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Jun 18th, '08, 02:17
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Where can I buy yixings under 120ml?

by trent » Jun 18th, '08, 02:17

After reading the recent threads about the quality of yixing clay, I'm pretty well educated on that topic. But one thing still befuddles me:

Where can I buy yixings under 120ml?

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Jun 18th, '08, 19:50
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Re: Where can I buy yixings under 120ml?

by britt » Jun 18th, '08, 19:50

trent wrote:After reading the recent threads about the quality of yixing clay, I'm pretty well educated on that topic. But one thing still befuddles me:

Where can I buy yixings under 120ml?
I've purchased quite a few Yixings from Hou De Asian that are between 65cc and 125cc. These are not current production pots and the clay is clearly specified in the product description. Many are in like new condition. The smaller ones are often purchased soon after they're posted.

Last week I got the smallest one so far @ 65cc. I couldn't stop laughing after I finally found it in the shipping box; it is really, really small. It is also the only single hole spout that I've purchased. I decided to try it out and it actually works very well. It is very functional.

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Jun 20th, '08, 06:19
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Re: Where can I buy yixings under 120ml?

by britt » Jun 20th, '08, 06:19

trent wrote:Where can I buy yixings under 120ml?
I forgot this in my original reply; 1001 Plateaus has a section called Yixing, Special Clay, which currently has six teapots listed. They all range between 60cc and 120cc.

I have never purchased anything from this vendor so I can't recommend them or vouch for the quality of their products or service. Maybe someone else on the forum knows more about them.

http://www.1001plateaus.com/index.cgi?p ... 0470.32378

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by chamekke » Jun 20th, '08, 11:44

I bought a 100cc yixing pot at my local consignment shop two days ago (photo pending).

I won't be trying it until I've had a chance to test it for lead, however; hence the "I have a pot I haven't drunk from" vote on today's TeaDay poll.

I think it's the smallest pot I own.

(Unless you count the one I'm now using in my avatar!)
Last edited by chamekke on Jun 20th, '08, 19:54, edited 1 time in total.

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Jun 20th, '08, 19:49
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by britt » Jun 20th, '08, 19:49

chamekke wrote:I bought a 100cc yixing pot at my local consignment shop two days ago (photo pending).

I won't be trying it until I've had a chance to test it for lead, however; hence the "I have a pot I haven't drunk from" vote on today's TeaDay poll.

I think it's the smallest pot I own.
100CC is a good size IMO.

Even if it tests okay for lead, I recommend boiling it for at least 20 minutes before brewing tea in it. Doing that should remove any natural contamination picked up by the porous clay. Some vendors of Yixings also recommend this.

If you decide to boil it, be careful to protect it in the pot so it doesn't chip. You can wrap it in a cloth, use wooden chopsticks through the handle to pin it in place, or with the smaller sizes, place it in a bowl and put the bowl in the pot of boiling water.

If the Yixing is well-seasoned, boiling may unseason it somewhat or remove some of the shine.

I like the pot in the avatar. I wonder, would it even hold one tea leave? I think I've seen this somewhere before, and if I remeber correctly, it's actually functional and the lid is removable and the spout has a hole in it. All of this in a finger-tip size Yixing!

Edit: Woops, I guess the pot in the avatar is the Japanese kyusu version. I actually did see an Yixing this size somewhere online.

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Jun 20th, '08, 20:01
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by chamekke » Jun 20th, '08, 20:01

britt wrote:100CC is a good size IMO.

Even if it tests okay for lead, I recommend boiling it for at least 20 minutes before brewing tea in it. Doing that should remove any natural contamination picked up by the porous clay. Some vendors of Yixings also recommend this.

If you decide to boil it, be careful to protect it in the pot so it doesn't chip. You can wrap it in a cloth, use wooden chopsticks through the handle to pin it in place, or with the smaller sizes, place it in a bowl and put the bowl in the pot of boiling water.

If the Yixing is well-seasoned, boiling may unseason it somewhat or remove some of the shine.
Thank you for the advice - much appreciated. I will definitely return to this posting once I've acquired a lead-testing kit.
Britt wrote:I like the pot in the avatar. I wonder, would it even hold one tea leave? I think I've seen this somewhere before, and if I remeber correctly, it's actually functional and the lid is removable and the spout has a hole in it. All of this in a finger-tip size Yixing!

Edit: Woops, I guess the pot in the avatar is the Japanese kyusu version. I actually did see an Yixing this size somewhere online.
The lid on this miniature doesn't actually come off, so I'm afraid I can't test the single-leaf theory! But I do have another miniature kyusu (given to me recently, still not removed from the cellophane) that does look as though it might work. It's a little larger, though... possibly 1.5cc as opposed to 1.0 :wink:
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Jun 20th, '08, 23:58
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by MarshalN » Jun 20th, '08, 23:58

I'm curious if a lead test on a kuroraku bowl will show up positive -- if not, those lead tests are useless....

5000friend on ebay also has smaller pots. I have reservations as to whether or not they're genuine, but at the price, it's probably not a huge problem.

