(Ripon) wrote in news:40276237.0311060013.71bdeff5
@posting.google.com:

Dear Tea lovers:

How do you clean your teapot. Do you clean it with soap? just rinse
with water? Do you put your teapot into dish washer?

Do you dry it outside or inside?

Do you ever use baking soda? Or just use boiling water? Do you soak
over night?

All the question about the tea pot you are using. Thanks for your
comment.

Ripon
(From Bangladesh)

Interesting question - and maybe worth some discussion. Perhaps the
"right" way to clean a teapot depends on the material out of which the
teapot is made, and perhaps, personal taste. In particular, one might
treat glazed teapots and porous teapots differently. I own some glazed
porcelain teapots, a gaiwan set that is glazed inside but clay outside,
and an unglazed kyushu (Japanese teapot with the handle sticking out the
side).

While some people believe that the tea buildup inside a teapot can
enhance the flavor of the brew, I do not march to that drummer. For one
thing, I brew a wide variety of teas in my porcelain teapot. I don't
want a smoky lapsang souchong flavor (or the jasmine scent/flavor from
Dragon Pearls) in a subsequent brewing of a more delicate tea. I don't
even want my favorite Yunnan Golden Needles to flavor or scent the new
Darjeeling I am about to try. As a result, I try to keep my porcelain
teapots free of tea build-up. Following this principle, I have the
same attitude towards my gaiwan (and matching drinking and aroma cups).

I suppose that if I had a breakfast tea habit I might dedicate a pot to
that and forgo the thorough cleanings.

I eliminate tea build-up using detergent or soap, plus some scrubbing if
it has gotten visible. I rinse thoroughly afterwards. Since I am
dealing with glazed surfaces, I don't see how this could be a bad thing.
There shouldn't be any detergent or soap residue left behind. I
certainly can't taste anything. (Do I have defective taste buds?) I
treat filter baskets (stand-alone or from Chatsford teapots) the same
way. They are non-porous and should not retain soap or detergent if
rinsed well.

I don't use detergent or soap on the kyushu. I limit its use to senchas.

Okay, maybe I am alone in this... am I?

Debbie

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