Anyone had any experience using shudei clay with either semi-aged sheng or yancha?
How do they work together? how does shudei perform comparing to hongni/zhunni ?
Please share your experience
(I'm specifically referring to the clays used by Sou Yamada).
Shudei with Sheng/Yancha
Contradictions and comparisons follow...
Sou and Emu appear to be using the same shudei lately. This shudei is more porous than early 70s F1 hongni. When hot water is poured into their shudei wares, you can feel moisture on the exterior from where water is being wicked through the clay. I’ve only experienced this wicking behavior on one Yixing hongni teapot and I don’t really care for what this does to the aesthetics of the teapot (mineral stains on the exterior).
In the case of the Yixing pot I’ve mentioned, it is very much like the current Yamada shudei in color, texture, and wicking. It does a good job attenuating unpleasantly rough roasted notes. I chose to drink better tea and stopped using that teapot.
I think the Yamada family’s shudei is fine for low temp greens and I havent noticed such a strong attenuation of flavor as with the Yixing hongni I mentioned. That may be because of lower temperatures, dry steeping, or leaf choice. A high heat, wet pour GFC regimen would probably negatively affect the teapot.
Considering that Sou’s wares will increase in value and that they are likely to stain in an unfavorable way if used for GFC, I wouldn’t risk your investment.
I have recently stumbled upon this beautiful pot (in Marshaln's blog) which was actually made by Yamada Josan with shudei clay. That made think a lot about these differences and the possibilities of using these fine clays with Chinese tea. I remember KZ once claiming that both shudei and Hokujo's clay mix might be more versatile than we think and perform very well with Chinese teas, and was wondering whether some folks actually do it as a regular practice rather than for testing purposes...
Marshaln's post: http://www.marshaln.com/2011/02/yamada-jozan/
Marshaln's post: http://www.marshaln.com/2011/02/yamada-jozan/
Baisao wrote: ↑Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:03 pmSou and Emu appear to be using the same shudei lately. This shudei is more porous than early 70s F1 hongni. When hot water is poured into their shudei wares, you can feel moisture on the exterior from where water is being wicked through the clay. I’ve only experienced this wicking behavior on one Yixing hongni teapot and I don’t really care for what this does to the aesthetics of the teapot (mineral stains on the exterior).
In the case of the Yixing pot I’ve mentioned, it is very much like the current Yamada shudei in color, texture, and wicking. It does a good job attenuating unpleasantly rough roasted notes. I chose to drink better tea and stopped using that teapot.
I think the Yamada family’s shudei is fine for low temp greens and I havent noticed such a strong attenuation of flavor as with the Yixing hongni I mentioned. That may be because of lower temperatures, dry steeping, or leaf choice. A high heat, wet pour GFC regimen would probably negatively affect the teapot.
Considering that Sou’s wares will increase in value and that they are likely to stain in an unfavorable way if used for GFC, I wouldn’t risk your investment.
There are 4 generations of potters with the name Jozan Yamada. Sou Yamada will take the name when his father, the current and fourth Jozan, dies.
The first Yamada studied with a potter from Yixing, which is why Jozan Yamada I & II have pots that look so much like Yixing teapots. The pot above was made by either Jozan Yamada I or II and is very, very old.
Jozan Yamada III was diverse in his designs but virtually all look distinctly Japanese. Some of his early shudei superficially resembles lao zhuni. His pottery is highly collected and priced accordingly.
Jozan Yamada IV and Sou Yamada are using shudei that more closely resembles very porous hongni. This is what I was describing above since Jozan I-III don’t really apply.
Last edited by Baisao on Fri Sep 07, 2018 1:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
I remember this post from long time ago, totally forgot about it. Such a lovely teapot!ShuShu wrote: ↑Thu Sep 06, 2018 8:30 pmI have recently stumbled upon this beautiful pot (in Marshaln's blog) which was actually made by Yamada Josan with shudei clay. That made think a lot about these differences and the possibilities of using these fine clays with Chinese tea. I remember KZ once claiming that both shudei and Hokujo's clay mix might be more versatile than we think and perform very well with Chinese teas, and was wondering whether some folks actually do it as a regular practice rather than for testing purposes...
Marshaln's post: http://www.marshaln.com/2011/02/yamada-jozan/
Baisao wrote: ↑Thu Aug 23, 2018 4:03 pmSou and Emu appear to be using the same shudei lately. This shudei is more porous than early 70s F1 hongni. When hot water is poured into their shudei wares, you can feel moisture on the exterior from where water is being wicked through the clay. I’ve only experienced this wicking behavior on one Yixing hongni teapot and I don’t really care for what this does to the aesthetics of the teapot (mineral stains on the exterior).
In the case of the Yixing pot I’ve mentioned, it is very much like the current Yamada shudei in color, texture, and wicking. It does a good job attenuating unpleasantly rough roasted notes. I chose to drink better tea and stopped using that teapot.
I think the Yamada family’s shudei is fine for low temp greens and I havent noticed such a strong attenuation of flavor as with the Yixing hongni I mentioned. That may be because of lower temperatures, dry steeping, or leaf choice. A high heat, wet pour GFC regimen would probably negatively affect the teapot.
Considering that Sou’s wares will increase in value and that they are likely to stain in an unfavorable way if used for GFC, I wouldn’t risk your investment.