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I'm looking to highlight the fruity character of some red teas and I'm trying to crowdsource opinions on what the best pot material for that would be. Do you have any thoughts?

Black meaning red, or meaning hei cha?

If you're looking to focus on higher fruity notes then you want porcelain or glazed ceramic. Clay will round out some of the higher fruity notes.

tingjunkie wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 09, 2019 5:25 pm

Black meaning red, or meaning hei cha?

If you're looking to focus on higher fruity notes then you want porcelain or glazed ceramic. Clay will round out some of the higher fruity notes.

I edited my post for clarity, thanks for bringing this up. I think too much like an American by default.

Thin or thick porcelain/ceramic, if steep times are between 20-60sec?

Or Zhuni.

I second porcelain or glazed. Ive made good hongcha in hokujo as well, if you have any of his pots, you can try that.

Thinner porcelain. Or just use slightly cooler water than right off the boil.

Thin-walled zhuni with slightly lower temps (90°c, perhaps) in a pot with a more or less spherical shape (xishi, shui ping). This would be ideal, in my opinion.

However, I have had good luck a cheap barrel shaped imitation zhuni teapot made by Dong Feng in Taiwan. It has smooth thin walls and the barrel shape seems to sculpt aromas nicely. It’s great for bringing out cherry-like notes in hong cha. Probably the most humble teapot in my collection but it works great for bringing out the frutiness of hong cha.

Baisao wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:46 am

However, I have had good luck a cheap barrel shaped imitation zhuni teapot made by Dong Feng in Taiwan. It has smooth thin walls and the barrel shape seems to sculpt aromas nicely. It’s great for bringing out cherry-like notes in hong cha. Probably the most humble teapot in my collection but it works great for bringing out the frutiness of hong cha.

Interesting! I found black/red tea often works well with brewing more closely to Western style, less leaf and longer steeping in slightly cooler temps. At least Taiwanese blacks, which I have the most experience with. Makes sense that a taller teapot can be beneficial for that.

Baisao wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 12, 2019 12:46 am

imitation zhuni teapot made by Dong Feng in Taiwan

Is that finer sieved red clay for a smoother Zhuni-like texture as is done with most modern Yixing Zhuni?

@Bok

It's 130ml and seems as impervious to water as porcelain. It will not develop a luster like Yixing. It's possible I suppose that it has kaolin in it to make it so tight. I would expect uneven application if it had been glazed, which I do not see even inside the spout.

I think this pot is not glazed but polished, this is what makes the surface so shiny. Polished yixing-like teapots have been popular in east-Asian countries at some point, I’ve read it has been the case for instance in Thaïlande.

Elise wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 12, 2019 3:17 pm

I think this pot is not glazed but polished, this is what makes the surface so shiny. Polished yixing-like teapots have been popular in east-Asian countries at some point, I’ve read it has been the case for instance in Thaïlande.

I've certainly seen many polished Yixing teapots in Thailand and Malaysia.

I agree it's not glazed but I wonder about whether it was polished. This teapot was mass produced for domestic use in Taiwan and was supposed to resemble Yixing. I suppose it was for people who could not afford Yixing. I think polishing would have been an expensive step for a cheap teapot.

And yet it's a fine teapot despite being mass produced so it is clear that the maker knew what they were doing. Everything about it functions as well or better than teapots 10x its value. Who knows!

I think the shiny surface is part of the properties of that clay/blend. The cheap teapots sold in have-everything stores do tend to have that kind of claypots.

Similar maybe to Banko? Might even be studied from the Japanese by the Taiwanese seeing their former close relations.

Sorry to derail the topic. The last I’ll say about the teapot is this: it is an example of a good teapot not having to be a handmade masterpiece of the rarest clay. This teapot cost me less than $30. I’d say I paid too much except that it makes great hong cha.

Baisao wrote: ↑

Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:00 pm

is an example of a good teapot not having to be a handmade masterpiece of the rarest clay.

Well said, sometimes the simple and cheap do a better job. Easy to get derailed by need-to-have, only-this-is-best kind of items...

Shine Magical wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 09, 2019 4:17 pm

I'm looking to highlight the fruity character of some red teas and I'm trying to crowdsource opinions on what the best pot material for that would be. Do you have any thoughts?

Glass and porcelain works best. If you must have a pot, I strongly suggest high fired Red clay.

Cheers!