ImmortaliTEA wrote:I was of the opinion that if a Hei Ni pot had sand mixed in then it was to be referred as Hei-Sha so I apologize if that was incorrect.
No worries, it's an easy misconception to have.
I wish making real zisha was as easy as mixing sand into zini. Things would be easier for us tea lovers!
ImmortaliTEA wrote:About the aroma: if these pots are in fact the same exact ones I got from Sample Tea, then yes they are clearly labeled as low medium fired and I realize some people only like high-fired pots but I personally have quite a few low and low medium fired pots that brew great cups of tea for me.
As always, to each their own. I use a medium fired duanni pot which rounds teas more than any other pot I own specifically for some
slightly funky liu an for just this reason. You should be extra careful with heini pots though, as it may not be the firing level. I used to have a mission to find a good heini pot, but after testing 5 of them, they all were total flavor/aroma erasers, and I suspect it was because they all contained some level of manganese oxide to achieve their black color. Real heini or heisha is
much harder to find than people realize. I have a friend (a
serious Yixing expert) who was willing to sell me a set of 5 real heini shui pings, but I couldn't afford it. Just one of those pots would have been quite pricy, even with the friend discount. I have since given up the search.
ImmortaliTEA wrote:Now I have to say I completely and utterly disagree with what you said about the "teapot having almost nothing to do with Qi". I have personally experienced how different clays of different porosities can affect how much Qi is released into the cup... Now if you are denying the existence of Qi in tea altogether (not saying you are) then that's a different issue altogether.
Oh no, I think Cha Qi is most definitely a real thing, whether we want to analyze the scientific reasons behind it or not. I've been very lucky to sample many teas with some
serious Qi. Some were made in various pots, but more were made in modern sub $20 gaiwans, and they got me tea drunk just the same! I'm really not sure how you would do a side by side blind comparison to judge whether a gaiwan or a low fired teapot releases more Qi, since the effects are not usually felt instantaneously, and could be coming from either cup. However, I think the theory that a low fired pot could absorb some is far more plausible than the idea that an older tea pot gives more Qi than a younger one, as I see some people around here tend to believe.
That's the "Kool-aid" I was referring to.
ImmortaliTEA wrote:Since this is written word with no possible way to see emotions attached I will clarify and say everything I have written is with the utmost respect as you are one of the people who really got me interested in Gong Fu Cha so I will say that I have the highest respect for you and your knowledge/expertise. What I wrote is simply my subjective opinion about Hei Ni which has been disputed by others on here as well. Oh well I guess I just like my tea "rounded". Lol. Thanks for challenging me TJ nobody would ever learn a thing if we all just agreed all the time!
Thanks for your kind words, but I'm merely a young student of tea and teaware myself. The respect is mutual, and I'm glad you are open to straightforward debates! I agree, the rate of learning is slowed down if we are too "nice" to ever challenge each other. Good show!