Yixing advice
Hello! I have a few pots that I’ve had for over 10 years that I can’t remember where I got them. I assumed they were fake but now am not sure. One of them, has a green “made in China” sticker on it. Can I post pictures for help in understanding what I have? I’ve been afraid to brew in them because if they are fakes, who knows what they’re made of right?
Welcome to TeaForum @PamelaOry. Feel free to post Yixing you own for member advice. When you share images include underside of pot to show stamp. If it says Made in China, it was probably made as a tourist momento, so not great clay. You can try leaving boiling water in it until it cools, and then taste the water to see if it tastes OK. Someone gifted me a Made in China ‘yixing’ pot that I’ll never use, mostly because I don’t like the shape and lid opening is kind of too small to easily remove leaves.PamelaOry wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:38 pmHello! I have a few pots that I’ve had for over 10 years that I can’t remember where I got them. I assumed they were fake but now am not sure. One of them, has a green “made in China” sticker on it. Can I post pictures for help in understanding what I have? I’ve been afraid to brew in them because if they are fakes, who knows what they’re made of right?
A green sticker my indicate that it is a so-called green label Factory 1 teapot. If real, it is not bad clay by any means but a number of fakes have been appearing in recent years. Please post to the Yixing thread located here: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=18&start=5475PamelaOry wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:38 pmHello! I have a few pots that I’ve had for over 10 years that I can’t remember where I got them. I assumed they were fake but now am not sure. One of them, has a green “made in China” sticker on it. Can I post pictures for help in understanding what I have? I’ve been afraid to brew in them because if they are fakes, who knows what they’re made of right?
True -missed the ‘green’ sticker part, could be F1. Moved your post to Yixing so we don’t have a double post.Baisao wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:50 pmA green sticker my indicate that it is a so-called green label Factory 1 teapot. If real, it is not bad clay by any means but a number of fakes have been appearing in recent years. Please post to the Yixing thread located here: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=18&start=5475PamelaOry wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 3:38 pmHello! I have a few pots that I’ve had for over 10 years that I can’t remember where I got them. I assumed they were fake but now am not sure. One of them, has a green “made in China” sticker on it. Can I post pictures for help in understanding what I have? I’ve been afraid to brew in them because if they are fakes, who knows what they’re made of right?
A recent post about Zhuni pots prompted me to look at Essence of Tea's website, and they had two 100 ml Zhuni pots for a good price. They had a Huanglongshan Zhuni pot and a Xiao Mei Yao Zhuni of the same size, which is now out of stock. Due to the low price point, I was considering buying one of these pots for Dong Ding and other roasted Taiwanese oolongs or for Fujian and/or Taiwanese hongcha. I asked about the differences between these pots and this is their answer:
These two types of zhuni are mined from different places in Yixing and have slightly different characteristics as ore - Xiaomeiyao zhuni in its raw state is closer to a chalky mud which forms a suspension in water. Huanglongshan zhuni is closer to a stone, which requires grinding to a powder. Practically from the perspective of a tea drinker, xiaomeiyao is less porous, will accentuate the top notes and aroma of a tea, while huanglongshan zhuni is more porous, will round the rougher edges of the tea a little and give fuller mouthfeel. The difference between these two zhuni clays isn't huge though and either of these clays would work well for the teas you mention
I'm wondering if the muting effect of the Huanglongshan Zhuni might actually benefit roasted Taiwanese oolongs. Alternatively, I could wait for the Xiao Mei Yao pots to be restocked, though they say that could take a while. Another option would be to experiment with one of Hojo's pots, which are not that much more expensive.
What do you all think?
These two types of zhuni are mined from different places in Yixing and have slightly different characteristics as ore - Xiaomeiyao zhuni in its raw state is closer to a chalky mud which forms a suspension in water. Huanglongshan zhuni is closer to a stone, which requires grinding to a powder. Practically from the perspective of a tea drinker, xiaomeiyao is less porous, will accentuate the top notes and aroma of a tea, while huanglongshan zhuni is more porous, will round the rougher edges of the tea a little and give fuller mouthfeel. The difference between these two zhuni clays isn't huge though and either of these clays would work well for the teas you mention
I'm wondering if the muting effect of the Huanglongshan Zhuni might actually benefit roasted Taiwanese oolongs. Alternatively, I could wait for the Xiao Mei Yao pots to be restocked, though they say that could take a while. Another option would be to experiment with one of Hojo's pots, which are not that much more expensive.
What do you all think?
How do you know?I wasn't planning on buying a fancy pot, but I'm tempted.
