Yixing

[Noonie]

Thanks for the tips. It’s from the 80’s and thus makes sense that it was fired only once and the lid wasn’t adjusted for a second firing.

The ripe I used with the pot was mainly smaller bits and added to the difficulty as they get caught on the side of the lid. The ripe I just open is larger leaf and I think the pot will function better, including the tips you shared (which I’ve used loosely up to now). I’ll try this in the next couple days and report back

You are welcome! Ah, I see. Is the pot single hole filter?

It is, and it has a removable filter.

[Bok]

@Noonie of leaves get stuck at the side of the lid it seems to me that you fill your pot too high with water for this kind of leaf and/or poor to fast in the initial steeps, try a slow pour for the first two infusions until the leaves are soaked and settled.

[steanze]

It is, and it has a removable filter.

I see, that should help. If some leaves get stuck as you pour, you can try to do a swirling motion to get the water to wipe them away. Also, when the pot is empty, before the next infusion, you can use a thin long stick to make sure to clear leaves that are stuck on the filter.

[DailyTX]

The ripe I used with the pot was mainly smaller bits and added to the difficulty as they get caught on the side of the lid. The ripe I just open is larger leaf and I think the pot will function better, including the tips you shared (which I’ve used loosely up to now). I’ll try this in the next couple days and report back

@Noonie
I used to have the same issue with ripe and raw pu erh because I tried to deconstruct the cake/brick into leaves. I saw a video about breaking the pu erh into nuggets, and the expanded tea leaves can serve as a filter by itself while using a single hole teapot. I have been doing that since. I know when we break pu erh, there’s alway dust and bits from the process. I think others in this forum have mentioned that just save them to brew it in a cotton/bamboo tea bag or do a cold brew so all the leaves would sink to the bottom. As for the loose fit lid, look at it as a challenge to your brewing skills similar to pots that drip.

[Tor]

@Noonie

If that’s 80s F1, you may call it a “flaw” but truth is millions of people had been happily using it.

[Mark-S]

If you polish your Yixing teapots what towel do you use? I've read that you should not use microfiber towels. Do you know the reason for it? Unfortunately, the 100% cotton towels you can buy here fuzz a lot.

[OCTO]

I bought a used Yixing pot a couple of months ago and I'm not happy with it. I was planning on pairing it with ripe pu'erh. It has a loose-fitting lid and as a result when I pour it's a bit of a mess. Not the end of the world, and I still use it, but after using a gaiwan with a newly opened ripe this morning it made me really see the short coming of this pot. Sure the taste is a bit different with the yixing but because it doesn't blow me away I'm wondering if I should just clean it and stick it back in its box for another time.

What do you all do when you buy a pot that has a flaw? I guess it depends on ones personality but I'm interested to hear your experiences as I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been in this situation

Hi! All old pots (i.e.early factory 1, ROC, Qing) were fired only once, so loose fitting lids are common in that period. You only see tighter fitting lids in more modern pots, which are fired twice. After the first firing the lid is re-adjusted to the body after the initial shrinkage.
I personally don't really mind loose fitting lids, because usually it is possible to avoid spilling by adopting a couple of tricks. First, you don't want to fill the pot to the very rim. leave just 3-4 mm of empty space. Second, before you start pouring, use your thumb to exert some pressure behind the lid knob, causing the lid rim to press against the anterior part of the pot. Third, pour gently, tilting the pot only a little initially, and then gradually increase the tilt as you pour. I quite enjoy brewing in this way, as it takes a certain amount of care, but I understand that you might not like it. If you see that this does not work for you, maybe you can stick with a gaiwan, or get a modern pot with a very flush lid.

Agree with @steanze.... we need to learn to adapt to our pots....

[OCTO]

If you polish your Yixing teapots what towel do you use? I've read that you should not use microfiber towels. Do you know the reason for it? Unfortunately, the 100% cotton towels you can buy here fuzz a lot.

