I have a couple of zisha clay gaiwans that I bought (because they were
cheap) some time ago when I knew less about tea. Because they were
yixing clay I "dedicated" them to one type of tea the same as you
would with a purple clay teapot. I have always wondered however, why
they chose to glaze the inside of the cup and leave the outside
unglazed. Unglazed yixing clay is touted as being good for certian
reasons but namely for the developing of a patina on its surface, so
why would they glaze the part of the cup where the tea would be and
leave the part that you could wash (the outside) unglazed? Seems like
it should be the opposite! Did I just buy a bad product? Nearly
every yixing gaiwan I have seen has this pattern of glaze on the
inside and not on the outside? Anyone else use these?

Zisha used in teapots because of their clay properties. Using zisha for
chabeis (teacups) or wenxiangbeis (smelling cups) does not make much sense -
because then you will also have a separate set of them for every type of
tea, otherwise you will just have one scent layering on the top of the
other. That is why they are glazed.
But there is a market for "sets" where everything has the same color. feel,
etc., that is why many cups and gaiwans are made of zisha. So you can have
all these neat cups and teapots and serving trays of the same color and
feel.

Using your glazed gaiwans for a particular type of tea is meaningless
because glazed zisha works as a glass or enamel and does not allow the tea
to penetrate the walls.

Sasha.



"bruce" > wrote in message
om...
>I have a couple of zisha clay gaiwans that I bought (because they were
> cheap) some time ago when I knew less about tea. Because they were
> yixing clay I "dedicated" them to one type of tea the same as you
> would with a purple clay teapot. I have always wondered however, why
> they chose to glaze the inside of the cup and leave the outside
> unglazed. Unglazed yixing clay is touted as being good for certian
> reasons but namely for the developing of a patina on its surface, so
> why would they glaze the part of the cup where the tea would be and
> leave the part that you could wash (the outside) unglazed? Seems like
> it should be the opposite! Did I just buy a bad product? Nearly
> every yixing gaiwan I have seen has this pattern of glaze on the
> inside and not on the outside? Anyone else use these?

Zisha used in teapots because of their clay properties. Using zisha for
chabeis (teacups) or wenxiangbeis (smelling cups) does not make much sense -
because then you will also have a separate set of them for every type of
tea, otherwise you will just have one scent layering on the top of the
other. That is why they are glazed.
But there is a market for "sets" where everything has the same color. feel,
etc., that is why many cups and gaiwans are made of zisha. So you can have
all these neat cups and teapots and serving trays of the same color and
feel.

Using your glazed gaiwans for a particular type of tea is meaningless
because glazed zisha works as a glass or enamel and does not allow the tea
to penetrate the walls.

Sasha.



"bruce" > wrote in message
om...
>I have a couple of zisha clay gaiwans that I bought (because they were
> cheap) some time ago when I knew less about tea. Because they were
> yixing clay I "dedicated" them to one type of tea the same as you
> would with a purple clay teapot. I have always wondered however, why
> they chose to glaze the inside of the cup and leave the outside
> unglazed. Unglazed yixing clay is touted as being good for certian
> reasons but namely for the developing of a patina on its surface, so
> why would they glaze the part of the cup where the tea would be and
> leave the part that you could wash (the outside) unglazed? Seems like
> it should be the opposite! Did I just buy a bad product? Nearly
> every yixing gaiwan I have seen has this pattern of glaze on the
> inside and not on the outside? Anyone else use these?

>Because they were
>yixing clay I "dedicated" them to one type of tea the same as you
>would with a purple clay teapot. I have always wondered however, why
>they chose to glaze the inside of the cup and leave the outside
>unglazed.

Bruce,

I've seen these, too. I think you use them like any other gaiwan. The're
glazed on the inside, I think, just so they won't take up the flavors of what's
brewed. Therefore, they'd be good for greens, maybe some oolongs.

In other words, they're not designed to perform like a traditional yixing pot.
I'd think of it as a gaiwan with an unusual exterior appearance. At least
that's my take on it.

Joe Kubera.

Glaze is a housewife's best friend. All glaze is not equal. The
purpose of glaze to develop a water seal varying from resistant to
proof. Water deposits and tannins will build up on any glazed
surface. Less of a problem with cups because they are normally
squeegeed after use. More of a problem with pots because just a
rinse. I have china cups after many years of use and normal care with
lip and bottom stains but if you're paying $16/g you'll buy a new set.
Even my modified French press with plexiglass is slowly taking on a
life of its own. I always rinse it with boiling water before and
after but some areas get rinsed less than others. Abrasives will
break down glaze over time. My toilet bowl looks like that. I prefer
unglazed pots because the memory is instant versus a glazed pot which
will develop a memory over time. Back in college coffee cups would
only last one year of use each time sent through an industrial washer
but eventually staining and students complaining they weren't clean.
A tough job working in a college kitchen so the corporate desk job was
my reward. I think tea is so personal if it isn't your pot and cup
then the taste belongs to somebody else no matter how many times it's
been through the washer. It's been awhile but every Chinese pot I
have is unglazed. Every English pot is glazed inside and out.

