Yixing

[karma]

karma

This pot is probably a a good choice for aged puerh. Clay looks decent and the price seems fair. You can also PM him about any of the other designs from IG.
https://www.yinchenteapot.com/productde ... 70669.html

Also this might be a good choice for very clean good quality aged sheng. Likely has a fast pour. https://www.mudandleaves.com/store/p491 ... eapot.html

For F1
Emmett’s selection seems pretty quiet lately but you could reach out to him to see if he can get you a green label zini pot. https://emmettsteas.weebly.com/

I also have a couple for sale from this era but only 70ml.

wow that mud and leaves pot is a pretty pot! I hear a lot about zhuni, it seems like it's different from hongni but similar in their muting properties?

[Bok]

I hear a lot about zhuni, it seems like it's different from hongni but similar in their muting properties?

Quite the opposite. Zhuni is more comparable to porcelain, not muting at all. So the effect on the effect on tea is neutral-zero. It brews tea well more due to heat retention properties. In your case I don't think it would be a good choice for Puerh. Usually Zhuni is better for high quality teas where you want to emphasise fragrances and subtleties.

[karma]

karma, the modern zhuni pot looks nice. I’d suggest a more spherical teapot as your first teapot. This sounds strange, I know, but rounder pots seem to cradle aromas better than teapots with angular shapes. Ideally, you wouldn’t want a shape that is too tall or too short. This is why xishi, junde, shuiping, and pear-shaped pots are perineal favorites.

There are modern teapots that are fine, like the one’s out of Gao’s shop. Like others have suggested, I would skip factory pots from the 80s. We start to see improvements in Yixing in the 2000’s, though I have some nice ones from the late 90’s

How impactful is that "cradling the aromas" factor? The design of the pot really speaks to me, and I like the feel of it more than most other modern yixings I've seen. Someone commented earlier in a thread somewhere about how the repetition of old designs feels lifeless and I agree to some extent. As a new design, and the more rustic shape speaks to me. So if it's a 99% vs 100% thing I'd rather go with this design because the aesthetics will bring me more joy, but if it's more of a difference than that I'd reconsider. And to some extent, a further question: is that foolish? I come from an art background so the aesthetics of my teaware often matters to me maybe more than it should. It's hard to tell what is immaturity and what is maturity when it comes to priorities like this.

[Bok]

Very thin-walled high fired hongni can sometimes perform similar to Zhuni. Not to forget, that some of modern Zhuni is actually Hongni, but sieved to a finer grade to imitate Zhuni.

[karma]

I hear a lot about zhuni, it seems like it's different from hongni but similar in their muting properties?

Quite the opposite. Zhuni is more comparable to porcelain, not muting at all. So the effect on the effect on tea is neutral-zero. It brews tea well more due to heat retention properties. In your case I don't think it would be a good choice for Puerh. Usually Zhuni is better for high quality teas where you want to emphasise fragrances and subtleties.

would the qinghuini version of this pot be a better choice? https://www.yinchenteapot.com/productde ... 63389.html

[Bok]

Someone commented earlier in a thread somewhere about how the repetition of old designs feels lifeless and I agree to some extent. As a new design, and the more rustic shape speaks to me. So if it's a 99% vs 100% thing I'd rather go with this design because the aesthetics will bring me more joy, but if it's more of a difference than that I'd reconsider. And to some extent, a further question: is that foolish? I come from an art background so the aesthetics of my teaware often matters to me maybe more than it should. It's hard to tell what is immaturity and what is maturity when it comes to priorities like this.

I think that comment might have been me... I come from a design background and share your thinking. But – I wouldn't worry, Yixing is so vast a field, the pot with all your requirements is out there! The look and feel of an object brings a lot to the tea table... the eyes drink alongside one could say.

I found the perfect combo in antiques, as they have that rustic and handmade plus, which newer pieces lack in so many cases. Might also be worth checking out a few of the young-guns of Yixing and Jingdezhen which do some more wabi sabi stuff? I think I made a thread about it a while ago.

[Bok]

would the qinghuini version of this pot be a better choice? https://www.yinchenteapot.com/productde ... 63389.html

In terms of clay for sure. Yet as previous posters have mentioned, I have had not so good experiences with pots that have edges and corners, where tea gets stuck and create an uneven brew. Also looks to me from the geometry that this design might be a candidate for excessive dripping and drooling.

