A Tea Addict's Journal

The fizzing pot

September 19, 2008 · 5 Comments

I have an incredible fizzing pot

This thing is a little strange. It fizzes when I first pour hot water into and over it. What is it is that there are some smallish holes on the surface of the pot that will, essentially, expel air as it expands with heat. The pot will literally fizz when I first warm it up. Subsequently, the fizz won’t happen, or is at least a lot more subdued.

You can sort of see the holes in the closeup. I think this pot is not made with yixing clay, but something else, as I don’t think Yixing clay generally has such low density. It has definitely turned darker over time as I use it more — I’ve been brewing young puerh in it, and it has worked quite well for me.

There has been some hullabaloo recently on Teachat about pots made with clay that’s not from Yixing…. but last time I checked, non-Yixing clay can make good tea. You have Japanese clay pots of various ilk, you have Shantou pots, and then you have mystery pots like this one…

As long as the tea comes out good… does it really matter?

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5 responses so far ↓

  • Phyllo // September 19, 2008 at 1:47 pm | Reply

    I have one, too, that fizzes, and it’s a Yixing. I think I posted about it quite a while ago on LJ Puerh Comm.

  • MANDARINstea // September 19, 2008 at 3:21 pm | Reply

    i previously thought that only old yixing have fizzes sound. Specially the ones which have not been use for over 50+ years…. until I got one from the Tea Gallery. A young yixing which fizzy up bubbles after I don’t use it for a coupe of months. Maybe is a high fired result? I don’t know for sure, but surely it sounds like it is alive and breathing, which is a very good thing : ) T

  • MarshalN // September 19, 2008 at 3:22 pm | Reply

    Mine fizzes every single time I use it 🙂

  • Phyllo // September 19, 2008 at 5:56 pm | Reply

    Mine too. Every single time from when the pot is dry until 2 or 3 steepings. And it’s not an old pot…from the 1990’s supposedly.

  • osososososos // September 20, 2008 at 7:18 pm | Reply

    The little holes could be from a few things. When burnishing, the maker might have dislodged some small grog. Or, something organic found its way into the clay and burnt out during firing, leaving a pit behind.

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