Jim

"Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message om>...
> Zisha used in teapots because of their clay properties. Using zisha for
> chabeis (teacups) or wenxiangbeis (smelling cups) does not make much sense -
> because then you will also have a separate set of them for every type of
> tea, otherwise you will just have one scent layering on the top of the
> other. That is why they are glazed.
> But there is a market for "sets" where everything has the same color. feel,
> etc., that is why many cups and gaiwans are made of zisha. So you can have
> all these neat cups and teapots and serving trays of the same color and
> feel.
>
> Using your glazed gaiwans for a particular type of tea is meaningless
> because glazed zisha works as a glass or enamel and does not allow the tea
> to penetrate the walls.
>
> Sasha.

In article > , "Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote:
>Zisha used in teapots because of their clay properties. Using zisha for
>chabeis (teacups) or wenxiangbeis (smelling cups) does not make much sense -
>because then you will also have a separate set of them for every type of
[snip]

good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)

bye now,

Pam @ Home

Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

In article > , "Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote:
>Zisha used in teapots because of their clay properties. Using zisha for
>chabeis (teacups) or wenxiangbeis (smelling cups) does not make much sense -
>because then you will also have a separate set of them for every type of
[snip]

good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)

bye now,

Pam @ Home

Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

> good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)

I agree 100%. I cannot stand colored mugs, especially black ones.. The only
thing you can drink out of them is coffee with milk. I am also irritated by
most of the contemporary Chinese gaiwans and other tea china that are always
painted with something . Even when it is just a little bit of cobalt blue. I
was lucky enough to buy some small gaiwans in China that are just snow-white
and I am very happy with them because IMHO the color of tea does not
tolerate any other color near it. It is most noble and beautiful in its
solitude. For similar reasons I really do not like calligraphy on teapots
and other things made of yixing clay. Yixing clay color and texture are
cheapened by these.

Sasha.

> good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)

I agree 100%. I cannot stand colored mugs, especially black ones.. The only
thing you can drink out of them is coffee with milk. I am also irritated by
most of the contemporary Chinese gaiwans and other tea china that are always
painted with something . Even when it is just a little bit of cobalt blue. I
was lucky enough to buy some small gaiwans in China that are just snow-white
and I am very happy with them because IMHO the color of tea does not
tolerate any other color near it. It is most noble and beautiful in its
solitude. For similar reasons I really do not like calligraphy on teapots
and other things made of yixing clay. Yixing clay color and texture are
cheapened by these.

Sasha.

> good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)

I agree 100%. I cannot stand colored mugs, especially black ones.. The only
thing you can drink out of them is coffee with milk. I am also irritated by
most of the contemporary Chinese gaiwans and other tea china that are always
painted with something . Even when it is just a little bit of cobalt blue. I
was lucky enough to buy some small gaiwans in China that are just snow-white
and I am very happy with them because IMHO the color of tea does not
tolerate any other color near it. It is most noble and beautiful in its
solitude. For similar reasons I really do not like calligraphy on teapots
and other things made of yixing clay. Yixing clay color and texture are
cheapened by these.

Sasha.

They don't stay white very long. I recently switched back too a glass
pot because nothing funnier than watching leaves behave like someone
in a hot shower when someone flushes the toilet. There is a point in
the infusion where the color saturates before end of infusion with
oxidized teas. I judge infusion by the dance with bottom infusing
leaves performing the tango, top leaves the samba, and anything in
between hiphop. My local tea shoppe serves tea to go in styrofoam
cups. By the time I get home the cups are already permanently stained
so color already obscured. You can't understand how complex a cup of
tea till you use white cups and soft scrub soap after each use. I
drink from a discolored big white mug so the see through pot is my
only clue about color. I need a new nomenclature to describe the
color in a pot from dull to lustre, light to dark, course to smooth.
A bright finished dark cherry red hue is my favorite.

Jim

TRAP (Dr. Gee) wrote in message >...
> good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)
>
> bye now,
>
> Pam @ Home
>
> Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

They don't stay white very long. I recently switched back too a glass
pot because nothing funnier than watching leaves behave like someone
in a hot shower when someone flushes the toilet. There is a point in
the infusion where the color saturates before end of infusion with
oxidized teas. I judge infusion by the dance with bottom infusing
leaves performing the tango, top leaves the samba, and anything in
between hiphop. My local tea shoppe serves tea to go in styrofoam
cups. By the time I get home the cups are already permanently stained
so color already obscured. You can't understand how complex a cup of
tea till you use white cups and soft scrub soap after each use. I
drink from a discolored big white mug so the see through pot is my
only clue about color. I need a new nomenclature to describe the
color in a pot from dull to lustre, light to dark, course to smooth.
A bright finished dark cherry red hue is my favorite.

Jim

TRAP (Dr. Gee) wrote in message >...
> good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)
>
> bye now,
>
> Pam @ Home
>
> Cort Furniture Rental and Honesty are two exclusive concepts.

Space Cowboy wrote:

> They don't stay white very long.
<snip>
> You can't understand how complex a cup of
> tea till you use white cups and soft scrub soap after each use.

