Advice about my teapots

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Killy
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Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:06 am

Hi everybody!

Despite of that I'm a asiduous reader of this forum, this is my first intervention (besides presentation) in it. So, thanks to this beautiful community for sharing their wisdom and knowledge. I'm learning a lot thanks to you.

I want to ask you about my teapots. Most of them were adquired before I learned some basics about Yixing teapots (I'm really still a newbie :P), and I don't know what kind of clay they are, or if they are handmade, half-handmade, etc.

Can you help me?

This was my first teapot, I have it since a couple of years ago adquired in a trustfully local store. I use it for shu puerh almost every day. The lid close perfect, no "clicking" soud, and you can stop pouring with the lid hole. I don't know what kind of clay is or if it's handmade at all. Doing comparition with a gaiwan, it makes a more rounded shu, improve it really. What do you think?



This was my second one, adquired a year ago through internet. Website store sell it like "Handmade Yi Piao Yixing Zisha Teapot", zhuni 100% handmade, but I don't know if it its really true. Originally it was for green oolongs, but in the end, I dedicated it to sheng puerh because I drink it more often and because in a a gaiwan comparition it improves the flavor (quite more sweet, or less "raw"). I don't know if it's a good tea pairing. Advice?



I have this one since a month ago. It's second hand, but from a very carefully person. I was looking for a yancha dedicated teapot, smaller than 100ml, and it shows the chance to adquire this at a very good price. It's not the perfect choice for yancha, I know, but after trying with some different teas, it improves very well wuyi rock tea flavor (more rounded & best fragance). It has a rough surface (what I understand it's not the best for this kind of tea, but it makes a very good brews). The lid not fits perfectly (there is a little bit of "clicking" sound), but you can stop pouring with the lid hole. Ideas?



This is my last adquisition. I bought it in my under 100ml. yancha searching, but now I'm not so shure due to the good brewing from the second hand one. It's from a very respected tea seller (who it's teas are absolutely delicious, by the way), sold like "green label f1". I was very surprised because the lid doesn't fit very well, it's the worst "clicking" one from the 4 that I have (I really hate when the lid doesn't fit perfect xD). You cannot stop pouring with the lid hole. Besides, when I try a Da Hong Pao comparition with the second hand one, the another wins in flavor. I thought that a shuiping f1 under 100ml were a very good choice for yancha brewing, but now I'm very confused. Do you think it's a real one? What kind of clay? Perhaps I could dedicate it to another kind of tea... Some wisdom?




Thanks in advance for your patience and advice.

Kind regards from Barcelona!


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Mod edit: fixed imgur links
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steanze
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Mon Feb 19, 2018 12:22 pm

Hi Killy!
1) zini
2) hongni
3) duanni/jiangponi
4) hongni

your pairings work, the one I'm more skeptical about is pot 3 for yancha, but if the yancha you are getting is very heavily roasted then I can see the point.
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Killy
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Mon Feb 19, 2018 5:48 pm

Thank you very much steanze!

What kind of tea could be ok for the duanni/jiangponi? Due to that is not dedicated, I could try with some recommendation withouth reserves :D

PS. By the way, do you thing the shuiping could be a real f1 green label? I haven't seen one before to compare, and poor lid fit surprise me
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ShuShu
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Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:48 pm

Killy wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 5:48 pm
Thank you very much steanze!

What kind of tea could be ok for the duanni/jiangponi? Due to that is not dedicated, I could try with some recommendation withouth reserves :D

PS. By the way, do you thing the shuiping could be a real f1 green label? I haven't seen one before to compare, and poor lid fit surprise me
Duanni usually works well with shu (ripe) pu-erh and also with old sheng stored in traditional (humid) conditions. I havn't tested it, but Jiangponi is taken to be quite versatile.
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steanze
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Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:25 pm

what ShuShu said :)
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Killy
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 7:54 am

Thank you ShuShu and steanze, I will do some test with different kind of teas due to that I don't know if it's Jiangponi actually, then. If nothing special noticed, to old sheng will be ^_^
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tealifehk
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 8:02 am

Is that really a green label pot? I didn't think that kind of base stamp was used that early and the lid stamp is unusual for that period as well IMO. Could it be a Taiwan export thing where they were marked differently so they could be re-exported from HK to Taiwan? I know there were trade issues between the Mainland and Taiwan at some point that meant pots had to go through Hong Kong.
Chadrinkincat
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Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:52 am

FB group has a post dedicated to green label base stamps. This one is included but without better quality pictures this pot can't be confirmed.
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Killy
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Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:22 pm

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:52 am
FB group has a post dedicated to green label base stamps. This one is included but without better quality pictures this pot can't be confirmed.
Ok, I will see if I can add some better quality photos to check them. Thanks Chadrinkincat!

