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Made a new video comparing a yixing pot vs a chaozhou pot.
Results are.... well watch the video
https://youtu.be/0HOe8gFjy-U

While I applaude the effort to make the video, what I find problematic it is might give people the wrong idea.

In the end as you say it, it’s only representative for that ONE Yixing and Chaozhou teapot...

Too many factors involved to draw any objective conclusions.

@Bok
While I agree with you in essence, the poster did say between A yixing pot and A cz pot

Extending on this:

_Clay:
_ _Yixing already is far to complicated to make general statements: Zini has several subsets, Hongni, Duanni, Zhuni, all the smaller subsets etc. multiplied by three: antique, factory, modern.
_ _Chaozhou: Is the clay pure? You have antique, vintage and modern clays, all different.

_Wall thickness

_Firing

_General shape and size

etc. there are a lot more things to consider. So it really is this pot vs this pot scenario only. Useful for one's personal collection, but not so much as a general guideline for anyone else.

pantry wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:11 pm

Bok
While I agree with you in essence, the poster did say between A yixing pot and A cz pot

Yes he said it, just writing this for the sake of everyone

Bok wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:17 pm

pantry wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:11 pm

Bok
While I agree with you in essence, the poster did say between A yixing pot and A cz pot

Yes he said it, just writing this for the sake of everyone

All joking aside, I couldn't agree more of what you had expanded on

Bok wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:17 pm

pantry wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 8:11 pm

Bok
While I agree with you in essence, the poster did say between A yixing pot and A cz pot

Yes he said it, just writing this for the sake of everyone

I agree with you Bok that I'm barely scratching the surface here. I had some takes of me explaining more about that I'm just testing this perticular pot vs this perticular pot and that there are many different types of clay. In the end they all got cut because they felt a bit dry. I did try to cover my ass and put this in the Youtube description:

What I didn't explain in the video is that there are many different types of yixing clay and I only tested one here. Results will be different when done with Hongni or Duanni clay or even the same clay from a different batch/year. This is more a general overview made to be entertaining and informative at the same time.

I had an idea to put some text in the video that there is more info in the description but I forgot! (I also forgot to put my name and website on screen in the beginning).
I am amazed at the range of replies I get from my yixing videos especially. From 'amazing video, thank you' to 'you didn't do a proper scientific test with double blind etc. Now you must die'. I try to make video's that I would like to watch. That means they should be informative, a light sprinkle of funny and take into account an attention span of 5 seconds.
I'll try and do better with the nitty gritty details next time.

And @Bok, do you have chaozhou pots and do you get the same results? And what is the difference to you when antique/modern/vintage?

Admar wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:55 am

And Bok, do you have chaozhou pots and do you get the same results? And what is the difference to you when antique/modern/vintage?

I own a couple, from antique, vintage to modern. Worth mentioning that pure CZ clay is rare nowadays. Yours does not look like it's pure.

I have a few friends who own shelves full of antique and vintage CZ pots, drinking tea with them also expands my own observations.

Dancong is markedly better in CZ than most Yixing clays. For me for DC, CZ clay is a must.

Any roasted oolong really was pretty good in all my CZ pots.

Aged teas, especially some with some not super clean storage, did benefit from CZ clay.

At my friends we had 12 Baozhong in one session, all were excellent in CZ...

I have tried Gaoshan in it as well, not bad either.

So in summary, CZ seems to me more similar to proper Hongni in character. If fired right. A lot of vintage CZ is quite crappy low quality and proabably only good for Seadyke and the likes...

As to modern vs antique it has not been conclusive for me yet, as I do not own more than one modern CZ pot.

You can also not compare brand new cleaned clay pots, both the CZ and that Zini will need some breaking in before they perform at peak. Of course they might at times taste like clay if they have no seasoning.

A fairer comparison would be CZ and Hongni for example. As they are more alike. Or Tokoname Shudei etc.

Admar wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:55 am

I am amazed at the range of replies I get from my yixing videos especially. From 'amazing video, thank you' to 'you didn't do a proper scientific test with double blind etc. Now you must die'.

