Yixing

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steanze
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Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:34 pm

teaortee wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:12 am
Hello TeaForum group,

I am new to this forum. I hope I have started by posting in the correct section!

Like many of you I love teapots. I have seen some unusual tea pots of late and wonder if anyone can share information on a particular style design. I would be interested to get an idea of age, origin and maker. Ultimately value of this please.
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This is a modern replica of a style of pewter-encased Yixing teapots that was popular from the end of the 18th century until the mid of the 19th century (my avatar is an example of an authentic one). I recommend not using this to make tea, it might not be safe.
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nohwonder
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Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:08 pm

I'm thinking about buying a modern zhuni pot from chawangshop, but i wanted to get a second opinion. These are the ones I'm looking at:

https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... 100cc.html
https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... 100ml.html
https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... -85ml.html

what do you all think of these? Worth a buy, or should I be looking elsewhere? I'm pretty new to the world of Yixing so any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.
DailyTX
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Location: United States

Fri Aug 21, 2020 9:51 pm

nohwonder wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 8:08 pm
I'm thinking about buying a modern zhuni pot from chawangshop, but i wanted to get a second opinion. These are the ones I'm looking at:

https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... 100cc.html
https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... 100ml.html
https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... -85ml.html

what do you all think of these? Worth a buy, or should I be looking elsewhere? I'm pretty new to the world of Yixing so any advice would be much appreciated, thanks.
@nohwonder
I own a few pots from Chawangshop, their modern pots are decent priced in my opinion. I think their factory pots are a little expensive. This is one of the pots I have been using to brew oriental beauty:
https://www.chawangshop.com/tea-hardwar ... 105cc.html
It’s a replica TieHuaXuan pot. I like the size, design, and the value. I think the real antique version will cost 10 times if not more. It seems like you are eyeing for a zhuni pot, what tea do you plan to brew? Chooses pot that works well with the tea you like is important. If you tell us what type of tea, budget range, and shape, maybe other experts/seniors can offer you other ideas as a comparison.
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nohwonder
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Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:09 pm

I mostly drink oolongs (mostly roasted, yancha, dong ding, dan cong), sheng, and hong cha. I'm looking for get pots for all of those teas eventually, so I wasn't trying to buy a pot for one of them in particular. My plan was just to try them all in whatever pot i get and see what fits best. I'm not necessarily set on zhuni, I would totally be open to other types of clay, but those pots caught my eye is all. I'm looking for pots around that price range, 200-300 usd or so tops. If you guys have any other vendors or pots that you'd recommend instead I'm all ears. I've heard of Emmet and that he sells good antique F1 pots for a good price but it seems he's totally out of stock.
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Bok
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Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:11 pm

@DailyTX the real antique version of this pot is never Zhuni, I have only seen them in Zisha/Zini, often with tiaosha, coarser light coloured grains blended into the darker main clay.

Not too expensive(for antiques) as it’s mostly not very refined craftsmanship.
DailyTX
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Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:58 pm

Bok wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:11 pm
DailyTX the real antique version of this pot is never Zhuni, I have only seen them in Zisha/Zini, often with tiaosha, coarser light coloured grains blended into the darker main clay.

Not too expensive(for antiques) as it’s mostly not very refined craftsmanship.
@Bok
That’s hopeful that I may have a chance to adopt an antique version of this pot without cracking my bank. The design is simple and cute. If you happened to encounter one, take a photo for me ;)
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hopeofdawn
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 12:44 am

So a while back, I mentioned I was looking for interesting, well-made modern yixing that were a little different from the usual standard shapes (shui ping, xishi, shipiao). A few folks kindly recommended Yinchen, among other places, and after stalking them on Instagram for a while, I finally saw a pot that was just too pretty for me to resist. Yinchen says the design is based off of a sunflower (possibly a variation off of fanggu?). I love the details on this, and the geometric curves of the spout and handle that provide a subtle contrast to the organic shapes of the body and lid.