Anyway, I've been testing it, the shuiping, with yancha (golden water turtle), humid stored sheng (xiaguan) and heavy roasted oolong, doing comparition with a gaiwan, and in the case of sheng with the yipiao too.

Strangely I haven't found any improves over any of these teas. Perhaps is due to my poor trained senses, but I've always found some improvement or alteration in tea characteristics between glaced gaiwan and a yixing teapot. And referring to temperature, there is no warmer brews from the teapot, equal or less warm than gaiwan. It make sense? :shock:

Sorry for such a lot of questions, but It seems super weird to me.
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tealifehk
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Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:21 pm

IME good, high fired hongni will be somewhat like porcelain as far as results, with a slightly different effect (slightly more muting in some ways and it emphasizes other characteristics slightly more because of the muting). The heat retention makes a huge difference, though, especially in cooler weather. High heat is essential for Wuyicha, and I like it for young sheng too, but let the leaves cool off between infusions with the lid tilted off when brewing sheng. With Wuyicha I also tilt the lid between infusions, but I keep the heat as high as possible and minimize time between infusions to keep the heat up.

It got pretty cold at home a few weeks ago (as low as 5-7 Celsius) and brewing in porcelain was a disaster! Yixing performed well, however, so I could still drink tea.
Last edited by tealifehk on Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:29 am, edited 1 time in total.
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tealifehk
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:37 am

Chadrinkincat wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:52 am
FB group has a post dedicated to green label base stamps. This one is included but without better quality pictures this pot can't be confirmed.
Thank you! All of my green labels have Yixing China stamps, so this was a surprise to me. I'll have to find that post! I'm certain this pot is real now. I was just unsure about the stamp being from that period!
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Killy
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:24 am

tealifehk wrote:
Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:21 pm
IME good, high fired hongni will be somewhat like porcelain as far as results, with a slightly different effect (slightly more muting in some ways and it emphasizes other characteristics slightly more because of the muting). The heat retention makes a huge difference, though, especially in cooler weather. High heat is essential for Wuyicha, and I like it for young sheng too, but let the leaves cool off between infusions with the lid tilted off when brewing sheng. With Wuyicha I keep the heat as high as possible and infuse as fast as possible.

It got pretty cold at home a few weeks ago (as low as 5-7 Celsius) and brewing in porcelain was a disaster! Yixing performed well, however, so I could still drink tea.
Great, thank you for your recommendations! I will keep in mind for my future brews :D
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tealifehk
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 7:21 am

Killy wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 6:24 am
tealifehk wrote:
Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:21 pm
IME good, high fired hongni will be somewhat like porcelain as far as results, with a slightly different effect (slightly more muting in some ways and it emphasizes other characteristics slightly more because of the muting). The heat retention makes a huge difference, though, especially in cooler weather. High heat is essential for Wuyicha, and I like it for young sheng too, but let the leaves cool off between infusions with the lid tilted off when brewing sheng. With Wuyicha I keep the heat as high as possible and infuse as fast as possible.

It got pretty cold at home a few weeks ago (as low as 5-7 Celsius) and brewing in porcelain was a disaster! Yixing performed well, however, so I could still drink tea.
Great, thank you for your recommendations! I will keep in mind for my future brews :D
I will also add that your Yixing pots should keep your heat higher than in porcelain, especially in later infusions. Preheat your pot well before you start and minimize time between infusions for maximal heat retention. :)
Chadrinkincat
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:41 am

tealifehk wrote:
Thu Feb 22, 2018 1:37 am
Chadrinkincat wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 10:52 am
FB group has a post dedicated to green label base stamps. This one is included but without better quality pictures this pot can't be confirmed.
Thank you! All of my green labels have Yixing China stamps, so this was a surprise to me. I'll have to find that post! I'm certain this pot is real now. I was just unsure about the stamp being from that period!
Just search 1977 and a post on green label stamps will show up.
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tealifehk
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Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:00 am

Thank you! Lots to learn yet!
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