Many months ago I wrote a post on Dobra Tea’s blog about tea pot sizes. This is an updated version of that post.
I often joke that the more I learn about tea, the smaller my teapots become. There’s quite a lot of truth to this, and I thought it might be valuable to explain why. Here’s a brief primer on teapots that I hope will encourage your own pursuits.
Contrary to what seems popular in the US, cast iron pots are almost never used to brew tea in Asia. Traditionally, they are used to heat water over a fire, as in Japan’s tetsubin. In this case, however, the kettle must not be glazed on its interior, as high heat may damage the glaze and pollute the water within. Certainly water from these kettles is used to make tea, but the tea leaves themselves don’t enter the kettle.
Most tea-producing countries use clay or porcelain to infuse their tea. Unglazed clay, such as Yixing (宜兴) or Jianshui (建水), can absorb subtle aromas and release them into subsequent infusions. Ideally, these pots should only be used for a specific tea to avoid the flavor of a roasted oolong from affecting your light sheng puer. Porcelain is a little easier. Hard ceramics easily handle infusing many different teas as they clean easily and do not keep flavors around. In small sizes, even an English-style “Chatsford” pot can make a wonderful cup of tea (as long as you don’t use a tea ball!).
Most of my teapots hold between 100 to 400 milliliters of water. That’s about 3 oz to 13 oz or 0.5 to 1.5 cups. Once a teapot is larger than 400 ml, it becomes difficult to ensure a well-timed tea. There are several reasons for this.
Most tea can become bitter or over-strong if infused for too long. Let us say that I have found a particular Green tea reaches its peak flavor at 1 minute. If I pour in the water to fill the pot, the tea begins steeping as soon as the water reaches the leaves. The longer it takes to fill the kettle, the less time remains. Then, when I begin to pour the tea, the leaves continue to infuse while the liquid is poured out. This means that if a pot takes 30 or 40 seconds to empty, at least some of the tea is steeping for quite a lot longer than I would like and may become unpleasant by the time it reaches your cup.
Certainly it’s possible to compensate for the added time by beginning to pour your tea early, but then the portion of the infusion that is poured first will be somewhat under-steeped, which when mixed with the rest of the pot will yield a watered-down cup. This is all complicated by the fact that some teas (particularly those with small or broken leaves) can be over-infused after only 20 or 30 seconds!
Another reason for a small teapot is something of a spiritual one. If a tea is prepared in a small quantity, it is much more likely to be appreciated by its audience. Throwing back a gulp of tea, you may never taste the subtle nuances, good or bad, that become obvious with a careful sip.
Ultimately, of course, tea is a personal experience, and the choice of teapot should above all be one that is comfortable and suits your own style. Don’t be afraid to experiment! I bought a small teapot in Hangzhou that I planning on giving as a gift. I didn’t have huge expectations for it. When I tried it out and made some shou puer, it poured terribly. However, I have since found that it makes an excellent Hong Cha pot and now I use it every week. It’s a learning process for all of us. Keep pouring.
Hi Payton,
Thank you for posting this. I have been searching for a small clay teapot just like the one you have in the second image. The one with the red cord. I was curious where you purchased this specific teapot? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Unfortunately, I think I purchased it at a shop somewhere in Hangzhou. ???? But I *can* recommend teapots from http://crimsonlotustea.com/, http://camellia-sinensis.com/, http://mingtaoxuan.com/, and http://teaware.house/. I don’t know if any of them have the red cord style specifically, but they all have excellent tea pots.
after reading that article i got bit disappointed, i was planing to buy iron pot 600ml (~2 cups of tea) So its not good idea to prepare tea in iron pot? is 600ml reall y too big? Do i have to look for 300ml but even… different material as iron?
Most iron teapots these days are glazed on the inside, which means the iron won’t really matter too much either way. They basically are the same as a glazed ceramic pot. The only difference is aesthetic, so if you like the look, then iron can be great!
600ml isn’t too large objectively, but it can make it harder to control the infusion. That only matters, however, if you are brewing tea where the infusion time needs to be precise.
If you are making a strong English-style black tea, a white tea, or even a forgiving oolong or Shou Puer, it probably doesn’t matter how big your pot is. A Chinese green tea, a Phoenix oolong, a tippy Yunnan Hong Cha, or a Sheng Puer probably won’t work as well in something that large.
hello,
thank you for a prompt reply. In that case it will be good idea to buy one 600ml and other 300ml? Is 300ml good or still too big for a controlled brewing? I dont know these brands and cant google any review
(300ml)
https://www.amazon.de/dp/B0773BT319/ref=twister_B07GJ4LR98?_encoding=UTF8&psc=
(600ml)
https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B0773G89TX/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AV9YU51LDVZ3U&psc=1
That’s a pretty good idea, actually. I have large pots and small pots myself.
Do u think these sizes and brand material are good to go?
They seem like they would work well. The iron will hold heat quite well and they are glazed (enamel) on the inside.
All the iron puts I tried leave some taste on your mouth, some bitter that remains after drinking, and I did compared side by side the iron and a glass pot, always some taste from the iron…. they are only beautifull, meanwhile and after having this objective results I put all the iron ones to sell.