BACKGROUND

One of the most important factors in making a good and nice tea is the material of teapot.
Teapot-buying decision should be based on the suitable material such as glass, clay,
porcelain. In this assignment, we had chosen clay as our choice to make the teapot. In this
assignment, we will be discussing about the material, advantages of using clay as the material
of making teapot, the properties of the material and some other reasons why we choose this
kind of material.
Clay is a type of product which can be found on earth. It has decomposed from rock within
the earths crust for millions of years. This process occurs when the water contact with the
rock with a certain velocity and erodes the rock and breaks it down, then deposits them. This
clay is called raw clay which is not suitable for making teapot.
Clay may be generally described as 40% aluminum oxide, 46% silicon oxide, and 14% water.
There are two types of clays, primary and secondary. Primary clay is found in the same place
as the rock from which it is derived. It has not been transported by water or glacier and thus
has not mixed with other forms of sediment. Primary clay is heavy, dense, and pure.
Secondary or sedimentary clay is formed of lighter sediment that is carried farther in water
and deposited. This secondary clay is a mixture of sediment and it is finer and lighter than
primary clay. Varying additives give the clay different characteristics. The raw clay has to be
mixed with other additives that give the clay different properties when worked and fired. The
final mixture is called clay bodies which is suitable to make teapot. It can be poured into a
mold and dried.
PROPERTIES OF CLAY TEAPOT
Clay teapot can retain heat longer due to its high specific heat capacity in which it is not
easily get heat up. Thus, the thermal conduction between the wall of the teapot and the
surrounding is slower and the heat cannot transfer out so easily. Besides that, clay is a poor
heat conductor if compared with metal and glass. This is the reason why clay teapot is able to
retain heat longer than other materials.
Clay teapot contains a lot of pores due to its nature. This kind of porosity is good because the
aromatic elements from the tea can be retained in the pores and at the same time enhances the
taste from time to time.
ADVANTAGES OF USING CLAY AS THE MATERIAL OF MAKING TEAPOT
Safe to Use
Clay is a natural material and it is safe to use. Users do not need to worry about the
contamination or chemical reaction between the tea and the teapot.
Heat Retaining
First, clay teapots will retain heat longer if compared with glass or metal teapots. This is
because clay is a slow heat conductor and heat energy cannot flow through it so easily. The

specific heat capacity is higher and thus it takes longer time to heat it up. At the same time,
heat will not loss easily due to thermal conduction.
Taste Enhancement
Next, Chinese clay teapots do not use glazing. The clay used remains porous and tea oils are
intended to build up inside the teapot and over time, smooth the taste of tea and improve it by
adding its own unique taste from the accumulated oils. The tea which contained aromatic
elements will stay inside the pores and come out for the next brewings. After a few brewings,
the teapot will be "coated" and the aromatic peaks of the particular tea will be emphasized,
giving it a more satisfying taste. This is why clay teapots is only recommended to be used for
only one family of tea in order to enhance one kind of taste. Different teas are not made in the
same teapot unless they are from the same family or class of teas, such as different types of
green or oolongs, but even this is not ideal as some teas from the same family have a strong
flavour and in time, their taste can transfer to a more delicately flavoured tea. This will not be
happened on glass and metal teapots because they do not contain pores.
Easily Maintained
Clay teapot can be cleaned by using hot water and without the need of using detergent. The
stain will be inside the teapot and this will not bother us because it actually add a touch to the
flavour. For glass teapot, the tea stains are visible from outside and might put some people off
their tea.