The pricier ones do tend to be less grassy. I also push the tea to its bitter (grassy) end, which means I'm exposed to a lot of those flavours.
Yixing
I gotta say F1 pots have aged a whole lot better than the Trabant or the SchwalbeBok wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:45 pmI think I know what you mean, it is similar to items of other former socialist countries, like the DDR and other Eastern Block states, they have produced some things which have their own distinct charm. In German they even have a term for it "Ostalgie", East plus nostalgia.Andrew S wrote: ↑Tue Jun 29, 2021 5:22 pmI find that there's something strangely attractive about the rough and utilitarian craftsmanship for those pots. And I doubt that any of those teapots were made roughly intentionally, as opposed to something that just happened naturally through producing the same teapot shape over and over again.
I'm curious if anyone here has experience with Zhusha pots? I'm sure there must be others, but first I heard of this was the pots that @Teas We Like have done two batches of. I see that EoT also is starting to produce pots using that ore, though maybe from another source. I love the texture it seems to produce but would be curious to hear what teas others have tried it with and what other clays you might find it similar/different to, vintage or modern. From the descriptions it sounds like it would be nice for aged teas that don't need any muting.
Depends on what each vendor means by Zhusha. It can both refer to an ore and a certain look on the finished pot.wave_code wrote: ↑Thu Jul 01, 2021 8:36 amI'm curious if anyone here has experience with Zhusha pots? I'm sure there must be others, but first I heard of this was the pots that Teas We Like have done two batches of. I see that EoT also is starting to produce pots using that ore, though maybe from another source. I love the texture it seems to produce but would be curious to hear what teas others have tried it with and what other clays you might find it similar/different to, vintage or modern. From the descriptions it sounds like it would be nice for aged teas that don't need any muting.
Both cases however should be similar in effect to zhuni.
Hello everyone,
Glad to find a community of folks interested in yixing. I've posted these XianPiao pots on discord before, but it seems there is more interest in F1 around here. Both were bought on auction and share features of 70s F1. However, they are somewhat different which makes me suspicious that one or both are fakes. I am still learning, so appreciate any opinions. Apologies for the pictures as I am no photographer and lighting changes rapidly.
Both Pots Together
Closeups of Right Pot
Glad to find a community of folks interested in yixing. I've posted these XianPiao pots on discord before, but it seems there is more interest in F1 around here. Both were bought on auction and share features of 70s F1. However, they are somewhat different which makes me suspicious that one or both are fakes. I am still learning, so appreciate any opinions. Apologies for the pictures as I am no photographer and lighting changes rapidly.
Both Pots Together
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superficially with pictures, the one on the right looks authentic to me, the other not so sure... if real, more likely later 70s or 80s.
But take all this with a grain of salt, that shape is a favourite for fakes... many more around than there should be and the fakes, even for 70s, are getting really, really good...
The last two pictures, are thes mica spots? If so, a bit too many for it to be 70s Hongni...
But take all this with a grain of salt, that shape is a favourite for fakes... many more around than there should be and the fakes, even for 70s, are getting really, really good...
Yes, these do appear to be mica and iron spots. I have a couple 60s F1 pots from ZAG and one 60s pot does have some mica in the base, but this seems to have more. Out of curiosity, if the right pot is fake, any guesses when it was produced? I rarely see mica or iron in any of my more modern hongni pots. Thanks!
I'm back!! hahahaha..... Covid lockdown have been keeping me busy buzzing like an annoying bee.... friend from the stars decided to pay a visit for some OCTO's quirky blend... 
Cheers!!!
p/s: someone is feeling lonely in the rabbit hole.... I better hop in and keep him company......
Cheers!!!
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p/s: someone is feeling lonely in the rabbit hole.... I better hop in and keep him company......
