Yixing
My speculation initially was that it’s 80s, but all the articles I read of such pots with a hongni ball filter dated to be 70s. With that assumption, it can be a 90s replica lol, so confusing
@DailyTX yes it is. More coming out from hibernation for tea gathering... hahahaha.....
Pictures don’t tell much in my opinion. If you have a pot that can be seasoned in 2 sessions, it’s a concern. I think most people would think how, and boiling is one method
I boiled the pot for an hour and used it twice after.
What’s wrong with boiling the pot to season it? Thought that was fairly standard procedure.
Nothing really wrong with it, and it’s so widely recommended on the internet. There are people who enjoy the process of “raising” a yixing teapot = season and patina rather the end product
Do you enjoy using it? Does it pour well? Enough room for tea to expand, etc.? The user will always be the best judge, no?
With modern pot, it’s hard to tell full vs. half handmade. By the pictures, it seems it’s not made by machine, and it’s not slipcast. Workmanship using modern pot judgement, look at the pot to see if the body, lid, and the top of the lid are proportionate, are the handle and sprout balanced, and a photo of the filter will tell more of interior craftsmanship.
Clay quality is so much more complicated. Based on the photos you posted, it looks like either mixed clay; however, color various due to firing temperature, clay type, and aging time. Not to make things more complicated, if you can get the seller/maker to tell you the clay type, then you can look at the property of the clay, does it have the minerals mentioned on yixing zisha text.