For the past 9 months, I’ve been testing kettles in my regular tea drinking. The differences from one to another have been pretty significant, so along the way I decided to start documenting it. It’s been a fun project.
It started about 18 months ago, when I got a clay kettle, after many years of stainless steel electric kettles. The impact was pretty revelatory, and looking back I can’t believe it took so long to make the switch.
Perhaps the most noticeable change was the consistently full-boil water temperature. Not that electric kettles don’t reach full-boil (some, anyway), but I suspect that the thinner metal walls, and in particular the spout, make it harder to hold that temperature as well. And also, because the heating mechanism shuts off as soon as it reaches boil, it just seems rather fleeting. There’s something satisfying about letting a kettle steam away for a bit before reaching for it. And it really does hold temperature better— the difference in how hot my teapots got was immediately noticeable. And as a result, tea extraction has been consistently better.
But then, after about 5 months, I found some pieces of the interior chipping away. Not cracked through, technically still functional, but risky for sure.
Fortunately the manufacturer arranged for a free replacement. But while waiting, and feeling uncertain about the long-term prospects of clay kettles (many will tell you they all crack eventually), and also very much not wanting to return to an electric kettle, I took another long-overdo step, and got a tetsubin.
If the clay kettle was an improvement in heat retention, the iron walls of the tetsubin were even more so. And while I found the clay kettle improved all my sessions— so that teas brewed in a stronger, denser, more satisfying way— it wasn’t that different in overall character from the electric kettle. However, the tetsubin had a noticeably more distinctive, and sometimes pretty different, effect.
I started comparing experiences with teas I drink regularly, and found it less conclusive than expected. So I decided to put the two to a more formalized test. And then, after a few weeks, a friend generously lent me her old Japanese silver kettle / ginbin (thank you Julie!). Something I’d never used before myself, and which turned out to add yet another dimension to this.
So I started with a handful of teas I know pretty well, and gradually kept adding to the list, eventually covering a broad range of age, storage, material, and processing styles— within my usual preferences anyway. I drank each multiple times over successive days, rotating between clay, iron, and silver, though not always in that order. And then oftentimes came back a month or more later to see if there was any considerable variance. In every case, I used the same early ’70s hongni pot and the same under-the-sink-filtered Taipei tap water (about 70 TDS). All the while, taking extensive notes.
Which took a while. I didn’t find that any one kettle was consistently better across the board, and this kept me curious, expanding the project as I went. I did however notice trends in my preferences, and it’s since added another nuance to how I approach what I’m drinking.
Here’s what I found.
2015 Biyun Hao Lishan Gongcha
This tea is younger than what I usually drink, but I thought would be an interesting reference point for younger Yiwu teas. In particular because its processing is a bit more traditional-leaning for a boutique tea. It still has a fair amount of astringency and stomach discomfort. It has a degree of bitterness that I like, quite good mouth feel, and seems like it’ll be nicer in another 5-10 years.
This wasn’t very enjoyable with clay kettle. Too youthful, lots of green notes, a bit thin. It was hard to get through the session, I found myself frequently distracted. It was considerably better with both tetsubin and silver— each did a good job of smoothing out its youthful rough edges, improved thickness, and made it quite drinkable. I found the flavor profile most well-balanced with silver. With tetsubin, it leaned a bit too bright/sour, but the mouth and throat feel were particularly nice. Overall silver was the most interesting though, seemed the most well-rounded for this kind of younger tea. Despite its youthfulness, if I had a silver kettle around I might reach for this tea fairly often.
my ranking: silver > iron > clay
2013 Baohongyinji Yuema Wangong
I like this tea, it has good raw material, quite a big flavor, and while soft in the way so many Taiwan boutiques are, has fairly good modern-style processing. Which is to say, not overly oxidized or too lightly rolled. This cake in particular has benefited from very nice Taiwan natural storage— others I’ve tried were less progressed, more astringent. Though this one does still have some greenness, and the aftertaste can lean sour.