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teapic-8-21-2.png (450.86 KiB) Viewed 6176 times
teapic-8-21-1.png
teapic-8-21-1.png (459.34 KiB) Viewed 6176 times

(There are more and better pictures on Yinchen's instagram)

It's zhuni, pours well and has a very wide opening--I'm still experimenting with different teas but it definitely seems to shine with the higher-fragrance oolongs and blacks, as to be expected. Am very happy with it so far!
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Youzi
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:06 am

nohwonder wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:09 pm
I mostly drink oolongs (mostly roasted, yancha, dong ding, dan cong), sheng, and hong cha. I'm looking for get pots for all of those teas eventually, so I wasn't trying to buy a pot for one of them in particular. My plan was just to try them all in whatever pot i get and see what fits best. I'm not necessarily set on zhuni, I would totally be open to other types of clay, but those pots caught my eye is all. I'm looking for pots around that price range, 200-300 usd or so tops. If you guys have any other vendors or pots that you'd recommend instead I'm all ears. I've heard of Emmet and that he sells good antique F1 pots for a good price but it seems he's totally out of stock.
If you are not dead set on older pots, then In that price range I'd recommend @Yann Zisha Gallery I think their She Rong Fei Pots are a good value, especially I found their zhuni to be really good with yancha.
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Balthazar
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:31 am

@hopeofdawn Beautiful pot!
nohwonder wrote:
Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:09 pm
I mostly drink oolongs (mostly roasted, yancha, dong ding, dan cong), sheng, and hong cha. I'm looking for get pots for all of those teas eventually, so I wasn't trying to buy a pot for one of them in particular. My plan was just to try them all in whatever pot i get and see what fits best. I'm not necessarily set on zhuni, I would totally be open to other types of clay, but those pots caught my eye is all. I'm looking for pots around that price range, 200-300 usd or so tops. If you guys have any other vendors or pots that you'd recommend instead I'm all ears. I've heard of Emmet and that he sells good antique F1 pots for a good price but it seems he's totally out of stock.
As far as modern pots are concerned, I think the Chawang options you listed are all good choices (I'd go with one of the 100ml options rather than the 85ml one personally). If you're not afraid to buy second-hand, you might also want to take a look at this one from our own teaswap-forum, which was archived without being sold. Originally bought from Teamasters, I'd be confident about the quality. Filter style preferences vary, I prefer single hole.. Other than that @Youzi's recommendation should be considered.
jessepat84
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:54 am

Balthazar wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:31 am

If you're not afraid to buy second-hand, you might also want to take a look at this one from our own teaswap-forum, which was archived without being sold.
Unfortunately this one is now indeed sold. :)

As far as modern ones go, I would also second @Youzi's recommendation for Yann Zisha Gallery. Additionally to works by She Rong Fei (that are close to the price range mentioned by @nohwonder), they currently stock some traditionally processed Zhaozhuang zhuni pieces by Wang Jian Fang. Those are more expensive, though (around 400USD).
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nohwonder
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:59 am

Thanks for all the recommendations, I'll definitely keep them in mind as I shop around. I do eventually want to get an antique F1 or two but I think I might wait until Emmett gets some more pots in stock since he seems to be pretty highly regarded around here and his pots seems like pretty great value. I did also check out Zisha Art Gallery but frankly the selection was staggering and I just didn't know where to start. It seems like they don't give much information about their pots either.
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Youzi
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 10:31 am

nohwonder wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 3:59 am
Thanks for all the recommendations, I'll definitely keep them in mind as I shop around. I do eventually want to get an antique F1 or two but I think I might wait until Emmett gets some more pots in stock since he seems to be pretty highly regarded around here and his pots seems like pretty great value. I did also check out Zisha Art Gallery but frankly the selection was staggering and I just didn't know where to start. It seems like they don't give much information about their pots either.
If you get an F1, make sure to get one from before 1980.

And on a side not F1s usually aren't considered antiques. Usually when people refer to antiques, they mean teapots made before the Factory Era, so ROC or earlier.
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nohwonder
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:51 pm

Youzi wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 10:31 am
If you get an F1, make sure to get one from before 1980.

And on a side not F1s usually aren't considered antiques. Usually when people refer to antiques, they mean teapots made before the Factory Era, so ROC or earlier.
Oh ok, I didn't mean to imply that I wanted to get an ROC or Qing pot or anything, I just want a nice F1 as a sort of comparison since that seems to be basically the standard. What happened in 1980 that made the pots worse? Also curious what you all think of this pot: https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yi ... an-tea-pot.
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pantry
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 5:43 pm

nohwonder wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 4:51 pm

Also curious what you all think of this pot: https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yi ... an-tea-pot.
I have this pot. I like it.
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nohwonder
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Sat Aug 22, 2020 6:00 pm

pantry wrote:
Sat Aug 22, 2020 5:43 pm

I have this pot. I like it.
what type of tea do you use it for? It looks like it might be a nice shape/size for yancha.
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