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by Ti » Jun 22nd, '08, 20:39

chamekke wrote:I bought a 100cc yixing pot at my local consignment shop two days ago (photo pending).

I won't be trying it until I've had a chance to test it for lead, however; hence the "I have a pot I haven't drunk from" vote on today's TeaDay poll.

I think it's the smallest pot I own.

(Unless you count the one I'm now using in my avatar!)
LOL! :lol:

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Re: 5000 friends teapots

by Salsero » Jun 25th, '08, 23:07

Sleepydrakos01 wrote:I have purchased all but one of my teapots from 5000 friends.
Good hearing from you, David, and having your input. Welcome.

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Re: 5000 friends teapots

by britt » Jun 25th, '08, 23:53

Sleepydrakos01 wrote:5. The spout should have curves like a woman.
I have some of this type of spout as well as other types, but I'm not sure why this would be better. I always thought of this as a visual aspect.
Sleepydrakos01 wrote:13. Yixing teapots should be small - not large. I read that real zisha clay is limited in the ability to stretch - so real yixings are rather small.
I definitely prefer smaller Yixings, but I must admit that some of the best quality ones that I own are the larger ones, between 250cc and 375cc. I never use them anymore because I usually brew gong fu style and 8 infusions from a 350cc pot is too much tea. I do think the larger ones are fine when brewing for multiple people.

Sleepydrakos01 wrote:14. Yixing teapots should be one of a kind. Mass produced teapots I guess would be ok, but not as good as handmade.
Some of the Yixing Factory # 1 and # 2 teapots seem to work quite well, especially the older ones. Many of the very popular, classic style "shui pins" are from these factories. Some of the factory teapots also use special, high quality clay. As far as the craftsmanship, I agree that nothing beats the feel of a completely handmade Yixing but for practical use, I think the right pot from either category works well.
Sleepydrakos01 wrote:Please add more guidelines for choosing a zisha teapot.
Don't forget to match the pot to the tea you will be brewing in it. Size, shape, thickness of the clay, and overall weight are important and contribute to the overall quality of the brewed tea.
Sleepydrakos01 wrote:I have even read that they add chemicals to the zisha and sometimes use cement to create the teapot.
Unfortunately, there are many stories like this and I believe they are true. Care must be taken when purchasing an Yixing and the vendor should be reputable. I would very much suspect the quality and safety of the 19.99 specials that are so common online. Even if safe, the clay quality is suspect.

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Jun 26th, '08, 02:06
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by MarshalN » Jun 26th, '08, 02:06

Interesting post David....

Since you asked, I have a few observations....

Your point 2 has less to do with the pot's make than how you pour. I can make any pot pour with bubbles, or no bubbles. It's entirely dependent on the way you pour, and not on the pot itself. Dripping is another issue, but we're not talking about dripping. Unless you provide parameters for your bubble test....

Point 4 does not apply to some rather decent "outside red inside purple" pots -- they're not the same clay in and out, but are still good pots.

6 can be misleading -- as there are many ways to fake that sound, the most common is simply firing it at high temperature.... and some of the looser zisha can actually sound a bit dull. I've also heard of mixing in other things like silica or what not to make the pot sound higher pitched.

10 very much depends on design aesthetic -- not a mark of quality, but a mark of personal preference.

13 is, well, misinformed. Some of the best zisha pots made by basically "grandmasters" of zisha pottery are large -- 400 or 500ml. Gu Jingzhou, Zhou Guizhen, etc all made pots that are large. No ifs or buts about it -- those are easily some of the best modern pots made, and certainly made with the highest quality clay available. Many older pots are also in the large category, and nobody would deny that they are of the very highest quality. Yixing clay is actually quite plastic, and can handle a lot of shapes and sizes. Whoever told you that piece of info was probably trying to sell you small pots.

All Yixing artisans make their pots in sets of three -- you never fire one, but you fire three of the same kind. It's just how work is done (mostly because if you fire one and it's damaged during firing, you end up with none). So technically, they should be at least three of a kind, not one of a kind.

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by britt » Jun 26th, '08, 07:36

MarshalN wrote:All Yixing artisans make their pots in sets of three -- you never fire one, but you fire three of the same kind. It's just how work is done (mostly because if you fire one and it's damaged during firing, you end up with none). So technically, they should be at least three of a kind, not one of a kind.
Japanese Bizen artisans should be so lucky! A Japanese vendor told me that typically 3 out of 10 items survive the kiln, and it is very rare that any two of these look the same.

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Jun 26th, '08, 10:46
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by MarshalN » Jun 26th, '08, 10:46

Well, often times not all three make it to the market -- all kinds of damages happen, or slight flaws. It depends on how particular you are.

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by hop_goblin » Jun 26th, '08, 10:55

I still think that 5000friend has some of the best teapots around for that price. Just remember, even a pot made 10 years ago is more likely to made of better clay. I have acquired a few nice pieces from him at a very reasonable price.

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