Care & Cleaning
Yixing teapots are very porous and will absorb the flavor of the tea brewed in them. As such it is customary to use each Yixing teapot with only one particular tea. Traditionally, Yixing pots are used with oolong and puerh teas using the Chinese gongfu method of brewing. Nevertheless, there is no reason you cannot use it for your favorite tea. The important factor is to use each Yixing teapot with only one kind of tea
Prior to using your new Yixing teapot it will need to be cleaned and seasoned. The most important thing to remember is to NEVER under any circumstances use any kind of cleaning agent such as soap! For the first cleaning you should give the pot a quick rinse with clean cool water. You can scrub the inside and outside of the pot with a clean sponge that has never had any cleaning agent on it, but it's not necessary. Then submerge the pot in cool clean water and leave it to soak overnight. The next day put the pot in a large deep pot on the stove and fill with more clean cool water to cover. Bring the water to a boil and simmer for five minutes. Drain and rinse the pot in clean water.
To season return the teapot to the deep pot and fill with clean water to cover and bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat and add the tea you will be using with this teapot. Cover and let steep overnight. The next day rinse the pot with clean water one last time. Let the pot air dry with the lid open. You are now ready to make your first pot of tea.
After seasoning all you will ever need to do is rinse the pot with clean water after each use and let the it air dry with the top open. If by chance you use the pot with a different kind of tea you will need to re-season it all over again, but boil it with water two times in the cleaning step instead of once.