Purple clay tea sets, developed from pottery, began in the Song Dynasty, flourished in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and have been passed down to this day. The most famous purple clay tea sets are made from a special kind of clay, purple gold clay, found in southern Yixing, Jiangsu, and adjacent northern Changxing, Zhejiang. This kind of clay has high iron content and great plasticity, and its firing temperature is around 1150°C. The color of purple sand tea sets is determined by the difference in color and texture of purple gold mud. For example, azure mud is dark liver color, honey mud is light ocher color, stone yellow mud is cinnabar color, pear skin mud is frozen pear color, etc. After clearing and washing, , and then blend it to make it appear bronze, light ink and other colors. Later generations said that purple sand tea has three major characteristics: that is, the tea does not lose its flavor when brewed, the tea does not change color when stored, and it does not go rancid easily in the hot weather. There are Dabin teapots made in the Ming Dynasty, Mengchen teapots made by Hui Mengchen in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Mingyuan teapots made by Chen Mingyuan in the Qing Dynasty, Mansheng teapots made by Chen Manshengming and Yang Pengnian, and purple sand teapots made by Gu Jingzhou in the contemporary period. It can be called a treasure among purple clay pots and has become a rare treasure. The purpose of maintaining a purple clay teapot, commonly known as pot maintenance, is to make the teapot better retain its aroma and flavor, so that the purple clay teapot can have a pure luster and oily feel. There are many ways to care for a pot. The first one is to use it carefully and maintain the integrity of the pot. In addition, the following things need to be done: 1. Maintenance of the new pot: Before using the new pot, fill a clean pot with no peculiar smell with water, then grab a handful of tea leaves, put them into the pot together with the purple clay pot, and boil. , continue to simmer for half an hour to an hour. It should be noted that the tea soup capacity in the pot should not be lower than the pot surface to prevent the teapot from burning. Or wait for the tea soup to boil, soak the new pot in the tea soup for 2 hours, then take out the teapot and let it dry naturally in a dry, ventilated place without odor. Using this method to raise the pot not only removes the earthy smell in the pot, but also helps nourish the pot. 2. Maintenance of old pots: Before making tea, scald the old pot with boiling water; after drinking the tea, pour out the tea residue and wash away the residual soup with hot water to keep the pot clean. In addition, for new or old pots, the surface of the pot should be cleaned frequently and wiped with hands or soft cloth. This will help to rejuvenate the moist and smooth purple sand mud and make the hand feel better. And in the long run, a natural emotion will arise between the tea drinker and the pot, adding to the infinite fun of drinking tea.
1. Thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the pot. Whether it is a new pot or an old pot, the wax, oil, dirt, tea stains, etc. on the pot should be removed before maintenance.
2. Avoid getting oily dirt. Zisha teapots are most afraid of oil stains. They must be cleaned immediately after being stained, otherwise the teapot will not be able to absorb the tea and all traces of oil will be left.
3. Really make tea. The more times you brew tea, the more tea juice the pot absorbs. When the soil is absorbed to a certain extent, the surface of the pot will shine like moist jade.
4. Rub and brush in moderation. After the tea juice is poured on the surface of the pot, use a small soft-bristled brush to scrub the tea pins accumulated in the pot, rinse with boiling water, and then wipe it with a clean tea towel. Do not push and rub continuously.
5. Clean and dry after use. After making tea, the tea residues should be removed to avoid odor and need to be rearranged.
6. Let the pot have time to rest. After steeping for a period of time, the teapot needs to rest so that the soil can dry naturally and thoroughly before being used again. The pot that follows these six steps to maintain its brightness will develop slowly, but its brightness will last for a long time and will not fade under the touch of human hands.