The clay kettle did very well, drawing out that big flavor, right away. Sourness lingered in the aftertaste but never dominated. Salivation was strong and continuous, and it steeped out slowly. Curiously, tetsubin was very different. It crushed the flavor, and pretty severely accentuated the sourness. It did have better throat feel, but felt oddly imbalanced. It steeped out rather fast, dropping off abruptly. Warming effect was stronger than with clay, though.
Silver was really interesting. It minimized the tea’s flaws quite well, especially the sourness, while drawing out more nuance in the flavor, in particular a metallic, mineral-like note. The sweetness was very pleasant, keeping me engaged, and the aftertaste was well-balanced. Overall just very smooth. Body feel was comfortable, with some tingling in the arms. The most engaging and clarified session overall.
I revisited this tea several times, and consistently found that tetsubin flattened the flavor profile. I suspect this has to do with the tea’s profile already leaning bright. Worth noting that the feeling from this tea, which is quite aggressively strong and heavy, was pretty consistent across different kettles.
my ranking: silver > clay > iron
2011 Chenyuan Hao Yiwu Yesheng
This is a somewhat rare Chenyuan Hao tea made from good older tree material, though its processing leans over-oxidized, even for CYH. As a result, it brews darker than many similar-age Yiwu teas and is surprisingly comfortable to drink. The feeling from this tea can be pretty strong, quite heavy, but the processing is slightly distracting— very smoothed-out, lacking the elegance and clarity that many good Yiwu teas have. I was curious how different kettles would interact with this processing style.
Clay was underwhelming. While it brewed thick with nice tannic activity, the processing flaws stood out— murky flavor, occasional sourness, a general lack of complexity. Tetsubin, on the other hand, brought a bigger burst of flavor and better balance. Throat feel was deeper, salivation was fast and strong, and the aftertaste lingered nicely without sour notes. The flavor unfurled in an interesting way, quite enjoyable. The heavy feeling of the tea seemed stronger, and although those over-oxidized notes did eventually emerge, they were somehow less offensive.
Silver was pretty nice but imbalanced. It cut out some of the darker notes in this tea’s profile, which I really missed, leaving the flavor too bright, thin, and somewhat flat. That murkiness from the processing was quite apparent, with a broad bitterness reminiscent of hongcha. While it brewed reasonably thick with slowly developing salivation and generally nice aftertaste, it just felt “off.”
my ranking: iron > silver > clay
2011 Jin Dayi
I don’t have many factory teas in this age range but I like this one pretty well. I think it’s a good example of a younger Dayi with good traditional processing. Leaf grade is fairly similar to a 7542, perhaps a bit tippier, though the profile is less fruity. Material quality seems better. It’s rather punchy, flavorful, and a bit smoky. The aftertaste has a pleasant sweetness, though it’s still a bit rough. Texture is on the thinner side. I suspect it contains some slightly aged maocha, as it tastes older than most Dayi of its age.
With clay, the tea was very factory-like— rough, slightly smoky, and too youthful to fully enjoy. But it had a nice sweet finish, an active mouthfeel, and good throat feel. The profile leaned bright with lingering bitterness. The tea dropped off rather quickly. With tetsubin, it was a considerably bigger, smoother tea. It tasted older, with a darker, more well-rounded profile. Still quite sweet, but with nice savory notes early on and a more dramatic huigan . The rough edges it had with clay were mostly gone, and the session tapered off much more gradually. Just overall better. The differences here were pretty fascinating. I didn’t get to test this with silver, but I could see it being quite nice and even smoother and sweeter.
my ranking: iron > clay
2009 Dayi 901-7542
This tea is perfectly nice to drink, but isn’t really a favorite of mine. It makes for an interesting test subject here though, because its processing is more boutique-like than most 7542s. It’s surprisingly smooth and sweet, and rounded-out, a bit like hongcha. But it does still have a fair amount of “factory-ness” to it. It’s punchy in a Menghai kind of way, still has a reasonable amount of roughness in the aftertaste, and can be rather smoky. I find it to be a highly variable tea, too. Some sessions are dominated by smoke; others have none at all, and are surprisingly smooth.
