• HOME >
  • Banko Teapot

Nosaka Reduction Fired

It is often mentioned that a clay teapot creates a mellower taste in a tea. However, the description of “mellow” somehow is not specific enough to describe the taste. In fact, a clay teapot will modify either body or aftertaste, and sometimes both; but some poor quality clay reduces both aftertaste and body. It is essential for us to understand the contribution of each clay to the characteristic in taste where the effect is related to existence of minerals in the clay. In addition, the firing method using either oxidation or reduction fire affects the body and the after taste of tea as well.

Iron increases the aftertaste, while calcium increases the body

Out of various minerals that exist in a clay teapot, iron plays an important role in enhancing the aftertaste, whereas the alkaline minerals such as calcium are in-charge of enhancing the body. For instance, in one of our lineups, the Nosaka clay, contains less alkaline mineral but is very rich in iron; therefore, it weighs more on the aftertaste. On the contrary, Shigaraki and Kobiwako clay are very rich in alkaline minerals, which will in then contribute more on the body. Despite that, the Kobiwako clay contains both high iron content and alkaline minerals and thus, contributing to the enhancement in both body and aftertaste of tea.

Reduction fire clay increases the aftertaste, while the oxidation fire clay increases the body

Generally, the reduction fired clay increases the after taste and decreases the body, while the oxidation fired clay increases the body and lessens the aftertaste more than reduction fired clay. These are the results shown when a comparison was conducted based on the clays in exactly the same condition.

Nosaka Oxidation Fired

The body and after taste changes the drinking feeling of tea

If tea has strong after taste with less body, it promotes the image as transparent, clear, sharp and pure. With body, we feel thickness, richness, volume, boldness and side spreading feeling. For enjoying semi-fermented tea such as oolong tea and some black tea, the body is quite important. If the tea lacks body, you would feel that the flavor is mild. I personally enjoy drinking Darjeeling tea using a teapot that increases the body. However, it is also subjective to a person’s preference; some customers would prefer a teapot that only increases the after taste even if the flavor is not very strong.

Selecting teapot is just like the way we select lens for a camera

My customers often inquire my opinion to define the best clay or which clay I favor the most. Frankly speaking, it is not easy to answer those questions as it is not possible to set superiority on the different types of clay. Selecting tea wares are quite like the way we select lens for a DSLR camera. The lens for a DSLR camera consists of wide angle, standard, long distance and zooms. In my opinion, I consider zoom lens the friendliest lens for casual or outdoor photo shooting. However, zoom lens may not satisfy everyone’s perspective. Some people who love cameras, me included, may love the single focal lens of wide angle and telescope. These lenses are meant for special purposes especially when you need the typical character of the particular lens.

Kobiwako Hohin

I believe it is the same when it comes to tea equipment. For daily or casual use, a teapot made of bone china or Shigaraki clay does the job as it gives reasonable extent of body and after taste. Not mentioning, we also enjoy a teapot that gives outstanding levels of after taste or body. It will noticeably alter the character of tea, plus, it is very enjoyable to use these clays as it makes the taste and flavor very distinct. I choose a specific type of clay based on the time, place and occasion. For instance, early on a cozy morning, I would love to indulge in a clear, transparent and smooth cup of tea. For that, I will choose a clay teapot that gives strong aftertaste and less body such as the Nosaka reduction clay teapot. In the afternoon, I will choose another clay teapot that increases the body so that I can fully enjoy the upcoming flavor of the tea. Thus, a Mumyoi oxidation clay or Kobiwako oxidation clay is what I will go for.

teapot and lens
Having a few types of clay with different effects to the taste of tea, we are able to enjoy a wide variety of cup characteristics with flavor and taste in a same cup of tea. It is just like using various lenses on a same camera. This way, tea drinking experience would become much more interesting when we could design different combinations between tea and clay based on different requirements or drinking occasions.

Related Articles

How to get the latest update on HOJO Tea?

1. Follow Twitter, 2. Click "Like" on Facebook, and 3. Subscribe in newsletter. You can have the latest tea news from HOJO Tea.