[karma]

Someone commented earlier in a thread somewhere about how the repetition of old designs feels lifeless and I agree to some extent. As a new design, and the more rustic shape speaks to me. So if it's a 99% vs 100% thing I'd rather go with this design because the aesthetics will bring me more joy, but if it's more of a difference than that I'd reconsider. And to some extent, a further question: is that foolish? I come from an art background so the aesthetics of my teaware often matters to me maybe more than it should. It's hard to tell what is immaturity and what is maturity when it comes to priorities like this.

I think that comment might have been me... I come from a design background and share your thinking. But – I wouldn't worry, Yixing is so vast a field, the pot with all your requirements is out there! The look and feel of an object brings a lot to the tea table... the eyes drink alongside one could say.

I found the perfect combo in antiques, as they have that rustic and handmade plus, which newer pieces lack in so many cases. Might also be worth checking out a few of the young-guns of Yixing and Jingdezhen which do some more wabi sabi stuff? I think I made a thread about it a while ago.

I saw that thread! I absolutely love some of the pieces I saw. But I found myself stuck on trying to figure out how to purchase or really browse wares without going to a ceramics gallery around the world! Do you have any idea of where I could look? I also was unclear about the quality of the clay they were using and about what prices I should expect. Some of them looked like I might be better off buying antiques.

[Bok]

@karma those are good questions indeed... I know some sell them on Taobao. As to clay, your guess is as good as mine, I don’t know anyone who has purchased of them.

Also true that some of them are consciously imitating the roughness of antique commoner style teapots. But they will be a lot cheaper than an antique for sure!

[karma]

@Bok I'd love to dig further into these young guns. I saw you said somewhere that their stuff is showing up in teashops around asia, and I believe you said you were in taiwan? Have you seen any of their ware in person? I'm more than willing to do legwork here, but would you mind if I kept in touch with you and asked for advice and direction regarding these modern youngster yixings? Something appealing in being a trail blazer there, even if I might be too inexperienced to really do so well. I think Baisao and I might get tea soon, I'm sure he could help me figure out the quality of any pot I purchased, help educate the community.

All that said, is this really the best road for me to go down with so little experience?

[Bok]

@karma I don’t think there is one right way. Everyone is going to find their own.

Anything explored with passion will lead to something.

I haven’t seen any in person, but I’ve seen some popping up in social media of some tea houses and galleries. Problem is the truth is always in the cup, won’t know for sure until I personally make tea with them.

I’d imagine that getting to the best clays might be more difficult for the younger generation, but that only an insider could answer, the final result tells you very little about its provenance or ingredients.

And please by any means don’t hesitate to ask questions and keep in touch!

[alejandro2high]

karma

This pot is probably a a good choice for aged puerh. Clay looks decent and the price seems fair. You can also PM him about any of the other designs from IG.
https://www.yinchenteapot.com/productde ... 70669.html

Also this might be a good choice for very clean good quality aged sheng. Likely has a fast pour. https://www.mudandleaves.com/store/p491 ... eapot.html

For F1
Emmett’s selection seems pretty quiet lately but you could reach out to him to see if he can get you a green label zini pot. https://emmettsteas.weebly.com/

I also have a couple for sale from this era but only 70ml.

Still available? More info please.

[pedant]

...

I also have a couple for sale from this era but only 70ml.

Still available? More info please.

can browse teaswap
or use the search to look for @Chadrinkincat's topics/posts in teaswap like this

[Chadrinkincat]

karma

This pot is probably a a good choice for aged puerh. Clay looks decent and the price seems fair. You can also PM him about any of the other designs from IG.
https://www.yinchenteapot.com/productde ... 70669.html

Also this might be a good choice for very clean good quality aged sheng. Likely has a fast pour. https://www.mudandleaves.com/store/p491 ... eapot.html

For F1
Emmett’s selection seems pretty quiet lately but you could reach out to him to see if he can get you a green label zini pot. https://emmettsteas.weebly.com/

I also have a couple for sale from this era but only 70ml.

Still available? More info please.

Yes, both are still available.

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2143709314

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 2141937635

[karma]

karma I don’t think there is one right way. Everyone is going to find their own.

Anything explored with passion will lead to something.

I haven’t seen any in person, but I’ve seen some popping up in social media of some tea houses and galleries. Problem is the truth is always in the cup, won’t know for sure until I personally make tea with them.

I’d imagine that getting to the best clays might be more difficult for the younger generation, but that only an insider could answer, the final result tells you very little about its provenance or ingredients.

And please by any means don’t hesitate to ask questions and keep in touch!

I reached out to a lot of them on instagram and they've gotten back to me. All of the pots are glazed inside, almost without exception. Plus the Prices are around 3-5000 RMB. Seems unreasonable to me.