With clay, this tea was unusually bright for a 7542— persistently so, sometimes veering into piercing acidity. The texture was thin, the throat feel shallow, and it dropped off quickly. Tetsubin was a significant improvement. As with the 2011 Jin Dayi, it seemed to age the tea, making it smoother and more drinkable. It also shifted the slightly oxidized, boutique-like character towards something more factory-like, improving balance and drawing out darker notes I hadn’t noticed before. In later steeps, it helped soften the tea’s youthful roughness quite well. It also tapered off more slowly. I didn’t try this with silver, but suspect it would further amplify the brightness and boutique-like qualities— an interesting effect, but not really what I personally would be after when reaching for this tea.
my ranking: iron > clay
2006 Wistaria Taihe
An interesting cake and one that I think stands out from much of this period. It strikes me as a fairly single-origin type tea, and while it leans more boutique than earlier Wistaria teas, it also carries a smokiness that’s rather unusual within this style. It has a somewhat narrow profile, but has nice underlying strength, and for me has always been a more feeling-driven tea; it can be quite uplifting. And it makes for an interesting session, as it tends to start with a rougher, smokier profile, gradually moving towards more and more nice Yiwu sweetness. I was particularly curious how different kettles might affect this progression.
Between clay and tetsubin, the differences weren’t dramatic, though with tetsubin the smokiness was more subdued and integrated, making the tea a touch smoother. For my tastes, the sweeter notes are the highlight, and the tetsubin brought them forward more effectively.
Drinking this tea with the silver kettle though was one of the more revelatory sessions in all of my testing— it was like drinking an entirely different tea. At one point I noted, “the tea really demands your attention. It’s drawing out all the things I like in this tea.” It amplified boutique-like elements in a pleasant way, revealing depth I’d never noticed before. The profile became rich, nuanced, with excellent sweetness and minimal roughness. There were hints of tannins in the liquor and it was thick in a substantive way. Still the faintest hint of smoke, but overall the tea was strikingly clean. The way it extended into the throat and body felt seamless. It tapered off slowly, and even as it faded remained quite compelling. This was the first session that got me really seriously wanting a silver kettle.
my ranking: silver > iron > clay
2005 Dayi 502-7542
One of my main stalwarts— rarely does a week pass where I don’t reach for it. This tea is not spectacular, it can be a bit rough and has limited throat feel, but it’s thick, tasty, decently punchy and pleasantly sweet. Its biggest flaw for me is that there’s a brightness in the profile that can get a bit sour. But it’s easy, reliably engaging, and in a pretty comfortable place now. The processing is fairly traditional but softer than Menghai Tea Factory cakes of a few years earlier.
Clay brought out the tea’s cozy factory qualities, which I really enjoy. It was bold, reasonably dense, and nicely layered, with good thickness and quick salivation. The aftertaste was fruity-sweet with a slight sourness and hint of ashiness. Tetsubin, on the other hand, flattened the tea, making it overly sour and generally poorly balanced, lacking in its darker foundational notes. It was thinner, shallower, and short-lived, with a surprisingly raw/green sour aftertaste. Smoother than with clay, but overall not very enjoyable.
Silver presented an entirely different experience, strongly accentuating the tea’s brightness and lingering sourness while cutting out almost all traces of smoke. It lost much of the character I expect, but what remained was very elegant— impressively sweet, bright, and well-balanced in its own way. The texture was thick with decent throat reach, and the session lasted longer than expected. Don’t think I would reach for this often, but it was illuminating and pleasantly satisfying.
