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History of a Teapot
The first teapot began to appear toward the the end of the Song dynasty. This was the time when tea drinkers began to experiment with tea brewed from tea leaf. These early brewing vessels were made from unglazed zisha, or purple sand clay. They evolved from the shape of tall, handled wine pots and water ewers. During Song dynasty, tea was consumed in small quantities and because of this, teapots were smaller and wider at the base than at the top. Chinese people realized that the flavor of steeped tea leaves was better when steam was prevented from escaping from the pot and so, a lid was created. Handles are attached to the side of the vessel rather than across the top for balance in pouring and for giving space when lids needed to be taken off and put back on. During the earliest history of tea, a teapot does not exist. The tea leaves were boiled in water in an open pan. During the Ming Dynasty, the steeping of leaves became so popular that it was needed to create a covered vessel in order to infuse the leaves and keep the brew hot. Gradually the idea of using a kettle evolved. The Dutch started carrying teas from China to Europe in the late sixteenth century along with small brewing vessels. The Dutch potters started to create a resemblance of these kettles in the late 1670. The Elder brothers, two of the successful potters from the Netherlands took their craft to England. They settled in Staffordshire, and later established the English pottery industry. Under the Tang Dynasty, a fine translucent kettle known as porcelain were introduced to Europeans. The Elder brothers started duplicating this creation which took them almost a hundred years to discover the secret to manufacturing genuine hard-paste porcelain and bone china. There has been creation of different sizes and shapes of a kettle over the years. The early kettles followed the Chinese tradition by using mythological symbols and designs. Later on, kettles followed the design from the eighteenth century rococo or neoclassical shapes and the heavy ornamental styles of nineteenth century of Victoriana. Today, these brewing vessels are available in every shapes, color and sizes with infusers or without. Nowadays, you can find a kettle with the shape of a bell, animals, plants, pieces of furniture, etc.
Common Types of Brewing VesselsCast Iron Kettles - also called tetsubin are stylish and popular. They never break and they do a great job in keeping the tea warm for a long time. They do not require a cozy which makes it a good choice for restaurants. The best tetsubin has a shiny, ceramic glaze to prevent rust. The ones with a soft sheen have been seasoned already. Yixing - despite their fragile appearance, yixing offer the user a practical toll for brewing tea. Zisha clay can tolerate near boiling water without cracking. The color does not fade or change, and the clay does not impart or retain any odor. When purchasing a yixing, look for a lid that fits snugly and that have a smooth finish inside and out. Reserve a different one for green tea and for oolong tea. Never reuse the same kettle to brew scented Jasmine tea or flavored tea such as Earl grey on the same vessel. green tea | benefits of green tea | buy green tea | green tea articles | green tea recipes | gyokuro | matcha green tea | hojicha | sencha | genmaicha tea | bancha tea | kukicha | chinese tea| japanese tea | green tea powder | green tea extract | organic green tea | green tea weight loss | green tea pill | best green tea | ecgc | green tea antioxidant | green tea caffeine | yixing teapots | cast iron teapots | why green tea | green tea blog
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