Are You Buying a Tetsubin or a Teapot?

With the mass commercialization of Asian teaware here in the US, once ancient, beautiful and frankly expensive forms of teaware have been sized down to meet consumers’ wants and needs.  Japanese teaware is among the most hurt by this simplification, most of all is the tetsubin.

A tetsubin is a water kettle, mainly used for tea, which is made of cast iron.  What we see in many US stores are not tetsubins but iron teapots.

These kettles are literally works of art, with many shapes and elaborate designs on the sides.  Hand cast from sand or clay molds, they can be made only once or a few times making each piece unique.

Hojo Tea

So what makes a tetsubin special?  Not only is it exposed iron on the outside, it is also exposed on the inside.  When boiling, the water reacts with this special iron and becomes “sweeter.”  Activated iron particles are released into the water which often enhances the taste of tea.

Teavana

When we look at the iron teapots we commonly see, their interior is coated with ceramic and, just like any other ceramic teapot, the flavor is not enhanced.  The only real difference between an iron teapot and a regular ceramic teapot is its heavy iron and ability to keep tea warm for a longer period of time.

While the tetsubin is meant for heating water, it is not used for brewing tea, instead clay is used. And there are many forms of clay in Japan suited to enhance tea. Even though tetsubins were once considered a household necessity, it is very hard to find a real one today because they were replaced by stove top kettles and now the common electric kettle.

A tetsubin takes incredible skill to make and it is no toy either.  It needs care every time you use it so as not to get rusty inside and out.  When cared for, tetsubins can last several lifetimes of use.  It’s very possible to buy an old tetsubin and use it yourself.

You can find a real tetsubin a few places on the web; a great place is Hojo Tea.  If you want an iron teapot, you can visit many stores around the country and find them.

Iron teapots are too popular today and that is probably why they have assumed the wrongful name of tetsubin. So next time you are thinking about buying a testubin, think again and ask yourself, “Am I buying a tetsubin or a teapot?”