I’ve revisited this one quite a few times and consistently found that clay was my preference. Which was surprising, given that I’ve generally found older teas do better with tetsubin. I suspect this tea’s brightness is a factor— tetsubin tends to accentuate brightness a bit, and I’ve found this can throw off the balance with teas that lean more this direction.
my ranking: clay > silver > iron
2003 Chenyuan Hao Manzhuan
A nice early Chenyuan Hao cake, this has a slight but pretty clean natural storage note and tastes a bit older than many boutique teas of its age. It’s a bit more oxidized than some of the other early CYH’s, and at this point is very nice to drink— smooth, sweet, decently thick, and has a notably heavy sedating effect. I wanted to include an older example of boutique-style processing, and this one fits the bill rather well.
This tea did quite well with both clay and tetsubin; the differences were rather subtle. With tetsubin, it was sweeter, and the storage note felt better integrated. Clay brought out a rougher, more fermented-fruit-like sourness, which I tend to associate with Yiwu/6FTM cakes that have had slightly heavier natural storage. This was especially noticeable in the aftertaste, where the roughness lingered. With tetsubin, this was more evened out. Tetsubin sessions also tended to be thicker with more of a semi-aged character, nudging the tea towards darker, more aged territory. Salivation was more pronounced as well. Overall, tetsubin was my preference. Didn’t get a chance to try this tea with silver kettle, but I could see it being pretty nice.
my ranking: iron > clay
2003 Wistaria Ziyin
This is one of my favorites of the Wistaria teas. It’s on the lighter and brighter side, has a bit of smoke and a nice mineral-like profile. To me, its greatest strength is its impressively persistent aftertaste, with particularly nice salivating effect. And its feeling can be pleasantly uplifting. Its processing is fairly traditional, and at times this tea reminds me of lighter Xiaguan teas like the FT8623-3 or the ’04 Nanzhao yuancha.
This tea can be rough and youthful, and clay seemed to amplify that. It was thin, fairly astringent, and overall lacking in smoothness, quite rough around the edges. Tetsubin pulled the profile together quite nicely, making it more cohesive and focused. The smokiness was better integrated, the slight bitterness resolved nicely, and the aftertaste became more nuanced and well-balanced. It had better thickness, a more immediate throat feel, and stronger, faster salivation. It was basically more enjoyable across the board. After one of these tetsubin sessions I noted, “this was quite close to my ideal session with Ziyin.”
Silver offered something fascinatingly different. It opened with a beautiful clarity of flavor— elegant, clean, and entirely free of smoke and rough edges. Good thickness, and salivation was immediate and intense. Silver seemed to draw out the tea’s youthful brightness, emphasizing a lingering sweetness that I associate more with younger boutique Yiwu teas. The experience felt strikingly similar to lighter boutique teas actually, which was pretty surprising. And I really enjoyed it, but also found it lacking some of the depth and darker notes that make this tea special. That said, this was another session that left me seriously considering whether a silver kettle might be worth it someday.
my ranking: iron > silver > clay
2002 Menghai Tea Factory “lüdashu wufei”
This Menghai Tea Factory cake, sometimes called lüdashu wufei (綠大樹無飛) due to its neifei sitting loose on the surface of the cake, is a punchy, factory-style tea, but with clear Yiwu character too. Its processing style sits somewhere between typical Menghai Tea Factory of this era, and the softer style of something like an Yichanghao— less traditional than the earliest lüdashu cakes, yet unmistakably a factory tea. Initially, it had very aggressive natural storage, arguably too wet, with a pretty strong storage note. Over time, this has cleared up, more into the realm of zhangxiang. I was particularly curious how different kettles would shape the balance between its punchy factory qualities, Yiwu sweetness, and lingering storage notes.
With clay, the wet storage note was quite prominent early on. The tea was flavorful and layered, with an almost nutty element that I would probably attribute to the storage. It was enjoyable but had a lot of factory-like roughness too. The texture was thick and chewy, though throat feel was shallow. Pretty nice salivation. Aftertaste hinted towards sour. With tetsubin, the tea was dramatically better. Hardly any storage note, with a wonderfully thick texture, and much stronger throat feel. The flavor was bold and persistent, with a dense and murky factory-like depth. The aftertaste was pleasantly sweet and smooth. What impressed me the most was how the storage note was so seamlessly integrated. The tea seemed a bit older, and quite nice to drink.