Subscribe the Newsletter to enjoy the privileges
You may receive a free sample upon purchase, or you may have the priority to purchase special products. So please remember to subscribe our newsletter as well as the social network.
HOJO TEA Malaysia online Shop

HOJO TEA Online Shop NEWSlist

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …

NEW ARTICLES

Discover the long-lasting flavor profile of 2023 Shi Feng Long Jing
We have launched the 2023 harvest of Shi Feng Long Jing tea. Shi Feng Long Jing tea, also known as Shi Feng Dragon Well tea. It is one of the most famous and highly regarded teas in China.Shi Feng Long Jing tea is characterized by its flat, spear-shaped leaves that have a vibrant green colour. …
Rare Jasmine Tea Uniquely Crafted from Ripe Pu-erh
Instead of sourcing finished jasmine tea, we specialize in producing custom-made jasmine tea by bringing our carefully selected raw materials to jasmine factories. Over the years, we have created numerous unique jasmine tea varieties that are not available elsewhere, such as Pu-erh jasmine tea made from raw Pu-erh tea leaves, Jasmine Silver Needle made from …
Introducing 3 Varieties of Phoenix Dancong Oolong Tea
We have released new types of Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea that are finished with more rounds of roasting with traditional charcoal fire by skilled tea master. In Phoenix, the locals called it Nong Xiang style, meaning that tea is giving more intense matured flavor. Nong Xiang tea refers to tea that has been roasted …
Exploring the Taste Diversity Within a Tea Tree: Apical Buds vs. Lateral Buds
Do you believe that all tea leaves have the same taste as long as they come from the same tree? I would like to explain that the taste of tea can vary significantly depending on the plucking position, even when harvested from the same tree. The Difference in Flavor Due to Different Harvesting Parts of …
Hidden Costs of High Valuations of Old Tea Trees
Over the past decade, tea enthusiasts in China have been captivated by teas harvested from Ancient Tea trees, particularly those from Yunnan province, Phoenix Dan Cong Oolong Tea and Wuyi Rock Tea. However, as Ancient Tea trees are rare, the prices of teas harvested from them have skyrocketed. As a result, some farmers who possess …
Discover the Unique Taste of Wu Jia Ping Zhang Ancient Tree Raw Pu-Erh Tea
We have released Wu Jia Ping Zhang ancient tree raw pu-erh tea for 2020 and 2021. This tea is grown in tea gardens located around 2100 meters above sea level in the southwestern part of Lincang City, Yunnan Province of China, just a few dozen kilometres from the Myanmar border. Single-origin tea Wu Jia Ping …
Introducing 3 High Grown Darjeeling First Flush Teas Produced Using Sustainable Methods
We have released three types of Darjeeling First Flush, all of which are grown sustainably. The tea gardens are maintained using natural farming methods, and the use of fertilizers is limited when growing the tea trees. As a result, the tea gardens closely resemble their natural state. Unlike common Darjeeling tea, these teas grow slowly, …
New Release of Tsuge Zairai Sencha from Sustainable Tea Garden
Tsuge Zairai Sencha 都祁在来煎茶 is made from “zairai” tea plucked in spring, from the naturally farmed tea garden located in Tsuge, Nara City, Nara Prefecture. The tea garden of Tsuge Zairai Sencha is maintained in sustainable manner applying neither pesticide nor fertilizer. Tsuge Zairai Sencha has a subtle and refreshing floral scent with a hint …
New Release of Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea Cake 2021
Da Xue Shan Wild White Tea 2021 is available now. This tea is always very popular in our shop. In Japan, we brought in loose tea this year, and for Malaysia we produced 200g cake. Mao cha before compressing into cake Very limited resources This tea is made from the wild tea, called Camelia taliensis. …
New Release of 2 Types of Darjeeling 1st Flush
We have released two types of Darjeeling 1st Flush Tea. The reason why the Darjeeling 1st Flush is greenish In Darjeeling tea, the 1st flush refers to the first-plucked spring tea. Usually, the Darjeeling 1st Flush tea is greenish. From the outlook, it looks like a green tea. Many people misunderstand that it is green …

PAGETOP