Official/Different Yixing Show Off Topic!

[needaTEAcher]

The value of the pot depends on many factors: type of clay, clay quality, is it functional or an art peice, skill of the artist, level of the artist (master or grandmaster means higher price), difficulty of the shape to make, how well fired it is, and so forth into eternity.

I have been studying pots for about 6 months, in person almost every day with true masters, including some who make pots, and the details still seriously kick my butt. The biggest thing I have learned is that there are usually more exceptions than rules, and it always boils down to how the pot and the tea make you feel!

[Tead Off]

How could you guess these pots prices ?
I mean yes it's exactly in that range of price I bought them. I didn't give the price not to influence any judgments. But as far as I'm concerned, I'd be totally unable to say this one is valuable, this one less... so I'm asking, for my personal guidance, I mean, on what criteria can you tell a pot is of great value, another not ?

It was a good guess,eh?
I've been looking at Yixing for 25 years and I'm still not an expert but your eye develops especially when you begin to see higher end pots and how they are crafted.

How a pot makes tea is not a criteria for value for many collectors. For a drinker who wants to use their pots, it has personal value, not market value. The collector world is very different. I can't help you there.

[bagua7]

Quality clay shines, no doubt about that...and you don't need to be a Professor in Yixing ceramics to discern it.

For example:




Cheap pot priced at $8.50 USD




Quality pot worth well over $1,000 USD

[tingjunkie]

Comparing an $8.50 pot vs a $1000 pot doesn't impress me, especially when that wasn't the question. That's like comparing a Porsche and a Dodge Neon. Specifically, why do you think anna's pots have chemical oxides added? Or if you prefer, here's Jing's back catalog of pots they've sold in the $75-$250 range, with most around $125-$150. Pick any three pots you think have chemical oxides added, and tell us why: http://www.jingteashop.com/cat-jing-tea ... ry_all.cfm

[needaTEAcher]

That's a gauntlet if ever I've seen one!

Perhaps it is worth noting here that even experts, in person, can have different opinions of a pot and its quality. As with all art, what really matters for value is how much a buyer will pay!

[MIKE_B]

I can't wait to see where the debate above leads.
But, in the meantime, here is my first nice Yixing that just arrived this afternoon.

71f35ecf.jpeg (14.23 KiB) Viewed 1124 times

clay: di cao qing
size: advertised as 120ml, certificate I received with it says 150ml, testing it
here with a digital scale 135ml
age: brand new (I had to wait an extra 10 days while it was being made)
walls: thick
pours: no drips, 11sec from full to empty (with no leaves)
artist: Jianming Cheng
vendor: zishateapots.co.uk
tea pairing: unused. yancha, I hope.

(My apologies for the poor Iphone pic.)

[tingjunkie]

Nice Mike! Please let us know your impressions when you do some testing. I'm always interested in reports about Cheng's pots.

[bagua7]

Is that the archaized pot? I always liked it but didn't end up buying one since I felt it was too small for a pot with that shape to brew puerh.

Enjoy your first Yixing, Shouzhen produce good quality zisha pots.

[MIKE_B]

Hello, tingjunkie. I am a total noob. Not sure if my impressions would be of any value.
I decided not to "season" the pot. I just scrubbed it out well and rinsed several times with boiling water. I don't detect any real bad clay smell.
Drinking my first brew out of it now. 7 grams of 2011 SX from MTR. This is an excellent tea and the first infusion out of this pot is....excellent. I have only tried this tea a few other times, but I feel the aroma is still all there, as is the aftertaste. Maybe this pot has smoothed the tea a little, maybe. I'll have to try it back to back with the gaiwan again. Still learning.
I will say, dealing with Chen was a pleasure.

Hello, bagua7. Yes, you are correct. I am hoping to dedicate this to Wuyi yancha. So far so good.
Thanks.

[tingjunkie]

Sounds like you are on the right track Mike. Enjoy!

[anna]

Hello,
Hello Mike, why pairing this teapot with wuyi yancha in particular ? shape, thickness, clay ? I'm a noob too and I'm just asking out of curiosity.
As for me, I'm trying to pair tea leaves shape with teapot shape (rolled leaves -> round teapot / flat leaves -> low profile teapot) and oxidized ones with zisha clay and thicker walls.. but I never feel totally confident when I choose the tea to pair with my teapot !

I was thinking about buying this teapot here http://www.dinodirect.com/teapot-zisha- ... y-EUR.html for some kind of wuyi oolong too, it's zisha and it's not completely round but a little flat too...
what do you think about this one ?
I must confess, I'm also very attracted by the cuty side of the teapot, not knowing much about real quality (girls )

[MIKE_B]

Hello Anna,
I am drinking lots yancha these days so I was looking for a pot suited for it when I chose this one. Low profile, large opening for big flat leaf, thick walls. I was hoping this pot was a little smaller, and I lucked out with the thickness. I had no idea how thick it would be from the web site.
I chose this vendor because I wanted a quality hand built pot and I have read good things about them here.
I don't know much about choosing Yixing clay, but I have been living with a professional potter for almost 20 years and have seen a fair share of hand made ceramics. I feel this pot is very well made.
As for the pot you are looking at, I am guessing that it is a mass produced slip-cast pot. I can't speak for the quality of clay that was used producing it. For me, it's too big for the way I like to brew oolong. I have an older Yixing that exact shape, also slip-cast, even bigger than that. I still use mine for brewing big mugs of black tea.
If you really dig it, buy it. It is inexpensive enough. Who knows? Maybe it brews up a great cup.
Good luck, from one noob to another.

[MIKE_B]

The first Yixing (I think) that I ever bought. Cheap, slip-cast, and huge.

c8868068.jpeg (19.85 KiB) Viewed 994 times

clay: ?
size: 400ml
age: purchased around 1995

[needaTEAcher]

How does that big one feel when you touch it? Waxy at all? Something about it looks too shiney to me...though experts?

[MIKE_B]

How does that big one feel when you touch it? Waxy at all? Something about it looks too shiney to me...though experts?

It's not quite so shiny in person. Must be the flash on my Iphone. Sorry.
I have had this pot for around 17 years. If it was waxed, I think it would have been worn off by now.