With silver, it was particularly delicate, brighter and sweeter, more like a boutique Yiwu, but with a distinct touch of zhangxiang— a combination I don’t encounter very often. Aftertaste was very smooth and it was overall quite easy to drink. It was intriguing and I enjoyed it, but ultimately, tetsubin provided the most balanced and satisfying session.
my ranking: iron > silver > clay
2001 Xiaguan xiaoheifei
A very strong Xiaguan iron cake that’s a pretty textbook case of traditional, pre-reform Xiaguan processing. I find its profile can be a bit narrow, but it has plenty to give, too— there’s a really nice mineral-like note, it has a big mouthfeel, much smokiness, and is just generally full of life. Quite thick and oily. This particular cake has been relatively dry-stored (by Taiwan standards) and feels like it needs much time to be truly drinkable. I was curious to see how the different kettles might soften some of its youthfulness.
With clay, the tea was bold and assertive— nice and thick, strong flavor that fills the mouth and reaches into the throat. The aftertaste had an aged-smoke ashiness but was well-balanced and not sour. However, it faded faster than I’d like. Tetsubin brought out a richer, darker, and denser profile, making the tea smoother yet still far from ready to drink. The smokiness was subtle and well-integrated, the texture was quite thick, and there were plenty of tannins at the back of the mouth. The throat feel was deep and soothing. Overall a bit easier to drink, and more pleasant.
With silver, this was another pretty revelatory experience. The flavor profile remained close to what I’d expect, with hints of that nice aged Xiaguan smokiness, some brighter mineral-like notes, and a long, lingering aftertaste that occasionally leaned sour— but all in a way that was particularly pleasant. The brighter end of the profile was more emphasized, and while the texture was a bit thinner, the mouthfeel was still satisfying and had good tannic activity. It was noticeably less aggressively youthful too. If every session were this smooth, I’d drink this tea more often. And while I really enjoyed it, it felt like drinking a different tea— one that didn’t quite scratch the usual Xiaguan itch.
my ranking: iron > silver > clay (though silver was so different that it’s hard to even rank it against the others)
2001 Xiaguan Lüyin Chawang
After testing the 2001 xiaoheifei, I thought it would be interesting to include this, because it’s much brighter than most factory teas. It’s a commission and is quite tippy and sweet, though still has its share of Xiaguan-ness. It brews evenly, with nice thickness and strong salivation. It still has quite a ways to go to be truly comfortable to drink. I’ve tried multiple storage versions of this cake, and this particular one is my favorite— less dry than others, yet without wet storage notes. It also has hardly any smokiness left, whereas drier-stored versions can still be quite smoky and rough.
This tea varied significantly from one kettle to the next. With clay, it presented as a more typical factory-style tea— rougher, with darker notes, but ultimately rather unremarkable. Slightly sweet. It was a bit thin, astringent, and had moderate throat feel, though with scratchiness developing as the session went on. Salivation was minimal, and the aftertaste was rather rough.
Tetsubin, on the other hand, was very enjoyable and generally more drinkable. The profile was brighter, though without losing too much of the darker notes, and consistently sweet throughout the session. Texture was smooth and quite thick. Salivation was aggressive right from the start, with a pleasant lingering aftertaste. Pretty easy to keep drinking.
