A newly made purple clay teapot has no luster and cannot be used directly for brewing tea. Therefore, before starting to use a new teapot, a series of processes are required, which experts call "opening the teapot." After opening, it is best to use one teapot for only one type of tea. There are various methods for opening the teapot, and there is no fixed rule. However, generally speaking, two common methods are used.
I. [Traditional Method for Opening a Purple Clay Teapot]
Boiling the teapot in clear water. Before this step, please use warm water and a soft cloth to carefully wipe the teapot body. After it cools down, place it in clean water and slowly bring it to a boil. Let it boil for 5-10 minutes.
Boiling with tofu: Remove the teapot from the boiling water, set it aside to cool naturally. When it is no longer hot, fill it with tofu; aged tofu is best.
When filling, press it down slightly to prevent the tofu from all rushing out of the teapot when the water boils. Place the teapot filled with tofu into clean water (start with cold water), slowly bring it to a boil. After boiling, continue heating until the kitchen is filled with the aroma of tofu, then boil for another 5-10 minutes.
Purpose of this step: Due to the kiln firing process, some believe the teapot has strong "fire energy." Before normal use, the teapot should be "cooled down" to reduce this fire energy.
Boiling with sugarcane: Remove the teapot that has been boiled with tofu, rinse it with hot water. Let it cool naturally until no heat remains. Use sugarcane heads—note, it should be sugarcane heads. Since I really didn't have the courage to pick up sugarcane heads at the fruit stall, I bought a whole sugarcane with many knots as a substitute. Split it into pieces, place it in clean water (cold water), and boil together with the teapot. Heat as in the previous step: after boiling, wait until the kitchen is filled with the aroma of sugarcane, then let it boil for another 5-10 minutes.
Boiling with tea leaves: Remove the teapot that has been boiled with sugarcane, let it cool naturally until no heat remains. Take your best tea leaves—if this teapot will be used for Pu'er tea in the future, use Pu'er; if for green tea or Tieguanyin, use Tieguanyin. Add cold water to the pot again, place the teapot and tea leaves together, and bring to a boil. After boiling, let the kitchen fill with aroma for 10 minutes or longer.
Setting the flavor: Remove the teapot, set it aside. Take out the tea leaves from the pot, and use these tea leaves to gently rub the teapot body and lid for several minutes. Finally, rinse the teapot clean with warm water. Purpose of this step: To set the flavor. Therefore, it is recommended to use your best tea leaves, and it is best to use the same type of tea for setting the flavor as you will use for future brewing.
Alright, at this point the work of opening the teapot is complete.
II. [Simplified Method for Opening a Purple Clay Teapot]
Separate the teapot body from the lid, place them in a pot. Boil until just before boiling point, then let sit for 5-10 minutes. Place tea leaves inside the teapot, heat over a low flame for a while, then let it cool naturally and dry. Pour out the water from the teapot.
This method is suitable for teapots that do not have a strong earthy smell, and is convenient for brewing teas such as Tieguanyin. Now you can start using your new teapot.