Yunnan Sourcing Yixings. Which Pot Is Best? First Timer.

[ButchCivic]

Hi everybody, I just got into loose teas and need some help with Yixings. I really like Yunnan Sourcing LLCs selection of teapots. But, the prices really differ from one to the other. I want to get into Pu-erh. What would be the best pot to start with? I prefer something larger as I like to get one good gulp in when I drink tea. Smile

I don't have to buy from Yunnan Sourcing so any suggestions would be great.


Thanks A Lot. Very Happy

[hop_goblin]

Hi everybody, I just got into loose teas and need some help with Yixings. I really like Yunnan Sourcing LLCs selection of teapots. But, the prices really differ from one to the other. I want to get into Pu-erh. What would be the best pot to start with? I prefer something larger as I like to get one good gulp in when I drink tea. Smile

I don't have to buy from Yunnan Sourcing so any suggestions would be great.


Thanks A Lot. Very Happy

Just email Scott of YS. He will be glad to help ya. I would recommend a smaller pot no bigger than 150ml for puerh. You will be wasting lots of tea with a big pot.

[shogun89]

These are the 2 I have, for the money they are great. The black one looks much better in person than in the photo.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Round-Xi-Shi-Hei-Ni ... 1|294%3A30
http://cgi.ebay.com/Yixing-teapot-125ml ... 2|294%3A30

[ButchCivic]

What's the difference between ball filter and flat on the inside intake? Which one is better? Why?


Thanks.

[Salsero]

What's the difference between ball filter and flat on the inside intake? Which one is better? Why?

Ball filter is supposed to get plugged up with leaves less easily. Normally, I don't find much difference, however, and I think the flat are easier to clean out. The filter would probably not influence my choice of a pot. NO filter can be an issue, but such pots are not common these days.

[tony shlongini]

That little black one looks adorable, shogun. It looks like one of the few inexpensive ones that would actually get the job done.

How's the weight?

[tacobell]

That little black one looks adorable, shogun. It looks like one of the few inexpensive ones that would actually get the job done.

How's the weight?

Isn't this one a little big for you Tony? Or are you considering it for when you are preparing tea for a party of 12?

[shogun89]

The pot is indeed very nice for the price. The funny thing is, I remember mine saying it was 130ml. I will check it today. Anyway, it is thin walled so it is quite light, and when you tap it with the lid it makes a nice high pinging noise. It makes a great cup of tea, its my sheng pot. It is also very strong, I once dropped the lid from 4 ft onto a tile floor and only the knob broke off which was an easy fix with some expoxy.

[berkeleyluddite]

I prefer ball filter because overall the drainage is faster. On the other hand, it is a little harder to clean and inadvertently leaves a little tea from the last your last tea session.

Having said this, most Yixing tea pots currently have flat filters since they are the more classical design

[Dizzwave]

I have that round black one too, and, I must say, I wish I'd put in an extra $20 to get a better one. It leaks, dribbles, and (up close, anyway) looks and feels cheap.

I also have a couple of ~$30-$35 ones from YS that I'm much happier with. The clay is different.. You can tell it's more porous than a cheap pot, and that it slightly affects the taste of the tea (in a good way).

The black one *does* look cute and nice, but... well, trust Scott. He did tell me that the black one was ok for the money, but that it was nothing like the pricier ones (and probably wouldn't "season"). I let my inner cheapskate get the better of me, and then found out that he wasn't "just saying that" to get me to spend more $$.

good luck!
-dave

[ButchCivic]

Do all Yixings need to be primed/boiled before use? I was looking at another thread where someone boiled their Yixing for 3 hours with water, then 3 more hours with tea, then another 3 hours with water again. Is this really necessary? What will happen if the pot isn't boiled first?


Thanks.

[shogun89]

The time you mentioned is a bit over kill. The point of "seasoning" the pot is to first off, clean it, smell, particles. . . . Then it permeates the clay with tea oil. When I got my pots I poured boiling water in them, let the water reach room temp. put in the tea, fill with boiling water again then back to room temp, repeat the tea step again. Then fill with boiling water without the tea and let cool. done.

[Proinsias]

You can either prime the pot by boiling it in tea for hours of you can prime the pot by drinking tea out of it for a few days/weeks depending on usage.

I would at least give it a decent rinse with boiling water.

[oldmanteapot]

I would give it a thorough rinse so that there are no more clay residue in the pot and then fill it with tea and brew a few rounds of tea in it. Each brew is discarded and not consumed. I would usually go a step further. I'd use a toothbrush and gently brush the surface of the teapot. The heat from the hot water will open up pores of the clay and when you brush, you'll be surprised the amount of dust that comes out!

Cheers!

[Jedi]

...

Just email Scott of YS. He will be glad to help ya. I would recommend a smaller pot no bigger than 150ml for puerh. You will be wasting lots of tea with a big pot.

150ml is good for you Hobbes?

I'm using on average pots of around 200-300cc at home, and it's going well for me. But I should add that I also use big cups and tend to drink...

...a lot....