinc. Each type of water used contributes to the mineral composition of the scale. Over time, minerals accumulate on the surface of the clay and form a solid layer.

Teapot performs better even if it is just seasoned by water

A teapot treated with water every day for one month produces a smoother taste. We conducted the following experiment. We poured water into a clay teapot every day for more than a month. After one month, we compared the taste of water from this teapot with that from a new teapot made from the same clay and batch. The difference was obvious. The clay that had been treated with water for a month gave a stronger aftertaste than new clay. This implies that it is very important to stick to the same type of water when brewing tea. Parenthetically, the aftertaste of No.2 B plus A must be stronger than water B. If the combination between clay and water is not correct, the aftertaste of water alone can be stronger than No.2. This can happen if the clay is not suitable. Hence, before starting to brew tea, please conduct a simple experiment and make sure that the intensity of aftertaste is stronger than the control. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IXPVtmW3ENY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IXPVtmW3ENY)

The minerals from tea also accumulate on the inside of clay

Tea is an additional source of minerals besides water. If we keep brewing the same tea using the same water and clay, a complex of minerals will form on the surface of the clay. The minerals come from both water and tea leaves. If a teapot is used for only one type of tea, it will consistently build up this complex of minerals. Later, the intensity of aftertaste in No.2 becomes equal to No.3. If you simply run water through your teapot, you will experience the same intensity of aftertaste as when tea is brewed, because the teapot is coated with a solid layer of minerals supplied from both water and tea leaves. At this point, if you brew tea using this teapot, the intensity of aftertaste is supposed to be even stronger than No.3. This is the theory of how the performance of a teapot improves.

It is not very practical to stick to one teapot for one tea

In theory, it is ideal to use one teapot for one type of tea. However, more importantly, you must stick to the same type of water. I usually drink more than one hundred types of tea in a month. Should I use more than one hundred teapots. It is not very practical.

Recommendation

In conclusion, for each type of clay teapot, I use it only for the type of tea that gives a stronger aftertaste when combined with that clay. If I keep changing the type of tea brewed in one teapot, the performance of the clay may not improve significantly, although it can still improve due to minerals from water. If you wish to share the same teapot for a few different types of tea, please select them based on origin rather than category. Tea should be grouped by its source, such as Phoenix tea, Wuyi tea, Taiwan Oolong, Sencha from Yabukita, Sencha from Zairai, or Yunnan tea.