For some reason, I can’t get the color to come out in my photos of this pot. It is a rich red clay color. Whine whine whine, buy me a new camera.

Note that the spout is attached very low on the body of this pot (宜興Yihsing/Yixing chuni/zhuni ware, early decades of the 20^th century). This is something I look for when selecting pots. If the spout is attached high, when you pour, the water flowing directly into the spout may not have steeped in the tea. Low, the water has been through the tea leaves, providing a better taste and more even flavor.

Point: I do not use 茶海 a pitcher (cha hai): 韓信點兵. If anybody’s interested, I can go into this in detail: excruciating detail.

Those getting started with tea pots will please look at the line that goes straight from the tip of the spout to the top of the body of the pot to the top of the handle. I didn’t intend to take the photo that way, but since that line is there, let’s talk about it. That is called 三點經 the Three Point Classic: the spout, the top of the body, and the top of the handle line up perfectly even. I personally don’t care how high or low the handle is, just so I can get a good grip on it. The level of the spout and the body is crucial, though. If the top of the spout is lower then the top of the body, water flows out of the spout before the pot is full. If the top of the spout is higher than the top of the body, tea doesn’t pour out of the pot well.

How the pot pours is very important to me. I want a good, free flow that starts and stops on command, with no dribbling or dripping. The spout on this pot is called 鶴嘴 Crane Beak, and in my experience, this is the best type of spout. A slight angle on the tip of the spout would be ideal, but this pot performs beautifully. The spout is crooked, which provides a nice flow.

The collar of the lid is very deep. I like this, because it is not apt to fall off during pouring.

As I mentioned in my last post, I don’t like 蜂巢 strainers built into the pot anymore. I would rather have just a plain hole where the spout meets the body, and keep your mind primly on tea, please.

However, tea leaves do stuff up the spout and interfere with pouring. Over the years I have used a wide variety of devices to clear the spout, everything from brass to ebony. In Taiwan, you can purchase exquisitely carved points to clear the spout, in ebony, rosewood, bamboo, and other fine woods. You want a wood strong enough to carve into a fine point that fits into the spout without breaking. My pottery teacher 盧展能老師 Lu uses a porcupine quill, which words excellently. If you happen to have a porcupine handy, procure a quill.

But those work best on straight spouts. A spout like this frustrates such points. For the last couple of years, what I have been using is twigs from the 肖楠 Taiwan Incense Cedar I planted out front. They are long, strong, and flexible. They fit easily into the spout and can curve down the crook of the spout. I had to saw a branch off the tree, so I cleaned four or five twigs and use them on my pots. So far, none of the twigs have broken, but if they do, I’ll just go out and snap off some more. And they look nice, too. For me, that’s a good solution.

I picked up a Yerba Mate Gourd and Bombilla (a straw that also acts as a filter) today for under 15 dollars at my local heath food store.  The gourd and bombilla allows you to steep the mate in the gourd and filter the drink all in one.  My gourd was un-cured, and I’m currently in the process of curing it.  Essentially you brew a strong batch of yerba mate using boiling water and allow it to sit for 24 hours.  This makes some of the gourd skin loose, which you’ll scrape out with a spoon.  Many recommend doing this twice before using.

After curing, caring for your gourd is quite easy.  Simply rinsing it out with water (no soap) and drying it properly will be enough to prevent mold.

The Acai berry comes from a South American Acai Palm and is the size of a dark purple-red grape.  Although first popular in Brazil, the berry is commonly blended into smoothies and recently marketed as a dietary supplement.  Supposedly the acai berry helps detoxify the body while lowering cholesterol, increasing sexual performance and promoting weight loss.  Although none of these claims are substantiated with clinical trials the berry adds a wonderful flavor to green teas, especially senchas.

The berry has a blueberry like flavor and acts as a natural tea sweetener.  Although many companies sell acai bits mixed with green tea in bags, the berry can be purchased at most whole food stores.  If you have loose leaf green and add in 3 berries per cup you will be pleasantly surprised with a refreshing fruity taste that is not too overpowering.

documentary:

All In This Tea

A feature documentary by Les Blank that follows world-renowned American tea importer David Lee Hoffman to some of the most remote locations in China in search of the rarest tea.  Hoffman seeks to link the farmer right with the tea drinker.

This is one of the best documentaries I’ve seen in a long time. Everyone should check it out.

Matcha Mate

One very early morning I discovered this drink.  I brew a cup of yerba mate, pour that into a bowl and whisk in a teaspoon of matcha.  It’s a deliciously well-rounded and quite energizing tea.