Yixing

[Bok]

What's your opinion about this article then? It's another blog post about this topic. The genuine R.O.C. Zhuni pot is very glossy even after cleaning.

http://web.archive.org/web/200712181317 ... com/?cat=6 (Mine Have More Tea Stains Than Yours!)

I would not call that very glossy, more satiny and also probably more due to lack of photography skills

Nice to revisit those old articles, haven't read them in ages!

[alejandro2high]

It’s very common for ZhuNi of any era to appear glossy after cleaning and a light buff.

Zhuni shines more than the other clays? I did not know that. Thanks for the explanation.

If anybody here has bought a shiny teapot from Yinchen: Could you please tell me how realistic/natural their pictures on Instagram are? Because maybe I will buy a pot from them in the future.

Mark,

I've bought numerous pot from Yinchen Studio for personal use, and I believe them to be the best producer of modern pots readily available to people outside of China. The only other person I can think of that is better is Chen Fu Jan, sold through Chanting Pines, but even then she's Gao's aunt so there's that.CFJ pots are also considerable more expensive due to the use of aged clays and experience.

All of Yinchen's pots are made by different people, family and friends, so the pots vary in quality and workmanship, but they are all pure clay and brew great tea. I've owned over 5 zhuni pots from them, and they all vary in how the clay looks. The have coarse zhuni, lao Zhuni that's oily which makes is really shiny, some high iron Zhuni with iron specks visible in it, aged Zhuni that's traditionally processed, and regular ol' zao zhuang Zhuni. All in all, I love their studio, and I don't think you'd be dissapointed if you chose to order. They also offer custom pots that are expensive but offer creative freedom in terms of clay and shape used.

Best of luck.

[alejandro2high]

I was asking earlier this week about 90s F1 Zini, and I ended up buying a 90s F1 Zini pot from Emmett. I fell in love with the dome lid, and after a little hesitation I pulled the trigger. I'm glad I did. I was lucky enough to get an F1 pot that doesn't drip from the lid. I know that doesn't matter in terms of brewing, but it's something that I really enjoy. Here it is sitting atop my favorite tea boat from Tong Xin She Teahouse.

[Mark-S]

@alejandro2high Thanks for your answer. I am interested in these "custom pots"... does this mean I could show them a shape and they would create a teapot with this shape? Or can I just choose between some shapes they have to offer? I cannot find any official information about this offer.

Nice pot btw.

[alejandro2high]

@Mark-S I have never had a custom pot done; I have discussed it with them a bit, but yes it is my understanding that you can tell them the shape you want it in and the size. If you inquire on his Instagram, I'm sure he'll give you the details.

[Youzi]

alejandro2high Thanks for your answer. I am interested in these "custom pots"... does this mean I could show them a shape and they would create a teapot with this shape? Or can I just choose between some shapes they have to offer? I cannot find any official information about this offer.

Nice pot btw.

Every Yixing studio offers Be Spoke teapots, where you can choose the shape, the clay, the size, the firing temp, the type of firing, and how many times you wanna fire.

Usually the custom / be spoke order is the "top shelf" product of a studio, so you get their best clays made by their best artists.

Of course all this comes at huge price.

[Mark-S]

@alejandro2high
Okay, thanks. Maybe I will buy a custom Zhuni pot from them in the future.

@Youzi

What would be the purpose of multiple firings?

-

This (modern? 90s?) teapot's style is pretty cool in my opinion. I guess you would call it tourist junk though. But it's not slipcasted.

[Chris]

@alejandro2high, if you have time, would you mind sharing some pictures of your Yinchen pots at some point?

[Mark-S]

An old tea jar. It has some firing flaws, but they seem common. The same jar was sold on eBay lately for about 100 bucks (I don't think the vase other jar is worth much). However, I am not sure if I will keep it.

https://www.ebay.de/itm/274316535929

[Chadrinkincat]

@alejandro2high

Nice F1 pot! I have a couple w/ that type of zini which works well for hongcha and liubao.

What is the official claim from CJF on their aged clay? A few people have said that their pots are made w/ 40-60yr old clay which seems highly unlikely.

@Mark-S
Does that jar have handmade details on the inside?

[Chadrinkincat]

What's your opinion about this article then? It's another blog post about this topic. The genuine R.O.C. Zhuni pot is very glossy even after cleaning.

http://web.archive.org/web/200712181317 ... com/?cat=6 (Mine Have More Tea Stains Than Yours!)

I would not call that very glossy, more satiny and also probably more due to lack of photography skills

Nice to revisit those old articles, haven't read them in ages!

Authentic ROC pot?

[Chadrinkincat]

alejandro2high, if you have time, would you mind sharing some pictures of your Yinchen pots at some point?

I’d be interested in seeing those pots too. I recently purchased a jujube shape pot from them.

[alejandro2high]

@Chadrinkincat They have I believe 5 grades of clay which range from 40-60 years old and some of the higher grades are rare clays as well as aged. As unlikely as it sounds, I assure you that they are not falsehoods. As I said, CFJ and the owner of her studio are connected to Yinchen Teapot and have been making teapots for longer than I've been alive. They are a family that takes great pride in what they do and it shows in their pieces. 5/7 would recommend both Yinchen and CFJ.

@Chris I'll upload some pictures here in a bit.

[Bok]

@alejandro2high do you have pictures of that “laozhuni” ?

I can’t think of any good reason why laozhuni would be oily? It would only be oily from heavy usage... maybe they try to imitate the look of a well used old pot?

If cleaned any antique Zhuni I have seen, always becomes satiny but never oily. Or maybe your definition of oily is different than mine

[Mark-S]

Does that jar have handmade details on the inside?

In my unexperienced view I would say yes. There is a line on the inside. I tried to take a picture of it but it's very hard without good equipment at night. For lighting I used the flashlight of my smartphone.