That is crazy! I hope you do not take our comments the wrong way... just please do not become another Moron Leaf, ahh Mei Leaf

I own a couple, from antique, vintage to modern. Worth mentioning that pure CZ clay is rare nowadays. Yours does not look like it's pure.

Ah good to know that Dancong is the same 'wild west' that Yixing is. Will try and get to know more.

Dancong is markedly better in CZ than most Yixing clays. For me for DC, CZ clay is a must.

I also enjoyed my Dancong way more in CZ. Before this test I wasn't that into Dancong's, now I need to take a second look at them.

You can also not compare brand new cleaned clay pots, both the CZ and that Zini will need some breaking in before they perform at peak. Of course they might at times taste like clay if they have no seasoning.

The CZ pot was lent to me by a friend and he used it for years (was his first teapot!) but I did clean it up. The Yixing I have for about a year and used it maybe 5 times but did a cleanup as well. Not sure how to do a good comparison of 2 pots with different teas and seasoning. Other than seasoning them both at the exact same time and amount. That would take more time than I would want. Any suggestions?

A fairer comparison would be CZ and Hongni for example. As they are more alike. Or Tokoname Shudei etc.

Agreed. I have a factory 2 hongni lying around but I dont think it is that great and I wanted to know myself how it held up against zisha. Maybe one of the next video's I'll try something with the hongni.

Bok wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 9:29 am

Admar wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:55 am

I am amazed at the range of replies I get from my yixing videos especially. From 'amazing video, thank you' to 'you didn't do a proper scientific test with double blind etc. Now you must die'.

That is crazy! I hope you do not take our comments the wrong way... just please do not become another Moron Leaf, ahh Mei Leaf

Haha well I was expecting people to hate me when I made my first video. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought And your comments, while frustrating at first because I tried to say the exact stuff you commented about but reasons.. It is totally understandable you felt that way after watching the video.
And about Mei leaf.. I cannot watch more that 10 seconds of any video they make. But I do have a new found respect for them for the time and effort they have put into making so many video's. I wish them the best but also wish alot of people switch over to my teastore and youtube channel

Admar wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 22, 2020 4:30 pm

But I do have a new found respect for them for the time and effort they have put into making so many video's. I wish them the best but also wish alot of people switch over to my teastore and youtube channel

I'd aim for quality over quantity. ML has a ton of vids, but how much worth is it of my time to watch it?

I'd also say that your tea ware collection is way too small to be doing this kind of comparison videos, this way you just taint your own credibility. You can really only start to have an educated guess(!) on any clay if you compare at least a dozen of the same kind with a dozen of another kind of clay.

Or you take it the other way and do it more like a parody?

Admar wrote: ↑

Tue Jul 21, 2020 11:07 am

Made a new video comparing a yixing pot vs a chaozhou pot.
Results are.... well watch the video
https://youtu.be/0HOe8gFjy-U

@Admar

I salute your courage for coming up and publishing the video. Agree with @Bok it lacks certain elements that are weighted heavily in the tea world.

Here are some suggestions for your consideration:

1. Have a plain white porcelain teapot or gaiwan in your lineup of comparison. That will add in a control measure to determine which direction your tea is heading when paired with a specific pot.

2. Use plain white porcelain teacups.. preferably non antique cups. A white background will give you better interpretation of colour. Antique cups tends to mute and absorb aroma and flavours too.

3. Try comparing pots of similar shape and capacity. It's easier to bolt down the tea:water ratio too. This will allow you to reduce the variables that may steer your comparison off track.

4. Not sure about the Netherlands, but we learnt from fellow forummers, certain locations have poor water source and they rely on bottled water to brew their tea. It will be good also to mention the type of water you're using. Eg, even with filtered tap water.... the PH levels can render a tea tasteless.

My 2 cents.... Hope this helps!

Cheers!

I'd aim for quality over quantity. ML has a ton of vids, but how much worth is it of my time to watch it?

