Yixing advice

[wave_code]

Additionally, the seasoning doesn’t look correct. It has stains in places that don’t accumulate tea stains from normal use.

Yeah I feel this is always the dead giveaway for these - too shiny, almost polished looking, and the fake 'staining' is in the wrong places. I've never handled one of these in person, but it almost looks like the way some of these are 'aged' other than maybe sticking them in mud for a while is that staining. it almost looks like there is a really thin nearly transparent glaze applied which has some real fine particulates to imitate seasoning and age, but they of course accumulate in the wrong places like crevices in the pots shape, under the bottom, especially on the seals. Meanwhile the inside will look brand new. Kind of like how with watercolor or natural ink the fine particles will either darken at edge of the wash area due to faster drying or push and flow and accumulate at low points or in wrinkles in paper. Thinking about how I do this type of glazing effect while painting I'm actually kinda intrigued if this is done while actually making and firing the pot or if its applied after in a way that it can be washed away to make the buyer think it was actual seasoning... I can think of a few ways of doing this which would actually be very easy and maybe best left unsaid

[Gong_Fu_Chaddict]

Hello Guys!
I'm willing to start a small collection of Yixing pots.
I have right now two Pots, a chaozu and a Nixing. I've read this topic and understood that a tea pot chooses the tea!
Although while doing some research I've found that some clay "interact" better with tea types.
I'm looking to brew Dancong and roasted Oolongs, which I discovered a few months back. Could you advice me on a teapot, my price range would be under 400€.
Ps : living in Europe I will have to order on a website, I saw that Yann Gallery and Essence of tea were two good online shops, if any other shops comes to your mind I will check them out. Thank you!

[.m.]

@Gong_Fu_Chaddict
These pots are worth consideration too: https://teaswelike.com/product-category/new-pots/

As with "pot chooses tea", i deeply disagree with this notion. Some teas and some methods of brewing work better in some pots, or give slightly different results in different pots, but that doesn't mean that a choice needs to be made and the pot be dedicated for this or that tea from now on. Of course nothing wrong with that if one wants to do that...

[Youzi]

Gong_Fu_Chaddict
These pots are worth consideration too: https://teaswelike.com/product-category/new-pots/

As with "pot chooses tea", i deeply disagree with this notion. Some teas and some methods of brewing work better in some pots, or give slightly different results in different pots, but that doesn't mean that a choice needs to be made and the pot be dedicated for this or that tea from now on. Of course nothing wrong with that if one wants to do that...

"The teapot chooses the tea" means exactly what you wrote

It just a fancy way to say that you'll see from your experimentations what teas you like to use with which pot.

[.m.]

Gong_Fu_Chaddict
These pots are worth consideration too: https://teaswelike.com/product-category/new-pots/

As with "pot chooses tea", i deeply disagree with this notion. Some teas and some methods of brewing work better in some pots, or give slightly different results in different pots, but that doesn't mean that a choice needs to be made and the pot be dedicated for this or that tea from now on. Of course nothing wrong with that if one wants to do that...

"The teapot chooses the tea" means exactly what you wrote

It just a fancy way to say that you'll see from your experimentations what teas you like to use with which pot.

What about "The tea chooses the pot", or "I choose what tea, how to make it, in what pot" ?

[Gong_Fu_Chaddict]

Thank you for your advice!
I think I'm "theorizing" too much on small details. After your advices I've looked on the websites and found this one.
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yi ... ing-teapot

Not too expensive, I might buy another one so I can dive more into the effect of the clay, and test it out.
Do you know the website "Sunday" keep appearing but I'm not sure about the quality there?

[Balthazar]

@Gong_Fu_Chaddict: That pot looks like a good purchase for a first Yixing pot. I have heard good things about these EoT pots, although I don't have first-hand experience with them. They certainly seem very reasonably priced. (I would personally go for the 130 ml version of the same pot - it's priced the same - but I am probably in the minority here!)

I imagine you will find it works better with the roasted oolongs than with the dancongs (for the latter I believe it is hard to find reasonably priced yixing that beats a porcelain gaiwan). Probably a good fit for puer too, if you ever venture into that world.

