Tead Off, TEAWARE ONLINE

[Frisbeehead]

The new Seong-il teapot you added with the dark red patches and pale blueish-white color looks just like the shiboridashi I have from him.

I'll have to consider if I think it needs a big sister

[Tead Off]

Yes, a real beauty.

[Cwyn]

Started following Seong Il's Instagram. I might as well just start forwarding my pay checks.

[Tead Off]

Started following Seong Il's Instagram. I might as well just start forwarding my pay checks.

New work coming soon. Maybe today.

[Tead Off]

TEA BOATS ARE HERE!!

Along with other new work from Hong Seong Il. Hohin and teapots. Always unique, every changing styles and glazing.

And, for the first time, I am offering Seong il's lovely tea boats at an introductory price of $50 each. All unique.

Please have a look here.

[Tead Off]

JUST IN TIME FOR CHINESE NEW YEAR!!

11 new teapots from Seong il. Some Year of the Monkey items. Some great things, as always. And, a couple of teapots using Seong il's new superfine porcelain which he calls silky clay. These are beautifully designed and crafted as you would expect from Mr. Hong. Enjoy them here.

[hopeofdawn]

Cute little monkeys!

[Tead Off]

HOD, I love the new work from Seong il. They are more varied and finished. The hohins are fabulous. I'm surprised more are not gone. They are a great size for green teas and blacks, for 1 or 2 people. Even puerh and oolongs will work well in them.

I'm also a little surprised that no one has gone for any of the teaboats, yet. They are simple, functional, and will accomodate many different sized vessels. One of the elements of Korean work is the feeling of this teaware in your hands. It's something that cannot be conveyed with words. It just feels right!

[ethan]

Re: Tea boats.

One reason they may not have all been bought very quickly is that a lot of us still don't pour hot water over our teapots.

[Tead Off]

Re: Tea boats.

One reason they may not have all been bought very quickly is that a lot of us still don't pour hot water over our teapots.

Ethan,

That is not the only reason to have a tea boat. The main one is to catch the water that overflows from the lid and spout and also from the kettle pouring water into the vessel. It's much more neat and tidy to have something underneath your vessel. I don't put my vessels directly on to my wooden table, do you? The boiling water will eventually ruin the wood plus create a mess. Tea boats are a useful tool that bring order to the tea table the same way a waste water pot does. It's also easy to empty and clean vs a tea tray. It's portable. For me, it's essential. Keeps my wife happy, too.

[hopeofdawn]

I'm also a little surprised that no one has gone for any of the teaboats, yet. They are simple, functional, and will accomodate many different sized vessels. One of the elements of Korean work is the feeling of this teaware in your hands. It's something that cannot be conveyed with words. It just feels right!

Well, I'm going to preface this with the fact that this is just my own personal taste, and that I'm certainly not any kind of arbiter of tea aesthetics, especially when it comes to Korean stoneware. You know how much I love Seong-il's pieces--I think after Petr, most of my teaware collection is his work.

But ... lately his newer pieces feel a little bit too far down the 'rustic' road for me. Maybe I'd feel differently if I saw or handled them in person, but the thick, almost lumpy glaze combinations he's been using lately--especially the ones that use a lot of mustard yellow and olive-green--just don't appeal. The teaboats, for instance, I know are carefully crafted--but I just can't appreciate the irregular glazing or their lopsided shapes.

I do love his brown stoneware pots with the lovely surface textures on them, though--and the two white porcelain pots in the latest offering were lovely! I just haven't seen one yet that really speaks to me. And given how many pots I already have stuffed into my cabinets, getting a new one often ends up being a game of Jenga as I try to shuffle things around to make room.

[Tead Off]

HOD, we all have our preferences. What I was trying to address is the practical use of teaboats, whether they are Seong il's or anything else. Taste is another matter that each person develops according to their own ideas. Build and design quality are important elements to me besides the purity of clay. Some people like the Yixing spareness. They like the absence of anything but the clay. But the vast majority of Yixing teapots are neither good clay, handmade, or are built very well. Of course, there are wonderful Yixing pots that look and feel great. It's different traditions offering different approaches in each culture.

[ethan]

TeadOff, After reading your reply, I went over to the table provided in the room I am renting to see how of dealing w/ spilled water & tea worked in the 2 weeks that I have been in this room. On top of the wood I had a plastic bag & two cotton washcloths to soak up spilled water & tea; nonetheless, my landlord could rightfully keep some of my security deposit for water-damage to the wood. So, a tray or teaboat is sensible (almost necessary) besides looking nice. Until I have one, teaware will rest on a folded thick towel & the 2 faceclothes. The plastic somehow made it all worse.

[CWarren]

EDITED

[Tead Off]

Thanks for those comments. I don't get near enough feedback from buyers. It's how we all become better.