Silver was the most extreme, cutting out so much of the bottom end that the tea became almost too bright, and at times rather sour. While it had excellent sweetness and strong lingering salivation, it ultimately felt hollow. Like it had lost much of its charm. Definitely educational, but not very enjoyable, and not how I’d want this tea to drink.
my ranking: iron > clay > silver
2001 Purple Dayi No.4 batch 103
A strong Menghai Tea Factory cake with fairly aggressive natural storage. When I first got it, it tasted musty, but not wet. It brews dark and thick and is wonderfully dense. It was probably quite smoky when young, much of which has faded by this point. The tea is still punchy and slightly astringent, but getting somewhat comfortable to drink. It has excellent salivation and warming feeling. One of its standout qualities is its zhangxiang-dominated profile, right from the start. It’s a very engaging tea.
With clay, the tea took some time to open up. It started off thin, rather bright, and a bit uncomfortably astringent, but gradually thickened into something much more enjoyable. Tannins built up nicely in the back of the mouth. Nice, but with a fair amount of roughness. This tea really shines with tetsubin however, and after getting the tetsubin was one of the first where I noticed a big difference. It was smooth and enjoyable right from the start. Very dense flavor, and thick brew. Some astringency, but manageable. Overall quite impressively smooth, hardly any roughness. Seemed more focused on the tea’s deeper qualities, like its soothing throat feel. Warming effect also seemed particularly fast and intense with tetsubin.
Silver was nice but less interesting. It emphasized brightness, removed all traces of smoke, and significantly muted the zhangxiang. While it was smooth and thick, and easy to drink, it lacked some of the depth and darker notes that make this tea so enjoyable. Overall, just less fun to drink.
my ranking: iron > clay > silver
late ’90s Zhongcha Yiji (Grade B)
This is a ’90s Zhongcha cake that had some wetter storage early on, probably in Taiwan. I don’t believe it’s Hong Kong traditional storage. As Taiwan wetter storage goes, this is a milder example and has been aired out quite well. While there’s still a slight storage note, it’s overall pretty clean, and tastes decently aged. The tea’s profile is on the lighter side, with nice sweetness, a bit like a punchier 8582. I thought it’d be interesting for these tests due to its storage history.
This tea was noticeably better with tetsubin. With both clay and iron, there were a fair amount of storage notes early on, but with tetsubin, they faded more quickly. The tea was also sweeter, smoother, and thicker. In contrast, the clay kettle seemed to preserve more of the tea’s roughness, especially in the aftertaste. Interestingly, tetsubin sessions tended to end with a much stronger drying sensation in the throat. I suspect this is simply a flaw of the tea itself— the material quality isn’t great, and the tetsubin’s stronger extraction just accelerated the tea toward this stage of the session. Didn’t get to try this one with silver; I could see it being nice though, further emphasizing the tea’s sweetness and smoothness.
my ranking: iron > clay
1997 Menghai Tea Factory 8582 orange in green
This a nice ’90s Menghai Tea Factory 8582 that had Hong Kong traditional storage and has been aired out very well. It brews dark with loads of zhangxiang. It’s quite smooth and aged in profile, is very nicely balanced and has a wonderful lasting sweetness. It’s oily and dense and has very good endurance. Quite lovely to drink.
This is a very nice tea no matter how you brew it, but I’ve found it even better with tetsubin. With clay, it was a bit thin and didn’t hold together as well. Lost its density a bit surprisingly fast. The trad storage note was more noticeable and somehow more disparate and lingered in the aftertaste. With tetsubin, the tea was quite thick and oily right from the start. You could really feel it cling to the sides of your mouth in the way nice older teas do. And that sustained quite well throughout the session. The flavor was more concentrated, the throat feel was deeper and coated the throat faster. The storage notes were very nicely integrated, barely noticeable. Aftertaste was wonderfully sweet. Overall, just a more cohesive drinking experience. I didn’t get the chance to try this with silver but wish I had, as I could see it integrating the storage notes quite well, and drawing out its sweetness even more. Though I suspect tetsubin would still be my preference, as it maintains the tea’s balance so well.
