Chinese Clay Tea Sets: Yixing
Yixing clay tea pots brew the best tea. Period. It is one of the oldest ways of brewing tea and certainly one of the most interesting, beautiful and practical. They are known worldwide for their special tea brewing qualities and beautiful designs.
The uniqueness of Yixing clay tea sets comes from the clay being very porous, instead of smooth and hard like a bone china tea sets or porcelain. This porousness lets the tea set actually soak up the tea, which means that after years of usage, it no longer is necessary to add tea to the water, because the flavor of the tea itself has been preserved within the pores of the pot. The pot and cups will naturally add flavor to the water. This is the what sets Yixing tea sets apart from the rest.
In addition to the most obvious benefit of clay sets, there are a few more points I would like to touch upon. When you do get a new clay pot, although it isn\’t seasoned to perfection yet, the simple fact that it is made of clay will enhance the color, aroma and flavor of any tea you do steep.
Clay tea sets epitomize quality and craftsmanship. They are usually delicately carved with ornate designs including depictions of Chinese life and traditions. However, these days you can find more modern versions of Yixing tea sets too. You can find them dyed different colors or even painted with modern art. Even if you never drink from your clay set, it will make for a great conversation piece.
Taking care of clay tea sets is pretty easy. But remember to never use soap or cleanser when cleaning your set! This is vital! Just remember that anything you put into the tea set, could potential be soaked into the clay; you don\’t want your tea to taste of soap. Aside from this, they aren\’t very much trouble. When your finished using your tea set, simply pour hot water over the clay and then rinse it again with water. No scrubbing is necessary. It is nice to dry the set with a tea towel if you have one, but if not, you can just let it air dry.
In addition, it is said that you should only use one particular flavor of tea in your clay tea set. This is because if you use one type one day, and another type the next day, both flavors will soak into the clay, so in the future your tea won\’t taste as pure as it should, because it will start to be a blend. The bad thing is, once you have mixed teas in your Yixing set, it will be very hard to gain consistent flavor from it again.
If you want to find your own Yixing tea set, all you have to do is look online. Or you could travel to China, but it isn\’t necessary anymore. You can\’t go wrong with a clay tea set, and you really can\’t get anything that is more traditional.
Learn more about traditional Chinese tea sets. Stop by Gavin Coleman\’s site where you can find out all about Chinese tea sets. Get a totally unique version of this article from our article submission service
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