What did I get myself here?

[Nis]

Bought this for €13.50 from Palais des Thés.
It's obviously not a high quality pot, but I figured why not. At worst I'll have a piece of kitsch for the shelf.

Both the spout and the handle go up past the rim, and blocking the hole in the lid doesn't really stop the flow. The lid does fit reasonable well, though.

There are quite a few tool marks on the inside. Some of which you can see on the photos and others (near the rim) you can't.



Product listing: https://www.palaisdesthes.com/en/gong-f ... -15-l.html

[steanze]

Looks like a modern hongni pot. As you say not spectacular but given the price you paid it's a very reasonable starting point!

[Nis]

Pretty much what I figured.

Now I just have to decide on which tea to use it with

[steanze]

hmm, hongni, thick walls, I'd say good quality yancha or cleanly stored aged sheng. Not the easiest teas to start from but those would be the best fits imo, because the thick walls will mean high heat retention and the hongni means little rounding of the tea.
A somewhat easier thing you could try is a dongding with some roast.

[Nis]

What about shu or hei cha?

[steanze]

What about shu or hei cha?

This pot looks like hongni, so it isn't very porous. It will not do much to reduce the storage flavor of those teas. I suggest you to use zini for those or even duanni, which are more porous clays.