Yixing

[Andrew S]

@DailyTX: I have to defer to wiser and more experienced minds.

I only have one example of 70s duanni to go off of, which I'm still learning about slowly (my only big pot so far).

(there's also some non-F! pot from the 90s or later which is probably adulterated at best)

Andrew

[Bok]

Andrew S & Bok
Do you feel the ROC and F1 duanni have smaller particles in comparison to modern duanni? I have been curious if this is due to mesh size or different origin of clay.

I have never held a modern Duanni in hands, so I can not compare.

[Youzi]

Very interesting; different firing conditions, different clay sources, or something else? Probably hard to tell so long afterwards, I guess.

I want to learn more about duanni, especially since it didn't seem to get the attention that it deserves during Factory 1 times, and since 'modern duanni' sometimes seems like a euphemism for unknown random low-fired clay.

Andrew

Duanni (Tuanni actually) can be any color from yellow to purple, to red, to green to gray, to white etc. Normal firing usually affects the shade of the base color, so weaker firing, more light and bright, while stronger firing results in more deeper, darker tone of the base color.

Usually Tuanni requires strong firing otherwise it'll Tuhei during use.

[Youzi]

Andrew S & Bok
Do you feel the ROC and F1 duanni have smaller particles in comparison to modern duanni? I have been curious if this is due to mesh size or different origin of clay.

Particle size depends on the mesh size or, if it wasn't sifted then grinding size. In ancient times they used stone mills, either hand or larger Ox operated ones. The hand mills produce the largest particles, while the Ox one is about similar to the modern engine operated stone mills, which is around 60 mesh I think.

Hand mill is around 30-50 from the top of my head.

To evaluate the mesh size, you should only judge it by the inside of the teapot.
Due to Bright Needling (scraping) the outside, it can't tell you much about the mesh size and can be misleading.

[steanze]

Andrew S & Bok
Do you feel the ROC and F1 duanni have smaller particles in comparison to modern duanni? I have been curious if this is due to mesh size or different origin of clay.

It is due to the mesh size. Most ROC duanni is quite fine, but there are coarser exemplars as well. Also, there are different kinds of ROC duanni, some are more yellow, some other ones are more brown.

[OCTO]

Andrew S & Bok
Do you feel the ROC and F1 duanni have smaller particles in comparison to modern duanni? I have been curious if this is due to mesh size or different origin of clay.

It is due to the mesh size. Most ROC duanni is quite fine, but there are coarser exemplars as well. Also, there are different kinds of ROC duanni, some are more yellow, some other ones are more brown.

some have a grey coloured undertone... this is a very interesting clay, IMO.

Cheers!!

[DailyTX]

Thank you everyone for your contribution to the Duanni knowledge. It’s a very complicated clay to learn from my experience yet the diversity, color, and patina on duanni pots keep me interested in learning more

[OCTO]

Just finished another round of LiuAn blended with aged oolong. Calming and nice....

IMG_6086.jpg (208.03 KiB) Viewed 6194 times

[theredbaron]

Not affordable for commoners? That's a bummer! I hoped to find a pot like this some day. They are so beautiful...

Yes, i have bought one of those sets at a flea market two years ago for a few Euros. I use it often in winter for black teas

I have no idea about it's worth. Are they expensive?

[Mark-S]

I have no idea about it's worth. Are they expensive?

I've got 3 of those tea tasting sets from green label period. I don't know how much they are worth in the West. Maybe $150.

[theredbaron]

I've got 3 of those tea tasting sets from green label period. I don't know how much they are worth in the West. Maybe $150.

Well, that would be definately more than the 5 Euros or so i paid for the set

[zeeg]

I have no idea about it's worth. Are they expensive?

I've got 3 of those tea tasting sets from green label period. I don't know how much they are worth in the West. Maybe $150.

I’d love to buy one of those green label cha bei sets. Any sources? Haven’t seen any on auction.

[Mark-S]

I’d love to buy one of those green label cha bei sets. Any sources? Haven’t seen any on auction.

No, sorry, I don't know any vendor who sells those sets. I'd sell you one set for $100 (not including shipping), but usually I have no interest in selling teapots in this forum. I don't want any discussion about the authenticity. So in your case, I'd show you some photos and you would have to decide if it's genuine or not.

[Mark-S]

If you decide to keep it, post a photo when it’s clean

Done I still like this one. It has a hairline crack (visible on the fifth picture) and the lid is glued / chipped... but I'm glad that I've kept it.

[Mark-S]

I forgot to ask... what is this dark circle at the bottom? Is it from firing?