Additives in Yixing Clay and Impact on Clay Quality

Andrew S
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Sat Feb 13, 2021 3:51 pm

Might I suggest that the search for additive-free clay is an aspect of the search for ‘good clay’, but that ‘good clay’ tends to mean different things to different people?

Good clay might mean clay without additives, or clay from a specific site which hasn’t been blended with unknown clays, or clay processed or fired in a certain way, or clay with a certain reputation for being easy to work with, or for having a particular appearance, or a particular effect on tea, or a particular ability to gain a nice shine. Of course, it could also mean clay which has a positive effect on certain types of tea regardless of its other qualities as a clay, but we all know from experience (and from reading the opinions of some self-proclaimed 'experts' in online blogs or shops) that the effect that a clay has on tea tends to be a subjective matter which requires trial and error rather than generic statements that X clay is always good for Y tea.

Tea drinkers, antique pot collectors, modern pot collectors, artistic pot collectors, and teapot makers will probably focus on different aspects of a clay’s quality. I assume that some potters would see ‘carbon point’ or ‘flower mud’ as negative matters to be avoided (possibly by using additives), whereas F1 collectors would see those as positive feature (or at least as interesting features which suggest a lack of additives and a particular period of time).

And, similarly, I think that many tea drinkers might misunderstand pot collectors when they say that 70s additive-free clay is better than 90s or 2000s clay, because they assume that that necessarily means that tea from a 70s pot will taste noticeably better (and, implicitly, that that is so because of the lack of additives). That may be the case, but I think that improvement in taste is a separate issue from clay quality. Bad clay will make bad tea, and good clay can make good tea, but average clay can also make good tea.

It is fun to play with old pots (if we can afford to do so) and to learn about clay, but I think that people shouldn’t necessarily conflate ‘good clay’ with clay which will have clear positive effects on tea (and vice-versa, subject to low-quality clay being something to avoid). Certainly not to the point of focussing on improving their tea making skills by improving their clay.

There are probably lots of stories that the experienced tea drinkers and pot collectors out there could share about good-quality clay that was difficult to match to many teas, or about a clay which had no special characteristics as a clay but which worked well with a certain tea. I recall MarshalN talking about an old teapot that was probably under-fired, but which took away the harshness of the young pu er that he drank, and I think someone here recently talked about a 60s hong ni pot which took a long time to match to a tea.

So when pot collectors talk about the quality of a clay, I tend to understand them to mean that the clay has good characteristics which make it something to be appreciated, and that it may be good for brewing tea, but that they are separate issues. I assume that collectors of other types of pottery or ceramics also talk about a good clay or a good glaze, but the difference between us and them is that we tea drinkers often assume that a good teapot clay will improve the taste of our tea, whereas no-one would think that a good flower pot clay will improve the quality of the flower.

Of course, I also think that many Western tea-drinkers have a fear about their teapots being toxic. It appears to be a recurring theme on the internet. Perhaps it is driven partly by its constant repetition, partly by the existence of many genuinely-bad teapots which should be avoided, and partly by an unfair suspicion that anything that comes from China could be dangerous. There may be good reason for being cautious about drinking from a dangerously-cheap pot (just as I would be cautious about drinking a dangerously-cheap spirits, or, indeed, a dangerously-cheap tea), but I do not know if there is a clear basis for saying that 70s zi ni is healthier than 80s or 90s zi ni (nor am I aware of a clear basis for saying that they are equally healthy).

If there are potters or scientists out there, perhaps they can jump in and mention anything that they have experienced or learnt about the safety of certain additives (without proffering medical advice...) or their effect on the taste of tea.

Now… in answer to the original post... does anyone with a nice F1 pot collection want to do a taste test with some similar 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s teapots, and report back to the rest of us? Hopefully without losing any of the magic along the way.
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LeoFox
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Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:34 pm

I am not a collector but here is my experience as a tea drinker:

In terms of yixing, I only have a bunch of modern pots gifted from family and a vintage late 70s hqsn which is a recent acquisition. I can say this: most of the modern pots are almost identical to porcelain in terms of effect on tea. They are very neutral and easy to use with great pour and minimal leak. I do have one thin, bright red wheel thrown "yixing" that is probably more likely to be a cz pot that imparts a strange bitter flavor even to water that has made me feel sick. I no longer use it.

The one vintage pot I have is fundamentally different from the modern pots. It is a bit more leaky and takes some conjiggering with the lid to get a decent pour. It is more dense and heavy and has a distinctive mineral smell that I have not smelled from any other pot, chinese or otherwise. It definitely has a unique "port of air", and not just because it is expensive as I have a much more expensive japanese pot that lacks this quality of presence. What does it do for tea? The first few sessions were highly muting. I did not know what muting meant until this pot as it seemed to suck up 80% of the flavor! I was forced to soak it in highly concentrated tea for over 24 hours to try to season it: the result is that it now mutes about a third of the flavor and gives back creaminess and that unque and refreshing minerality that reminds me of rocks wet from rain in the mountains (I used to hike a lot). Granted my collection is limited, but no other pot I have has given me this kind of experience. Yes, it is harder to use, and yes, it doesn't necessarily make a tea shine in a way that is easy to appreciate, but just like great works of literature that employ challenging concepts and language, this pot is much more interesting and promises new lessons with each future session. I can't say the same with my modern yixings that are no different than porcelain.
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Iizuki
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 1:17 am