[Baisao]

Gong_Fu_Chaddict: That pot looks like a good purchase for a first Yixing pot. I have heard good things about these EoT pots, although I don't have first-hand experience with them. They certainly seem very reasonably priced. (I would personally go for the 130 ml version of the same pot - it's priced the same - but I am probably in the minority here!)

I imagine you will find it works better with the roasted oolongs than with the dancongs (for the latter I believe it is hard to find reasonably priced yixing that beats a porcelain gaiwan). Probably a good fit for puer too, if you ever venture into that world.

My teapots have gotten smaller over time. I don’t look at anything over 120ml anymore as I keep gatherings limited to 4 people. Any more people and we might as well be playing beer pong. I’ve found small pots of 60-100ml to work best for me for individual use. I like 100ml for teaching remotely as the fractions are easier to discuss.

I agree regarding using a gaiwan for dancong. Contrary to how locals prefer to make it, it seems best brewed lightly. A gaiwan is ideal for this.

Lastly, good luck finding dancongs that have not been artificially scented. It’s an open secret that they are (more often than not) artificially scented but no one in the business will admit it. Vendors will offer personal guarantees but without a chain of custody it is impossible to guarantee they are not perfumed, especially in a region where scenting isn’t rampant.

This is a country that puts melamine (plastic) in baby formula, makes frying oil from sewage, and knockoff Uggs from dogs, yet these vendors find artificially scenting teas inconceivable.

1FA79709-B3B7-4B9D-BBAD-1023EF289075.jpeg (295 KiB) Viewed 12011 times

You’re better off buying tea from countries and regions with less of a history doping teas.

[LeoFox]

Gong_Fu_Chaddict: That pot looks like a good purchase for a first Yixing pot. I have heard good things about these EoT pots, although I don't have first-hand experience with them. They certainly seem very reasonably priced. (I would personally go for the 130 ml version of the same pot - it's priced the same - but I am probably in the minority here!)

I imagine you will find it works better with the roasted oolongs than with the dancongs (for the latter I believe it is hard to find reasonably priced yixing that beats a porcelain gaiwan). Probably a good fit for puer too, if you ever venture into that world.

My teapots have gotten smaller over time. I don’t look at anything over 120ml anymore as I keep gatherings limited to 4 people. Any more people and we might as well be playing beer pong. I’ve found small pots of 60-100ml to work best for me for individual use. I like 100ml for teaching remotely as the fractions are easier to discuss.

I agree regarding using a gaiwan for dancong. Contrary to how locals prefer to make it, it seems best brewed lightly. A gaiwan is ideal for this.

Lastly, good luck finding dancongs that have not been artificially scented. It’s an open secret that they are (more often than not) artificially scented but no one in the business will admit it. Vendors will offer personal guarantees but without a chain of custody it is impossible to guarantee they are not perfumed, especially in a region where scenting isn’t rampant.

This is a country that puts melamine (plastic) in baby formula, makes frying oil from sewage, and knockoff Uggs from dogs, yet these vendors find artificially scenting teas inconceivable.





You’re better off buying tea from countries and regions with less of a history doping teas.

Check comment

[.m.]

Thank you for your advice!
I think I'm "theorizing" too much on small details. After your advices I've looked on the websites and found this one.
https://essenceoftea.com/collections/yi ... ing-teapot

Not too expensive, I might buy another one so I can dive more into the effect of the clay, and test it out.
Do you know the website "Sunday" keep appearing but I'm not sure about the quality there?

Anything from EoT should be a solid choice.
I've checked sunday.fr website for yixing, if that's the one you're referring to, and the pots are low quality and very questionable material - stay away!

[teanik]

Hello Guys!
I'm willing to start a small collection of Yixing pots.
I have right now two Pots, a chaozu and a Nixing. I've read this topic and understood that a tea pot chooses the tea!
Although while doing some research I've found that some clay "interact" better with tea types.
I'm looking to brew Dancong and roasted Oolongs, which I discovered a few months back. Could you advice me on a teapot, my price range would be under 400€.
Ps : living in Europe I will have to order on a website, I saw that Yann Gallery and Essence of tea were two good online shops, if any other shops comes to your mind I will check them out. Thank you!

