Qing Shui Ni? Hongni? Clay mania!

[blairswhitaker]

I find all of this information fascinating.
I for one do not hold yixing to be the holy grail of clay, so for me their is an emotional detachment. I love good clay where ever it might be found. I am sure china has plenty of good clay throughout the land mass. Just as the USA does and Japan. I do believe a lot of clay from yixing is great clay for tea pairing and has stood up to the test of time, but alas for me it is not the alpha and omega. I have some of Hojo's clay that I prefer over any yixing I have ever used for the teas I pair them with. I have also used clay mined in the USA to make pots from that I find has more presence on japanese greens than most japanese clays I have had the chance to use. So I enjoy these educational journeys even in the total abstract.

All that being said I do have a Qing Shui Ni pot in the mail coming from tea habitat. I look forward to putting it to good use.

[MarshalN]

I find all of this information fascinating.
I for one do not hold yixing to be the holy grail of clay, so for me their is an emotional detachment. I love good clay where ever it might be found. I am sure china has plenty of good clay throughout the land mass. Just as the USA does and Japan. I do believe a lot of clay from yixing is great clay for tea pairing and has stood up to the test of time, but alas for me it is not the alpha and omega. I have some of Hojo's clay that I prefer over any yixing I have ever used for the teas I pair them with. I have also used clay mined in the USA to make pots from that I find has more presence on japanese greens than most japanese clays I have had the chance to use. So I enjoy these educational journeys even in the total abstract.

Most likely. Also, the clay in yixing is not really unique, in terms of chemical composition. Large swathes of land around that region probably all share similar mineral content in terms of what's available, so while some of the more traditional mines have indeed been tapped out, it doesn't mean the clay is extinct, so to speak. That's usually just a way to get people to pay more for the same thing.

[needaTEAcher]

I had some really nice sessions in...I think KL...with Japanese clay. They were Yixing haters though, and had soem low quality hongni there. They used it as an example of why their Japanese clay was better. I thought it was funny.

Thanks for the links MarshalN!