I just buy what's available in teashops and what attracts my attention. Nothing specific.

[OCTO]

It is, and it has a removable filter.

I see, that should help. If some leaves get stuck as you pour, you can try to do a swirling motion to get the water to wipe them away. Also, when the pot is empty, before the next infusion, you can use a thin long stick to make sure to clear leaves that are stuck on the filter.

Not trying to be a kill joy here, but take extra precaution when using a thin long stick to clear leaves. I had a friend who tried it and chipped the tip of the snout when too much pressure was applied. I usually use a toothpick.

Cheers!!

[Kenneth]

Here are some of my modern pots, a mix of allegedly zhuni, but probably hongni, zini, nixing and chaozhou

Zini xishi

20200606_224304.jpg (213.03 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Allegedly lao zini long bian

20200606_224248.jpg (209.85 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Nixing xishi

20200606_224220.jpg (178.56 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Nixing half moon

20200606_224203.jpg (179.94 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Zhuni shipiao

20200606_224050.jpg (183.39 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Zhuni yuru

20200606_224100.jpg (186.71 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Chaozhou lixing

20200606_224127.jpg (180.48 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Zhuni shuiping

20200606_224136.jpg (184.89 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

Zhuni siting

20200606_225336.jpg (183.79 KiB) Viewed 9683 times

[steanze]

Not trying to be a kill joy here, but take extra precaution when using a thin long stick to clear leaves. I had a friend who tried it and chipped the tip of the snout when too much pressure was applied. I usually use a toothpick.

Cheers!!

Excellent point! I did not mean to actually insert the thin stick inside the spout. That is a potentially dangerous procedure. If your teapot already has a filter inside, some leaves might just be stuck against the filter (not inside the spout). In that case, you can gently move them away from the filter area with the stick. To do this, you open the pot's lid, and go in from the opening where you put the leaves in. Don't go in from the spout.

[TeaTotaling]

@Noonie Any idea what type of clay the 80’s teapot you were referencing is?

[TeaTotaling]

That is what you think... it is addictive. You're far from done

That pesky thought was in the back of my mind Done for the foreseeable future, time to work on seasoning and savoring.

You will know you have reached a truly bad place when you secretly welcome global pandemics and mass unemployment, as they increase the possibility that at least some collectors in your country will be laid off and possibly forced to sell parts of their collection at fire-sale prices.

That's why I stay away from the truly old stuff. It would destroy my soul in a heartbeat

There is a unique pleasure brewing in antique clay! I am really enjoying it. Although, from the get go, comparing my LQ/ER Zini to my modern Zini, I currently notice a more pronounced affect from the modern Zini.

[steanze]

There is a unique pleasure brewing in antique clay! I am really enjoying it. Although, from the get go, comparing my LQ/ER Zini to my modern Zini, I currently notice a more pronounced affect from the modern Zini.

Yes, modern zini is a bit more muting, which is why many people prefer LQER zhuni for high end teas, as it preserves the tea's qualities more. However, importantly, if the clay of the modern zini is good, the differences are comparatively small as compared to the price differences, so often if one buys an antique teapot, it is also in part a decision motivated by aesthetics/history and the enjoyment it brings to the tea session.

[Noonie]

Noonie Any idea what type of clay the 80’s teapot you were referencing is?

I bought it a few months ago online from Chinese Tea Shop (Vancouver). I noticed them mentioned here and there on this forum.

It was the Old Yixing 1980's "JuLun Zhu" Chinese Teapot (巨輪珠). They have a couple left on the site if you wanted to look. The one I see in the photo is the same as mine.

https://thechineseteashop.com/collectio ... A%E7%8F%A0

I brewed a ripe in it this morning that I recently opened. This cake was a mix of leaf grade, with very little of the tiny particles. Carefully using the tips mentioned here it was a more enjoyable session than previously used with this pot. I got about 8 steeps from the tea and the taste was quite good in comparison to yesterday's session with the Gaiwan.