The purple clay pot is one of the traditional Chinese tea utensils, which is made from Yixing purple sand mud as raw materials, handmade and kiln-fired. The purple clay pot is characterized by delicate texture, simple color, diverse shapes, good air permeability, can maintain the aroma and temperature of tea, and the more you use it, the more you use it, the more luster, known as the "crown of tea vessels".
But, you know what? The newly bought purple clay pot cannot be used to make tea immediately, but needs to go through a certain amount of treatment to bring out its best effect. This process is called "boiling the pot". So, how to open a purple clay pot? What are the tricks and tricks? Next, let me reveal them one by one for you.
First of all, we have to understand, why open the pot? The purpose of boiling a pot is twofold:
One is for cleaning. In the process of making the purple clay pot, some impurities such as emery and kiln ash will remain, which will affect the taste and quality of the tea, and may even cause harm to human health. Therefore, we must completely remove these impurities and make the inside and outside of the pot clean and tidy.
The second is to remove the kiln fire. During the kiln firing process, the purple clay pot will produce a special smell, which is called kiln fire. This smell will cover the aroma of the tea and affect the tasting of the tea. So, we need to get rid of this smell and let the pot return to its natural state.
So, how do you open a pot? There are many ways to open a pot, and different people have different preferences, but, in general, it can be divided into two main categories: the Wenkai method and the Wukai method.
Wenkai, as the name suggests, is to use simmering, water, and tea to open the pot, which is more gentle, meticulous, and patient. The advantage of the Wenkai method is that it will not damage the body of the pot, will not change the original color of the pot, will not deform the pot, and is suitable for the purple clay pot with delicate texture, elegant color and exquisite shape.
The martial method is to use fire, water, and tea to open the pot, which is more violent, fast and simple. The advantage of the Wukai method is that it can quickly remove impurities and kiln fire, which can make the color of the pot more full and deep, and is suitable for purple clay pots with rough texture, strong color and simple shape.
Next, I will introduce to you the specific steps and precautions of the Wen Kai Law and the Wu Kai Fa respectively.
The steps of the document opening method are as follows:
The first step is cleaning. Open the lid of the new pot and rinse the inside and outside of the pot with clean water to remove dust and dirt from the surface. Then, with a tool such as a cotton swab or toothpick, clean the vent of the lid and the spout of the spout to ensure that it is unobstructed. Finally, dry the body of the pot with a clean towel and place it in a cool, ventilated place to dry.
The second step is to make tea. Put an appropriate amount of tea in the pot, generally about 5% of the capacity of the pot, and choose the tea according to your preferences, but it is best to use one pot and one tea, do not mix. Then, pour boiling water into the pot, close the lid, and rinse the body of the pot with residual heat to remove the foam and impurities of the tea leaves. Wait for about 10 minutes, pour out the tea in the pot, fill the boiling water again, and repeat the above steps until the tea in the pot is clear and free of residue, and the tea fragrance outside the pot is overflowing.
The third step is to stuff the pot. Pour out the tea in the pot, don't pour it clean, leave a little tea in the pot, cover the pot, put the pot into a sealed container, such as an incubator, a fresh-keeping box, etc., so that the pot is in full contact with the tea, and it will be stuffy for a day and a night. This allows the tea to penetrate into the pores of the pot, remove the kiln gas, and increase the moistness of the pot.
The fourth step is to dry the pot. Take the pot out of the container, pour out the tea in the pot, rinse the inside and outside of the pot with clean water, dry the body of the pot with a clean towel, and place it in a cool and ventilated place to dry. This can shrink the pores of the pot, prevent the volatilization of the tea, and maintain the luster and color of the pot.
The precautions for the text opening method are as follows:
When cleaning, do not use any chemical detergents, so as not to remain in the pot and affect the quality of the tea.
When boiling tea, do not use too many tea leaves, so as not to make the tea too strong and affect the color and taste of the pot.
When stuffing the pot, do not use too large a container, so as not to reduce the temperature of the pot too quickly and affect the moistness of the pot.
When drying the pot, do not use too hot water, so as not to cause the temperature difference of the pot to be too large, resulting in the deformation or cracking of the pot.
The steps of the Wu Kai method are as follows:
The first step is to make a kettle. Open the lid of the new pot, put it into a pot or container without any oil pollution, pour water, the amount of water should not pass the body of the pot, put it on the fire to boil, after the water boils, adjust the fire to medium, continue to boil for about 10 minutes, let the water fully wash the inside and outside of the pot, and force out the impurities attached to the purple sand particles, so that the air permeability of the pot body is enhanced.
The second step is to make tea. Remove the pot from the pot and rinse the inside and outside of the pot with clean water to remove dust and dirt from the surface. Then, put an appropriate amount of tea leaves in the pot, pour hot water, and start boiling the tea. The time for boiling tea should not be too long, generally one or two minutes after boiling. If it is boiled for too long, the tea leaves will become bitter and affect the taste.
The third step is to make tea. Put an appropriate amount of tea in the pot, generally about 5% of the capacity of the pot, and choose the tea according to your preferences, but it is best to use one pot and one tea, do not mix. Then, pour boiling water into the pot, close the lid, and rinse the body of the pot with residual heat to remove the foam and impurities of the tea leaves. Wait for about 10 minutes, pour out the tea in the pot, fill the boiling water again, and repeat the above steps until the tea in the pot is clear and free of residue, and the tea fragrance outside the pot is overflowing. This allows the tea to penetrate into the pores of the pot, remove the kiln gas, and increase the moistness and gloss of the pot.
The fourth step is to dry the pot. Remove the pot from the pot, rinse the inside and outside of the pot with clean water, dry the body with a clean towel, and place it in a cool and ventilated place to dry. This can shrink the pores of the pot, prevent the volatilization of the tea, and maintain the luster and color of the pot.
The precautions for the martial arts method are as follows:
When boiling the pot, use a pot or container without grease stains, so as not to leave grease in the pot and affect the quality of the tea.
When boiling tea, boiling water should be used, so as not to make the tea hot enough to effectively remove the kiln fire.
When making tea, use an appropriate amount of tea leaves, so as not to make the tea too strong and affect the color and taste of the pot.
When drying the pot, use warm water to avoid the temperature difference of the pot being too large, resulting in the deformation or cracking of the pot.
The above are the two common methods of boiling the purple clay pot: the Wen Kai method and the Wu Kai method. Different pots are suitable for different ways of opening pots, and pot lovers can choose the right method according to the characteristics and preferences of their pots to make their pots more beautiful and practical. Boiling the pot is not only a kind of maintenance of the pot, but also a kind of respect for the tea, but also a kind of enjoyment for yourself. I hope that everyone can feel the charm of the purple clay pot, taste the spirit of tea, and experience the joy of life in the process of opening the pot.
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