Yixing

[LeoFox]

Seasoning my late 70s hqsn in about 20 grams of unspent heavy roast 2019 dong ding from hy chen via leafy green. About 8 grams in the pot and the rest outside.

Had 2 sessions first with 1$/gram yancha. The pot is quite thirsty so am accelerating it with this dong ding. The roast is aggressive but relatively clean and straight forward, reminding me of da hong pao. Am planning to use this pot only for yancha hahahaha

After a day, the seasoning liquid tastes surprisingly good - rich toffee notes hahahaha. Drank two full pints of this. Second glass tasted a bit like the clay. Threw in two more balls of dong ding and filled the vessel with boiling water for overnight.

[Bok]

60s old fella basking in the soft afternoon light... coming out for the holidays

[Victoria]

Beautiful light, on a beautiful pot @Bok.

[Bok]

Beautiful light, on a beautiful pot Bok.

Thanks Victoria... just looking at it felt like meditation

[TeaTotaling]

@mafoofan Did you ever have any luck finding a Zhuni artist, or pot to your liking?

[sleepypiggy]

Question: Thoughts on these teapots? Worth purchasing?

Hi!

I literally just made an account. A comment on my reddit post suggested I make an account here and ask all you wonderful people.

I found a guy that I want to buy these teapots from. He said that they're just collecting dust and he wants to get rid of them. I would like to buy them, but only if they are safe to drink from and make good tea!

I understand that even "fake zisha" can be safe to drink from. However, I would like to know the identify of the clay type and/or who they are made by if possible.

He's had the listings for over 5 weeks and originally for 40 each. I might end up buying them all depending on answers.

So in conclusion: should I buy them?

Thank you so much!

[Bok]

@sleepypiggy it depends on what you’re looking for.

These all look like a bit on the chunky side. Often these more decorative pots are also less done in mind with actually using them. They do look modern and mass produced to me. What the actual clay is and what is in them, no one will be able to tell you for sure without testing them.

Can be decent enough for tea, but my guess is that in a couple of years those will be gathering dust on your shelf as well...

For me this kind of Yixing is better skipped and the money invested in something else no matter how cheap they might seem to you.

[chadao]

sleepypiggy it depends on what you’re looking for.

These all look like a bit on the chunky side. Often these more decorative pots are also less done in mind with actually using them. They do look modern and mass produced to me. What the actual clay is and what is in them, no one will be able to tell you for sure without testing them.

Can be decent enough for tea, but my guess is that in a couple of years those will be gathering dust on your shelf as well...

For me this kind of Yixing is better skipped and the money invested in something else no matter how cheap they might seem to you.

I sort of agree (and I'm the one on Reddit who sent sleepypiggy here on an errand to find more experts than I on yixing). They honestly look modern and mass produced to me, but my eye is not yet expert on these things. I am just generally suspicious of the decorative/coloured pots.

[steanze]

So in conclusion: should I buy them?

No. Bad clay, unclear if Yixing. My advice is: stick with a porcelain gaiwan and study Yixing clay quality from posts here and books. Look closely at the texture and read what people have to say about different pots. After 6 months-1 year of studying, buy your first pot.

[sleepypiggy]

Okay great! Thank you so much for the information
I will definitely study a bit more on yixing before looking to purchase more. I have some tokoname pots and porcelain teapots/gaiwans that will function just fine.

Much appreciated!

[Chadrinkincat]

@sleepypiggy

These look like tuition pots. Usually the more decorative a pot is, the more likely it isn’t well made or actually zisha. Slip-cast + mystery mix of clay and additives

I’d recommend both these vendors for affordable modern pots.

https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yi ... ing-teapot

https://yinchenstudio.com/collections/teapot

[OCTO]

So in conclusion: should I buy them?

No. Bad clay, unclear if Yixing. My advice is: stick with a porcelain gaiwan and study Yixing clay quality from posts here and books. Look closely at the texture and read what people have to say about different pots. After 6 months-1 year of studying, buy your first pot.

I second this! Definitely tuition pots. You may buy one and keep in your collection as reminder of what not to buy...

[OCTO]

sleepypiggy

These look like tuition pots. Usually the more decorative a pot is, the more likely it isn’t well made or actually zisha. Slip-cast + mystery mix of clay and additives

I’d recommend both these vendors for affordable modern pots.

https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yi ... ing-teapot

https://yinchenstudio.com/collections/teapot

Agreed!! +1.... both EOT and YCS comes highly recommended.

[Chris]

mafoofan Did you ever have any luck finding a Zhuni artist, or pot to your liking?

I'm also curious about this, or whether anyone has bought one of Pan Jun's HLS zhuni pots from YZG.

[TeaTotaling]

Celebrating with this gem today, and it doesn’t get much better. Perfectly fired, top-grade Di Cao Qing Zini, aged 30 years, from Huang Long Shan #4 mine, 280ml.

The versatility of this clay never ceases to amaze me. It went from a pot devoted to Aged Sheng, to All-Star status, and ohh baby does it shine with everything I feed it. Gaining a lovely patina from routine 15-17g sessions. The heat retention is just superb, and extremely consistent. Ideal for flash infusions, or much longer brews. Today’s tea was a lovely Ya Shi Dancong, 16g’s. It brewed up impeccably and the session was absolutely euphoric.

This pot exudes a strong spirit, and has taken my love for Zisha to new heights. A wonderful, artful masterpiece, on all accounts. A true collectors delight.

“Success can be won through skill, intelligence, sometimes sheer perseverance, regardless of birth.”
-Zhu Xiao Qing