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So, it is a moment of decision. I need to choose which one of the pots below would be purchased for the purpose of brewing green gentle oolongs and Baozhongs, which I brew with boiling water and very short infusions. It seems to me that both are likely to perform equally well.
What do you think? which one would you choose and why?
Is there an important consideration that counts against or for one of them?
(BTW - I'm new to this forum and quite surprised of how much discussion in the Teaware section here is dedicated to Taiwanese tea).

Depends on the price. Performance should not be extremely different, but I'd pick the one on the left for aesthetic reasons.

The pot on the right is trying to imitate late Qing, but it is a modern pot.

steanze wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:13 pm

Depends on the price. Performance should not be extremely different, but I'd pick the one on the left for aesthetic reasons.

The pot on the right is trying to imitate late Qing, but it is a modern pot.

Thank you!
The one on the left costs $20 more. To be honest, I'm just a frequent flyer and pots with such long spouts make me nervous...
Besides, I also thought the late Qing imitation looks thinner, but perhaps I'm wrong.

Yes, it's slightly thinner. Good eye. The difference should be small, and I don't like so much its texture though

steanze wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 14, 2018 8:13 pm

I'd pick the one on the left for aesthetic reasons.

+1

I couldn’t be sure that the pot on the right is thinner. From the outside texture I would say it’s thicker due to the « sand » included in the clay body which also tends usually to make the clay more heat resistant (and IMO as well increase porosity and the capacity of the clay to remain hot when brewing tea).

Kale wrote: ↑

Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:24 pm

So, it is a moment of decision. I need to choose which one of the pots below would be purchased for the purpose of brewing green gentle oolongs and Baozhongs, which I brew with boiling water and very short infusions.

Not sure if boiling water is a good idea for Baozhong, usually they benefit from a gentle pour and less hot water as they are closer to Chinese green teas, than the rolled Oolongs from Taiwan. In my experience boiling water will kill of a lot of the finer nuances and floweriness which BZ is famous for.

Apart form that I second the above the pot on the left seems nicer.
Edit: on second thought, one issue which might help your decision is pour speed.

From the symmetry of the pot it seems to me that the pot on the right will pour faster. If you like to do short infusions that might be crucial. The spout of the left pot will slow the pour due to its curves.

Good point re: spouts. I'd also pick the one on the left, but for gaoshan or baozhong, porcelain works well too!

I think baozhong does fine with water just off the boil.

Thank you everyone for all the good points!
Indeed, I find the aesthetic value of the one on the left (or #1) very appealing. But the long spout still makes me nervous vis-à-vis flights

Get a tiny plastic tube and make a spout protector out of it, if it doesn’t already come with one. Then a sturdy cardboard box or even a metal tin of adequate proportions, add bubble wrap and nothing should happen. Carry on luggage of course!