Hello @Gong_Fu_Chaddict. I see you have a Chaozhou pot, and you are interested in Dancong, and you mentioned white tea in an earlier post. Both those teas are brewed in Chaozhou pots by some people. Maybe that's why you have it?
What teas do you use your Nixing for? I have one I use for Liu Bao. I see from my notes that when I was experimenting with it, I enjoyed some Dancongs and Yancha in it--not as good as Yixing for those teas, of course, but it could tide you over until you get your Yixing pots.
The people here who told you that your pot from Essence of Tea is a great choice are people known to be well-versed in Yixing.
You wanted to know if any other shops come to mind. Searching this forum, you'll find lots of recommendations from knowledgeable people regarding Mud & Leaves for teapots around the same price range as your E of T ($125-$145 US) . I have 10 pots from them. Some nice porcelain there, as well.

[Gong_Fu_Chaddict]

Hello Guys!
I'm willing to start a small collection of Yixing pots.
I have right now two Pots, a chaozu and a Nixing. I've read this topic and understood that a tea pot chooses the tea!
Although while doing some research I've found that some clay "interact" better with tea types.
I'm looking to brew Dancong and roasted Oolongs, which I discovered a few months back. Could you advice me on a teapot, my price range would be under 400€.
Ps : living in Europe I will have to order on a website, I saw that Yann Gallery and Essence of tea were two good online shops, if any other shops comes to your mind I will check them out. Thank you!

Hello Gong_Fu_Chaddict. I see you have a Chaozhou pot, and you are interested in Dancong, and you mentioned white tea in an earlier post. Both those teas are brewed in Chaozhou pots by some people. Maybe that's why you have it?
What teas do you use your Nixing for? I have one I use for Liu Bao. I see from my notes that when I was experimenting with it, I enjoyed some Dancongs and Yancha in it--not as good as Yixing for those teas, of course, but it could tide you over until you get your Yixing pots.
The people here who told you that your pot from Essence of Tea is a great choice are people known to be well-versed in Yixing.
You wanted to know if any other shops come to mind. Searching this forum, you'll find lots of recommendations from knowledgeable people regarding Mud & Leaves for teapots around the same price range as your E of T ($125-$145 US) . I have 10 pots from them. Some nice porcelain there, as well.

Yes I brought my Chaozu in the intent to brew my Oolongs in it. But right now I have thks feeling that it might be interesting to try some Yixing.
And for my Nixing pot, it was my first clay pot, wanted it to be fully handmade, and I'm using it for some Hong Cha! Mainly from Yunnan (my first discovery in tea)
For the white tea it was a nice discovery but I'm having more passion for Oolong!

I've checked Mud and Leaves and they are a nice range of teapots, but I have a good "feeling" for the teapot on EOT, so I will go for this one! Next one will probably be on Mud or Yann Gallery

[teanik]

I've checked Mud and Leaves and they are a nice range of teapots, but I have a good "feeling" for the teapot on EOT, so I will go for this one! Next one will probably be on Mud or Yann Gallery

I also have a good "feeling" for the teapot on EOT. I haven't been at this hobby for very long, but the people who agreed with your choice are knowledgeable people. I would have taken their recommendation too. And such a great price!

And since I have some Yunnan Hong Cha, I'm going to take your recommendation and go make some of it in my Nixing.

[Gong_Fu_Chaddict]

Great! I hope it matches well with your taste! Telle me about it once you've tried!!

[Balthazar]

My teapots have gotten smaller over time. I don’t look at anything over 120ml anymore as I keep gatherings limited to 4 people. Any more people and we might as well be playing beer pong. I’ve found small pots of 60-100ml to work best for me for individual use. I like 100ml for teaching remotely as the fractions are easier to discuss.

Yes, I believe my transitioning from smaller to larger pots is pretty unusual ("larger" relatively speaking, friends and family still think all the pots are tiny). My preference now is generally for pots in the 120-160 ml range, and that's for solo sessions! Might also be partially due to the types of tea I drink, which is now puer or heicha on most days. (For oolongs and certain other teas I'll still reach for smaller pots most of the time.)

Or I've just become gluttonous over the years.