I just wanted to share what I read on another forum about reed sculpting and soaking. One way that the (hundreds of years ago) Japanese reed players used to soak their reeds was in green tea. I wanted to try this, so I took a brand new Mitchell Lurie Premium Reed - Size 4. With my mouthpiece (Van B45) this reed is WAY too hard. I always customize my reeds with a razor blade and a knife to get it right where I want it. Well, I soaked a reed in hot green tea for about 10 minutes. VOILA! almost perfect reed. I just razored off a TINY bit (and to tell the truth I didn`t need to except I like brighter sounds and easy response). I also wanted to see if you need to soak it every time or just the once. I let the reed dry out overnight and it seems like it works perfectly every time after that one soaking. I am not a tea expert or a reed expert, so I have no clue what the tea does to it, but I am going to soak 10 of these babies at a time! Happy soaking!

-Dennis

I tried that this weekend and I really didnt notice a difference.....but i might try it again. So other people that might read this, go ahead and try it out!

I use the Salada brand from the supermarket. It is Mint Green Tea with Echinacea. I also make it just like i am makign a cup of tea. Boiling water, and steep for about 4-5 minutes.

-Dennis