Loving your pot requires dedication; maintaining it should not be haphazard. There are certain rules when drinking Tea with a purple clay pot. Below are 30 such rules for drinking tea with purple clay; remember them well to avoid mistakes!

1. Do not drink tea just for the sake of maintaining your pot; getting a stomach ailment would not be worth it. Take things as they come and go at your own pace. This is not something to rush; savor the tea and enjoy life.

2. A Teapot is for drinking tea, and it serves the tea. Choose a pot based on the tea you drink; a pot that benefits the tea is a good one. In practical terms, a semi-manual pot that has been used and maintained for many years can be better than a new pot costing ten thousand yuan.

3. The shape of the pot has the greatest impact on brewing tea; differences in clay do not make much of a difference. Generally, square pots should be avoided.

4. Drinking tea and maintaining a pot are elegant ways to cultivate oneself; calmness of mind is essential. Do not obsessively wipe your teapot or constantly scrub it with a small brush while pouring tea over it, all the while muttering: “A diligent person does not have a lazy pot; ten thousand years are too long, seize the day.” Such behavior is indeed unrefined.

5. When you first prepare your pot, take care to thoroughly remove any small sand particles, impurities, and dust from inside and out. If you neglect this step, it will be too late once you start maintaining it.

6. A pot made from poor quality clay does not necessarily mean that chemical additives were used. Some pots may have impure sand in the clay, containing iron, calcium carbonate, or too much base mud, or the clay was not aged long enough or fired at an insufficient temperature. During the initial preparation, the pot should be soaked repeatedly to allow the clay to expand and contract, expelling impurities and excess clay.

7. Drink all the tea, then clean the pot inside and out thoroughly after finishing. Wipe it dry, leave the lid open, and let it dry upside down. It should take more than 48 hours to completely dry.

8. If the purpose is not for collecting but merely for practical use, there is little difference between fully manual and semi-manual pots. Semi-manual pots offer better value for money. A master craftsman making a fully manual pot typically strikes the clay a dozen times, which results in a pot with excellent double permeability when fired. Semi-manual pots are formed using molds, so the clay is likely more compacted. In theory, this could reduce breathability, but I have yet to notice any significant difference.

9. Internal maintenance is the right approach, though it is slow. Impatient individuals should consider other methods.

10. External maintenance will make the pot shine, and when done properly, it looks beautiful, but the luster achieved quickly can often be superficial and easily removed. External maintenance also reduces the double permeability of the purple clay pot, which is not conducive to tea and can lead to uneven coloring. Some types of clay are not suitable for external maintenance.

11. Combining internal and external maintenance is a good compromise and is generally recommended.

12. Brewing various grades of tea is a good way to maintain your pot, similar to how people who eat a varied diet tend to be healthier.

13. Using Pu'er tea to maintain your pot will make it oily and the process is faster.

14. Tie Guan Yin makes the pot very shiny and the process is quick.

15. Green Tea is great for maintaining a pot, though it takes longer.

16. Use a towel instead of a pot stand for maintaining your pot.

17. Using one pot for one type of tea makes sense; it prevents flavor contamination.

18. Those who drink tea frequently should have several pots to rotate, allowing each pot to dry completely. Typically, a pot should be used for three days and then rested for three days to ensure it does not lose its ability to absorb the tea's essence.

19. Pouring tea over the pot has some merit, as it can prevent color differences between the lid and body, and cover up minor flaws like skipped sand and needle marks.

20. Pots made from high-quality clay show results faster when maintained, while those made from lower quality clay take longer. Choosing a pot made from good quality clay makes the maintenance process more efficient.

21. After each use, do not leave tea in the pot. Clean it with hot water, similar to washing dishes after a meal.

22. Pots with poor needle work are difficult to maintain.

23. For flower-decorated pots, having a small brush is necessary. If you maintain the exterior, use hot water instead of tea.

24. Having two towels for maintaining your pot is essential; one damp for cleaning and one dry for polishing. It is best to use towels with finer textures, softer materials, and good absorbency. They should also dry quickly. A specialized towel used by women for makeup application works well, although it might be expensive.

25. Smaller pots are preferable, as drinking tea is not solely for quenching thirst. Larger pots result in cold tea, which can harm the stomach. Maintaining them is also more laborious.

26. Pots with coarse sand should not be maintained externally, as they are prone to uneven coloring.

27. Do not have more than twenty pots in your possession; managing them is very demanding.

28. Different water sources affect pot maintenance. Bottled or jug water often contains many minerals, so it is important to clean the surface of the pot to remove water marks left behind after brewing tea. Failing to do so will result in mineral deposit stains that are hard to remove.

29. Do not handle the pot with greasy hands or place it near oily substances. When not in use, store it in a dry, dust-free area.

30. Lastly, keep the pot away from children as much as possible, or you will regret it.

Editor: Xiong Er from Chabobao Website