Howdy all, been lurking for a while and thought this would be a good time to jump in.
Not really knowing what gongfucha was, I bought this wonderful teapot in Yingge last year. It's 220 ml, has about a 10 second pour, and is intricately painted. Then I get back to the states and find out I should've hopped the strait & bought something in Yixing (or not, depending on who you ask), because the one I got probably isn't Yixing clay. Side note : nowhere in the authentication documents does it mention this pot being Yixing clay, which in retrospect I find rather refreshing.
I've been reading about unglazed pots and have a few questions :
1) Is it true that any unglazed pot will gather patina & flavor the tea like a proper Yixing pot? Is it just that Yixing made the concept famous or is there something particularly special about Yixing clay?
2) I'm reading that it's a good idea to boil your Yixing pot for upwards of an hour before use. Should that be done with all unglazed tea ware, or just Yixing?
3) I'm concerned that boiling this pot might damage the painting on the side. Am I just being overly-protective & neurotic?
Here are a few pictures of the pot :
https://tinyurl.com/ycplpr8y
https://tinyurl.com/y7658ujc
https://tinyurl.com/y9dd6f8n
https://tinyurl.com/y999yxqy
https://tinyurl.com/yco984uw
https://tinyurl.com/ybpr6w5d
I'm hoping to pair it with a light green Tieguanyin - it's only appropriate that Guan Yu guards Guan Yin!
Thanks in advance!