The best, non abrasive tea tannin cleanser is baking soda on a damp
sponge. Works great, doesn't scratch the porcelain to pieces.

Heather

Space Cowboy wrote:

> They don't stay white very long.
<snip>
> You can't understand how complex a cup of
> tea till you use white cups and soft scrub soap after each use.

The best, non abrasive tea tannin cleanser is baking soda on a damp
sponge. Works great, doesn't scratch the porcelain to pieces.

Heather

Space Cowboy wrote:

> They don't stay white very long.
<snip>
> You can't understand how complex a cup of
> tea till you use white cups and soft scrub soap after each use.

The best, non abrasive tea tannin cleanser is baking soda on a damp
sponge. Works great, doesn't scratch the porcelain to pieces.

Heather

Cobalt blue my favorite tea pot color. Spectacular near or in sun
light. Why is it impossible to find a 'white' clay teapot or cups
when they should be dime a dozen? Something as simple as slurry
greenware, fired and glazed. I suppose some accountant thinks color
makes a difference. I'm not aware of any Yixing clay that turns
bisque when fired. I've seen some ugly yellow that would look better
white especially for interior surface. Nothing wrong using shot
glasses with your gongfu pot for color education. I think there is
beauty in simplicity. My unglazed yixing pots have calligraphy but
its like riding a bus downtown and not speaking the language. The
color in a glass pot is different than the color in a white cup. I
prefer a diffusive transparent background versus hard reflective
background.

Jim

"Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message . com>...
> > good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> > better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)
>
> I agree 100%. I cannot stand colored mugs, especially black ones.. The only
> thing you can drink out of them is coffee with milk. I am also irritated by
> most of the contemporary Chinese gaiwans and other tea china that are always
> painted with something . Even when it is just a little bit of cobalt blue. I
> was lucky enough to buy some small gaiwans in China that are just snow-white
> and I am very happy with them because IMHO the color of tea does not
> tolerate any other color near it. It is most noble and beautiful in its
> solitude. For similar reasons I really do not like calligraphy on teapots
> and other things made of yixing clay. Yixing clay color and texture are
> cheapened by these.
>
> Sasha.

Cobalt blue my favorite tea pot color. Spectacular near or in sun
light. Why is it impossible to find a 'white' clay teapot or cups
when they should be dime a dozen? Something as simple as slurry
greenware, fired and glazed. I suppose some accountant thinks color
makes a difference. I'm not aware of any Yixing clay that turns
bisque when fired. I've seen some ugly yellow that would look better
white especially for interior surface. Nothing wrong using shot
glasses with your gongfu pot for color education. I think there is
beauty in simplicity. My unglazed yixing pots have calligraphy but
its like riding a bus downtown and not speaking the language. The
color in a glass pot is different than the color in a white cup. I
prefer a diffusive transparent background versus hard reflective
background.

Jim

"Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message . com>...
> > good reason. i think another reason is you can enjoy the color of the tea
> > better. i like white color cups or mugs for tea. :-)
>
> I agree 100%. I cannot stand colored mugs, especially black ones.. The only
> thing you can drink out of them is coffee with milk. I am also irritated by
> most of the contemporary Chinese gaiwans and other tea china that are always
> painted with something . Even when it is just a little bit of cobalt blue. I
> was lucky enough to buy some small gaiwans in China that are just snow-white
> and I am very happy with them because IMHO the color of tea does not
> tolerate any other color near it. It is most noble and beautiful in its
> solitude. For similar reasons I really do not like calligraphy on teapots
> and other things made of yixing clay. Yixing clay color and texture are
> cheapened by these.
>
> Sasha.

Alex,

You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.

Thanks
Michael

Alex,

You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.

Thanks
Michael

Sure.

Sasha.

"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> Alex,
>
> You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
> be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.
>
> Thanks
> Michael
>

Sure.

Sasha.

"Michael Plant" > wrote in message
...
> Alex,
>
> You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
> be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.
>
> Thanks
> Michael
>

Alex, May I repeat the same question. Thanks Michael-

Ripon
Vienna,VA


Michael Plant > wrote in message >...
> Alex,
>
> You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
> be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.
>
> Thanks
> Michael

Alex, May I repeat the same question. Thanks Michael-

Ripon
Vienna,VA


Michael Plant > wrote in message >...
> Alex,
>
> You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
> be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.
>
> Thanks
> Michael

Alex, May I repeat the same question. Thanks Michael-

Ripon
Vienna,VA


Michael Plant > wrote in message >...
> Alex,
>
> You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would it
> be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.
>
> Thanks
> Michael

Wow, I feel like Zogby oir something...
Sure, use my survey, rip me off, take my last hope to become rich



Sasha.

"Ripon" > wrote in message
om...
> Alex, May I repeat the same question. Thanks Michael-
>
> Ripon
> Vienna,VA
>
>
> Michael Plant > wrote in message
> >...
>> Alex,
>>
>> You have gotten some *very* interesting responses to your survey. Would
>> it
>> be OK if I use them for a book I'm writing about tea and tea preferences.
>>
>> Thanks
>> Michael