A Tea Addict's Journal

Patience

July 3, 2008 · 5 Comments

I remember when I first bought this teapot, I was quite excited. It had a nice patina on it already, as it was used, and it was the perfect size for me. As you can see, I’m still using it for puerh, as I have since the day of the purchase. It’s been….. about two years since I got it. During this time, it went through some changes, and I remember, to my dismay, that the patina started peeling off a little. The original patina, it turns out, was somehow more like a little film of shine on top of the pot itself. When I rubbed the pot, it would rub off a little. Gradually, there was a little ring near the bottom of the pot as well as some lines forming underneath the spout. The patina was cracking, so to speak.

So I decided to rub off all of the patina, which I did.

That happened in Beijing. I remember I spent probably half an hour doing it, and when it was done, the pot became a lot duller. I wondered to myself if I did the right thing.

Now, after another year of use, the pot has gradually taken on a bit of a shine again, but the type of shine is different. It’s no longer the rather glossy shine that it used to have, but instead has a slightly dull surface, but you can sort of tell it is not quite “dull” when you look at the pot.

I don’t usually rub my pots when I use them, and don’t really do anything these days to actively try to season them. I just use them. Over time, I’ve discovered that that’s probably the best way to let them season — regular and repeated (and careful) use will, eventually, give the pots a nice sheen. It just takes time and patience.

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5 responses so far ↓

  • MANDARINstea // July 3, 2008 at 11:21 am | Reply

    if you have a strong cha chi tea to spare, try to brew it with this pot. It might give it a more glossy shine/patina…. It’s fun and magical : )
    -T

  • Anonymous // July 3, 2008 at 1:06 pm | Reply

    Do you sometimes pour tea (for example the rinsing-infusion) over your pots or do you only season them “from the inside” with just drinking from the pots?

  • MarshalN // July 3, 2008 at 1:07 pm | Reply

    I’m guilty of pouring the rinse over the pot. That’s the only tea it ever sees on the outside. These days I don’t even pour water on the pots anymore.

  • osososososos // July 3, 2008 at 2:36 pm | Reply

    i do the same, roughly. i pour the rinse on the pot, but I also often discard the “dregs” of a cup or pitcher–the last millimeter or two of tea mixed with all the little leaf bits–on the pot. I also often, but not always, use one last infusion to rinse the interior of the pot and pour what’s left on top.

  • Phyllo // July 3, 2008 at 9:15 pm | Reply

    When cleaning a pot, I like to use a brush dipped in hot tea (from the leaves that’s just been dumped out) and brush the exterior. I let it dry like that. It leaves a dull shine…like an even coating of tea on the outside when the pot has dried.

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