my ranking: iron > clay
Rankings and conclusions
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 BYH Lishan Gongcha | silver | iron | clay |
| 2013 BHYJ Yuema Wangong | silver | clay | iron |
| 2011 CYH Yiwu Yesheng | iron | silver | clay |
| 2011 Jin Dayi | iron | clay | N/A |
| 2009 Dayi 901-7542 | iron | clay | N/A |
| 2006 Wistaria Taihe | silver | iron | clay |
| 2005 Dayi 502-7542 | clay | silver | iron |
| 2003 Wistaria Ziyin | iron | silver | clay |
| 2003 CYH Manzhuan | iron | clay | N/A |
| 2002 MTF lüdashu wufei | iron | silver | clay |
| 2001 Xiaguan xiaoheifei | iron | silver | clay |
| 2001 Xiaguan chawang | iron | clay | silver |
| 2001 Purple Dayi No. 4 | iron | clay | silver |
| late 90s Zhongcha Yiji | iron | clay | N/A |
| 1997 MTF 8582 | iron | clay | N/A |
So of the 15 teas I tested, 11 did best with tetsubin, 3 with silver, and 1 with clay. A pretty strong argument for tetsubin. And even before I tallied all this up, I’d found myself gravitating more and more towards tetsubin for daily use. It’s really just such a positive difference. But there are certain rules-of-thumb I’ve settled into, as well.
I’ve found that teas that are about 15 years or older, and also factory teas in general, are better with tetsubin. With fairly few exceptions. It interacts nicely with the aged flavors, and in cases where there’s more storage notes, helps reduce these. It also smooths out some of the roughness of factory teas, often making these taste even older. It provides a rounder and more balanced experience, that I particularly like. With these kinds of teas, the clay kettle is still fine, just a bit more rough. In these cases, I’ve come to expect that the tetsubin will do a better job bringing out the tea’s best self.
With younger teas, at least boutique teas, if I owned a silver kettle I suspect I’d be using it a lot. But as I don’t, I’ve been largely favoring the clay kettle over the tetsubin. It tends to be better balanced for these. Though I find the difference relates to my own intent, too— if I want more nuanced flavor, and in particular more delicate high notes, the clay kettle typically does better. Though it also tends to preserve more youthfulness, which can make it harder to drink. If I want a more rounded mouthfeel and smoother experience, at the expense of some of the flavor, then tetsubin can be pretty nice. But my experiences have been particularly varied with younger boutique teas. This is an area that could probably be explored further— honing in more on differences in processing like lighter vs heavier rolling, degree of oxidation, perhaps differences in storage or even in region.
There’s also times where I want the most neutral experience possible, for instance if I’m trying a tea for the first time, or am doing blind tastings. In these cases, I’ve mostly been defaulting to the clay kettle. For all my love of the tetsubin, it does have a more noticeable effect.
And practicality is also sometimes a factor. When I have plenty of time, I’m more inclined to use the tetsubin. But if I’m in a hurry, the clay kettle heats up faster and isn’t going to develop rust if I have to rush out and leave water in it afterwards. With tetsubin, this is especially a consideration in Taiwan’s humid climate. If I don’t empty and dry it properly, the next time I use it there’s a good chance I’ll get slightly orange water. Some days, ease of use is the priority, and for this I’m glad to have a clay kettle around.
As I’ve leaned further and further into using the tetsubin though, I find it does create a certain kind of disconnect due to how it skews perception of some teas. For instance, with teas that are more palatable with tetsubin, when I’m at a teahouse, or a shop, or a friend’s place, and we don’t have one, these teas tend to taste quite different, and often are less enjoyable. Or when I’m chatting with someone about a tea, our experiences might be rather different if we’re using different kinds of kettles. Which is not to suggest it’s a night-and-day difference, but it’s enough to keep me from reaching for certain teas when I know I won’t have access to a tetsubin.
So, is a tetsubin really essential? I think it depends on what you drink. If it’s mostly younger boutique pu, then maybe not. But if you drink a lot of factory pu, and teas that are 15 years old and older, well then please do yourself a favor and go find a tetsubin. You won’t regret it.
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