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title says it all. also, preferably a pretty easy to find clay? Thanks!

For that I'd recommend dense, tender clay like Zhuni, Xiao-Hongni, Jiazini.

Good luck in finding!

I'd recommend porcelain, but that not yixing. Unless you are a yixing expert –or willing to pay to buy from one.

Depends on whether you're going more for fruity / floral flavors (porcelain is likely to be better), or more thickness, but I really have good results with very thin porcelain for high mountain teas. I have some dense, high-fired red clay pots, and I still usually reach for a porcelain gaiwan when brewing this type of tea.

Most of the clays and pot shapes that people usually find to be best for these kinds of teas are not super easy to find.

I use a xishi shape modern hongni high fired dense pot sometimes for taiwanese oolong. This is particularly true when my water is heavier and I end up focusing more on the texture and aftertaste of the tea.

I still use gaiwans for these things too.

What is the consensus on using a thin-walled zhuni pot?

Would you want the heat to dissipate quickly so the delicate leaves aren't scalded? What is the reasoning for a thick walled (hongni) pot?

Thanks for sharing.

tst wrote:What is the consensus on using a thin-walled zhuni pot?

Would you want the heat to dissipate quickly so the delicate leaves aren't scalded? What is the reasoning for a thick walled (hongni) pot?

Personally, if I wanted to avoid using too much heat, I'd just use thin porcelain (or just use slightly cooler water). Even thin Yixing pots retain heat pretty well.

I also haven't come across too many super thin-walled zhuni pots.

ok, so do any of you guys know where I can get a really nice handmade porcelain teapot then? Thanks for all of the feedback!

Randee1515 wrote:title says it all. also, preferably a pretty easy to find clay? Thanks!

I like the results provided by two thin-walled zhu ni pots I purchased at 5000friend (eBay) and a thick-walled duo qiu I got from zishateapot.co.uk.

In both instances the pots belong to the tall type...I wouldn't use a "shi piao" shape for these as that shape compresses too much the leaves.

Good luck anyway!

chrl42, is Jia Zi Ni, the black dotted type of zi ni? Cheers.

tst wrote:What is the consensus on using a thin-walled zhuni pot?

Would you want the heat to dissipate quickly so the delicate leaves aren't scalded? What is the reasoning for a thick walled (hongni) pot?

Thanks for sharing.

Zhuni is a killer at steaming leaves if made thick. That's one of reasons why many Zhunis are made thin. Zhuni is a very dense clay so it can retain the heat even if made thin. Another reason is Zhuni is clay with a high plasticity so it's very easy to make thin.

bagua7 wrote:

Randee1515 wrote:title says it all. also, preferably a pretty easy to find clay? Thanks!

I like the results provided by two thin-walled zhu ni pots I purchased at 5000friend (eBay) and a thick-walled duo qiu I got from zishateapot.co.uk.

In both instances the pots belong to the tall type...I wouldn't use a "shi piao" shape for these as that shape compresses too much the leaves.

Good luck anyway!

chrl42, is Jia Zi Ni, the black dotted type of zi ni? Cheers.

Jia Zi Ni is special black-dotted Pin Zi Ni used during early-80's in Factory-1.
This clay performs outstandingly with Taiwanese Oolongs as Taiwan was the main importer of those 82 xiaopin

chrl42, is there anywhere I can find a pot made of that clay? or is it sort of out of production? Thanks for the feedback!

Randee1515 wrote:ok, so do any of you guys know where I can get a really nice handmade porcelain teapot then? Thanks for all of the feedback!

Handmade porcelain pots are hard to find. Most of the ones sold as hand made are actually hand painted. Handmade, hand painted, gaiwan are a lot easier to find.

chrl42 wrote: chrl42, is Jia Zi Ni, the black dotted type of zi ni? Cheers.

Jia Zi Ni is special black-dotted Pin Zi Ni used during early-80's in Factory-1.
This clay performs outstandingly with Taiwanese Oolongs as Taiwan was the main importer of those 82 xiaopin[/quote]
Was the popular style of tea in Taiwan as green in the early 80s as it is now, though?

I've had lovely results with mountain oolongs in porcelain pots from Seong-Il and Yi Yong Cheol, available via TC member Tead Off, and several of our Teaware artisans work in porcelain. I've been very tempted by several of Petr Novak's porcelain wares--pots and shiboridashis--but am trying not to acquire more teawares until I'm more settled in the new house.