The pot

   It was Father´s Day yesterday. I got my first teapot as a present. Up until now I´ve used these simple cup- sized infusers made of wiremesh. They are very handy for a quick cup, but of course I´ve been thinking about getting a proper teapot, if not for other reason than aesthetics.

   My new teapot is nice and compact, a little over two medium- sized cups, made by Zero Japan. It´s some kind of clay with a metal lid. The color is a stylish moss green with a "Crackle Glaze"- finish which looks like broken porcelain under the surface lacquer . Inside there´s the same kind of infuser as I´ve been using before, but this one fits the pot. As  a first steep I did some organic Fujian Shui Xian- wulong. The teapot keeps the liquid in a lot more stable temperature throughout the steep. I might consider adding some kind of insulative "hat" for the pot to make it loose even less heat. Maybe because of this the tea had a lot fuller and stronger taste. It was really quite noticeable. The two cups of Shui Xian we´re really nice with my FD- breakfast.

   One potential problem I noticed is that I will always have two infuse two cups with this teapot if I intend to use the basket infuser, because when only half- full the water doesn´t rise sufficiently high to adequately cover the tea leaves in the basket. Of course, I can just put the leaves straight into the pot and use a sieve when I pour the tea out. This might be a good way in a case, because the leaves would have more space to move and expand. Gotta give it a try today.

   The teapot definitely makes tea better, both the absolute taste of it as well as by giving you a more satisfying experience aesthetically and mentally. I´m already drooling over other teapots as well; I guess it´s addictive when you start hoarding them. A nice and earthy Yixing would be nice, as well as a modern glass pot and a gaiwan....