Agreed but the other side of the coin is time. Making this 4 minute video cost me 15+ hours to make. Granted, several hours where wasted trying to do some cool zoom in map effect on the cities of Yixing and Chaozhou that totally sucked when I put them in. I also tried a few visual things that I needed to figure out how to do and could do faster now.
If a video takes me 50+ hours to make, I would probably skip and go to the next subject. And the cycle continues because this next subject, to do a full complete perfect video on.. would take me alot of time So where the videos are at right now is the balancing point for me.

I'd also say that your tea ware collection is way too small to be doing this kind of comparison videos, this way you just taint your own credibility. You can really only start to have an educated guess(!) on any clay if you compare at least a dozen of the same kind with a dozen of another kind of clay.

I totally agree on this. I am not a master of Yixing clay's and definitely not a master of Chaozhou clays. But I do believe there is a value for me to do these video's with my lack of knowlidge.
First of all for myself. I would have never have reached out to try and get some Chaozhou teaware if I wasn't making a video about it. I read some internet articles and they didnt seem that interesting to me. Now that I tried one (even tough there are better ones out there for sure), I want to know more about them and experiment. Also, I would have never tried so many teas with the pot If not for the video. It would seem such a waste to me but at least now more people are getting to know more about these pots. And I get to have discussions like this with people who know more about the pots!
Second is that I feel many people like video's way more than reading on forums and/or articles. And when I buy lets say a set of earbuds from the internet, I would prefer a (well crafted) video review with some zoomed in shots over a written review with pictures. (I would like them both actually) It helps if the person in the video is an audiophile and has 100's of headphones and amplifiers and 50 years of experience but that doesnt mean the person that is new to the world of audio cannot tell me the earbuds don't fit right to his/her ears and the cord gets stuck to everything.
Third, some people seem to like the videos! (a part of me is as surprized as you are ) I've had some nice reactions of people telling me they never tried chaozhou ware and want to try and some. Some even saying they are interested in Dancong now that it seems their favorite zisha pot might not be the best match for that tea.
About my credibility.. I would rather make a video and then be corrected then to only make perfect videos. (read, I would not make videos at all). I learn alot! Lets keep it that way and please correct me when I talk bullshit.
And could you tell my bank account I need more teaware? It seems to disagree
I could talk more about this but it is long enough already..

1. Have a plain white porcelain teapot or gaiwan in your lineup of comparison. That will add in a control measure to determine which direction your tea is heading when paired with a specific pot.

I get where you are going, would be nice but don't think I will. All the teas I used in the compare I know pretty well and drink in various types of vessals (clay, porcelain sometimes even glass).

2. Use plain white porcelain teacups.. preferably non antique cups. A white background will give you better interpretation of colour. Antique cups tends to mute and absorb aroma and flavours too.

True, would have loved to use modern plain cups but didnt have any around that where big enough. I could invest in some cups and might do that when I see ones that are nice. Bit of the same deal with the time invested into a video.. If I need to spend alot of money for a video, I probably will not do it.

3. Try comparing pots of similar shape and capacity. It's easier to bolt down the tea:water ratio too. This will allow you to reduce the variables that may steer your comparison off track.

Yes, would have loved to get matching CZ and yixing pots. If someone wants to sponsor these video's or send me teaware to compare I'm all up for it.

4. Not sure about the Netherlands, but we learnt from fellow forummers, certain locations have poor water source and they rely on bottled water to brew their tea. It will be good also to mention the type of water you're using. Eg, even with filtered tap water.... the PH levels can render a tea tasteless.

Tap water in The Netherlands is one of the best in the world (for tap water). It is pretty alround with tea, not super great with any tea but pretty decent with all. I do get my own spring water from Belgium (great for darker teas) and recently we found a spring in Germany that has good water for more delicate teas. I used tap water for the compare as it is more allround.


As a final tought I would like to say that I know my videos are not perfect. There are at least 10 things in every video I wish I would have done different by the time it goes live. I try to work with the stuff that I have instead of trying to get the ideal setup for experiments. I try and cut corners (time and money wise) when I can. I leave out alot of information to keep the video fun, flowing and short. And I make these video's to get better in editing, find out more about tea, get people to know about me and my company and get more people into the wonderful world of tea.

Cheers and hugs