LeoFox wrote:
Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:34 pm
I can say this: most of the modern pots are almost identical to porcelain in terms of effect on tea. They are very neutral and easy to use with great pour and minimal leak.
I only have modern pots and this has been my experience as well. Usually I brush off any clay effect descriptions as just ignorance towards placebo.
LeoFox wrote:
Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:34 pm
The one vintage pot I have is fundamentally different from the modern pots.
This is an interesting (and exciting!) statement. Maybe there's hope after all. I've been thinking about getting one older pot just for the antique appeal, but there might be other motives too. At the very least I'll find out the thruth for myself.
Andrew S
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 2:34 am

After @LeoFox mentioned that teapot experience, I decided to wipe the dust off of my gai wan and try brewing tea in it, decanting into a fairness cup, pouring half of that into a pot, just to see what happens... I'm sure that some part of me thought that if I managed to disprove any teapot mysticism, then I'd save some money in the long-term, albeit with some short-term emotional harm.

I haven't used a gai wan for years, probably ever since I got lazy and stopped ordering more high mountain Taiwanese wu long. I should get back to that.

Anyway, I brewed some somewhat traditionally-stored 90s loose leaf raw pu er, and there was quite a difference.

For me, the pot-decanted brew lacked a smoky note at the start, gained body and sweetness, and had a long pleasant aftertaste, whereas the cup-decanted brew felt sharper and shorter in flavour, with both more unpleasant smokiness and less pleasant sweetness.

I never do these kinds of side-by-side tests, because I prefer just to drink the tea and enjoy it, and, in practical terms, I just brew every old pu er in one of two pots I have that I know work well for them. I do not test new teas in porcelain, because I know that I won't ever drink that tea in porcelain again, so there is no point for me. If the tea feels nice and doesn't taste bad, I'll enjoy it. I actually really dislike trying to engage in some sort of 'test' of any tea, in terms of comparing teas, rating them, etc. I would hate to live to see the day when tea-drinkers became like wine-drinkers who lust over 90-point teas and deride 89-point teas.

This is all much more fun to do in person, and I do understand when people say that that is the best way to learn about it. However, equally, as a tea-drinker in the West (broadly-speaking), I also appreciate that it is hard to find the tea, the teapots, and the people to be able to carry this kind of test out in person, so perhaps comments like this might assist someone out there.

Obviously, none of this is to suggest that every teapot makes a difference, or that spending $300 on a teapot is better than spending the equivalent tea, etc... It is just my experience with my tea and my pot. And my gai wan. What really surprised me was not how good the teapot tea was, but rather how different in nature the gai wan tea was. No doubt, many may prefer porcelain for young and fresh tea, and I won't be able to look at that, since I have no young fresh wu long handy, and I have no teapot dedicated to it.

For anyone who cares, my pot was some sort of green label Factory 1 pot. I might eventually get around to posting a photo on the yi xing photo parade page to see what wiser minds might say about it. Bear in mind that I have no modern pot to compare directly to, and that I've been using this pot for about a decade, so it is certainly well-seasoned.

Perhaps all of this is departing further from the post topic... But I would be interested to hear if other people have had the experience of modern pots tasting like porcelain, or old pots tasting different.

Andrew
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Bok
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 5:09 am

I think the critical point is the sample size... superficially I’d agree that modern Yixing did not much for my tea enjoyment, both visually and in the cup.

But I have friends with 100s of pots old and new who will wholeheartedly beg to differ. I can’t really argue with them as they have enough samples to know better than me.

My point being - anyone with less than a dozen pots to compare can never be really sure of anything except how that particular dozen performs. Which is fine as it’s not realistic for many, or even should be, to amass that many pots to prove or disprove a point.

Work with what you got, like and can afford is my motto :)
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OCTO
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 7:08 am

Interesting discussion we have here......
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mbanu
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Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:36 am

I think that part of the struggle is that tea enthusiasts may be teapot enthusiasts, but they are not usually ceramics enthusiasts, as it takes a special attitude to become as excited by bricks and sinks as by teapots. :lol: So there is some groping around trying to find the words to describe differences in teapots that are really differences in ceramics, like the difference between earthenware and stoneware.

I think one challenge is that it's not always clear how to learn about ceramics if you don't want to become a potter or amateur potter, because most books and websites seem to focus on that aspect rather than on answering the sort of questions that tea-lovers tend to struggle with, like clay quality for gongfu, or how to tell if a teapot has a tea-safe glaze, or how to approach crazing.

Maybe it's just me, though -- can anyone recommend any books on ceramics written specifically for tea-drinkers rather than for potters?
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LeoFox
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Sat Feb 20, 2021 12:20 pm

@mbanu people are approaching this empirically. I think in terms of clay and firing, @Youzi has done a superb job with his blog for modern yixing.
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