Hey, @OCTO
I'm fairly new to the rabbit hole--7 years. My first step down the hole was a Xu Bian like the one in your photo. Yours, no doubt, is much better quality. Mine was a $100, 240 ml zini by Tang Weiping. I used it to long brew WuYi and Dancongs. I was quite happy with the results until the rabbit hole deepened and I started acquiring smaller and better pots. I drink more Taiwan tea than WuYi now, but I have 7 or 8 favorites from WuYi Origin that I keep in stock. I've found that, at least in my modest Yixing collection, each WuYi will do best in one of 4 pots I use for them--an F1 green label QSN, a Chanting Pines zini, a modern zhu ni from Yann Zisha Gallery (by She Rong Fei), and an old hong ni of uncertain origin.
I have rarely seen the Xu Bian shape posted on the tea forums, which is why yours captured my interest. One reason I bought one for my first pot was I thought there was an exotic mystique to it. And because I'd read that flatter shapes were good for Dancong and WuYi.
May I ask you to tell us a bit about yours, and what you brew in it? Thank you.
I'm fairly new to the rabbit hole--7 years. My first step down the hole was a Xu Bian like the one in your photo. Yours, no doubt, is much better quality. Mine was a $100, 240 ml zini by Tang Weiping. I used it to long brew WuYi and Dancongs. I was quite happy with the results until the rabbit hole deepened and I started acquiring smaller and better pots. I drink more Taiwan tea than WuYi now, but I have 7 or 8 favorites from WuYi Origin that I keep in stock. I've found that, at least in my modest Yixing collection, each WuYi will do best in one of 4 pots I use for them--an F1 green label QSN, a Chanting Pines zini, a modern zhu ni from Yann Zisha Gallery (by She Rong Fei), and an old hong ni of uncertain origin.
I have rarely seen the Xu Bian shape posted on the tea forums, which is why yours captured my interest. One reason I bought one for my first pot was I thought there was an exotic mystique to it. And because I'd read that flatter shapes were good for Dancong and WuYi.
May I ask you to tell us a bit about yours, and what you brew in it? Thank you.
Last edited by teanik on Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:42 am, edited 2 times in total.
That looks a bit too much for comfortably being authentic in your case. Many replicas were made in the 90s onwardszeeg wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 8:06 amYes, these do appear to be mica and iron spots. I have a couple 60s F1 pots from ZAG and one 60s pot does have some mica in the base, but this seems to have more. Out of curiosity, if the right pot is fake, any guesses when it was produced? I rarely see mica or iron in any of my more modern hongni pots. Thanks!
Really like this flat one... great curve on that spout!OCTO wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:39 amI'm back!! hahahaha..... Covid lockdown have been keeping me busy buzzing like an annoying bee.... friend from the stars decided to pay a visit for some OCTO's quirky blend...
Cheers!!!
p/s: someone is feeling lonely in the rabbit hole.... I better hop in and keep him company......
That makes sense. I won’t lose sleep if either or both are fake. I am curious to learn more to identify real from fake, however. I read in Early Teapots 2 this point about mica/iron. However, it doesn’t seem like a hard and fast rule (I.e., mica/iron = not 60/70 hongni). Rather it seems some may be found in 60/70s hongni pots, but shouldn’t be too much. Please correct me if I’m misinterpreting.Bok wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 7:42 pmThat looks a bit too much for comfortably being authentic in your case. Many replicas were made in the 90s onwardszeeg wrote: ↑Fri Jul 02, 2021 8:06 amYes, these do appear to be mica and iron spots. I have a couple 60s F1 pots from ZAG and one 60s pot does have some mica in the base, but this seems to have more. Out of curiosity, if the right pot is fake, any guesses when it was produced? I rarely see mica or iron in any of my more modern hongni pots. Thanks!
Out of curiosity, the 90s hongni and later that I’ve seen is almost devoid of iron/mica and much more deeply red (likely iron oxide). This clay looks very similar to 60s F1 hongni in color and texture but with more mica/iron spots. Is it likely that the clay was processed in more traditional fashion without chemical additives, but with less weathering and less care to remove the iron ore? In contrast, I thought it was easy enough to remove iron spots with modern processing methods and chemical additives. Mostly curious why this hongni would end up with these spots if born after the 90s when the technology to remove these “defects” was available. Thanks again!