Good starter Yixing set?
Now while I do believe I may have discussed an individual Yixing pot in the past, I was curious if there were any recommendations on a full Yixing set (tea tray would be a plus, if not I intend to get the Andao tea tray eventually). I don't really want to spend crazy amounts of money, but don't want cheap (in terms of quality) stuff either. Pretty please
My personal recommendation (which you are free to ignore) is to avoid sets. As I would recommend someone outfitting their kitchen to skip the sets and get a large saucepan, frying / saute pan, paring knife and chef knife (spending the bulk of the money on the last item), then adding other items as needed, I'd say you are most likely better off getting a pot by itself.
For one thing, many people tend to use Yixing pots for one particular type of tea (more or less specific, depending on their preferences), and so I think it makes more sense to get cups / fair cup that are porcelain; they're neutral and go with almost anything, so no need to buy more sets down the road. Now porcelain is somewhere where it might make a little more sense to get a set if you don't already have some of the items, if you can find a good quality one with a gaiwan, 4-8 cups, and a fair cup.
Secondly, there are certainly some very large exceptions to this rule (for example, some very famous Yixing artists produce sets, though they're outside of my price range and are usually a little large for me), but usually sets (on the lower end) are not the greatest quality.
Here's one set *not* to buy. :>
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=7777
Marshaln had a great post about sets a while back, but I can't find it quickly.
For one thing, many people tend to use Yixing pots for one particular type of tea (more or less specific, depending on their preferences), and so I think it makes more sense to get cups / fair cup that are porcelain; they're neutral and go with almost anything, so no need to buy more sets down the road. Now porcelain is somewhere where it might make a little more sense to get a set if you don't already have some of the items, if you can find a good quality one with a gaiwan, 4-8 cups, and a fair cup.
Secondly, there are certainly some very large exceptions to this rule (for example, some very famous Yixing artists produce sets, though they're outside of my price range and are usually a little large for me), but usually sets (on the lower end) are not the greatest quality.
Here's one set *not* to buy. :>
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=7777
Marshaln had a great post about sets a while back, but I can't find it quickly.
The only reason I've asked for a set specifically is because I'd like to save on shipping and the like. If you'd like to recommend parts to build a set, fine by me. I love my Gaiwan, but I want something to make a big enough batch for myself, don't really like brewing small sets of tea and having mini-tea ceremonies everytime I want a cup
I figure spending the money on a decent Yixing and some cups is much better than going the glass route as it seems glass shatters/explodes/cracks all the time, and I don't like ceramics at all.
So in conclusion, I'm opening it up to a "Recommend Yixing clay teaware that doesn't break the bank" thread
Don't shoot me...please...PLEASE!
I figure spending the money on a decent Yixing and some cups is much better than going the glass route as it seems glass shatters/explodes/cracks all the time, and I don't like ceramics at all.
So in conclusion, I'm opening it up to a "Recommend Yixing clay teaware that doesn't break the bank" thread
Don't shoot me...please...PLEASE!
I must warn you that I am new to Chinese tea in general, but I did a fair amount of research and listened to some opinions on here as well as elsewhere, and today I just got the final piece to my tea starter set (the Andao tea tray).
I bought most of my stuff from Stephane at teamasters.blogspot.com. He has a very good reputation for carrying nice teas and quality wares. If you shoot him an email he'll send you a price list for all of the items he carries. I'm very happy with everything I received, but then again, I'm new to tea. I can, however, say that I am more than satisfied with the business transaction. He responded to my emails promptly and answered all of my questions, narrowing down to my final order. He personally uses and drinks everything he sells and, from what I understand, knows the artists who make the pots.
I must warn you that while his pots are less than half the price of those at Hou De, they are still quite a bit more expensive than ones from dealers such as Fun Alliance and Yunnan Sourcing (both quality dealers). The 3 smaller pots he carries run around $95-135, I believe, and his porcelain is very reasonable (cups around $4 each). So, if you're looking to spend around $150-175, check Stephane's selection out.
I hope I helped some and wish you the best in your search.
I bought most of my stuff from Stephane at teamasters.blogspot.com. He has a very good reputation for carrying nice teas and quality wares. If you shoot him an email he'll send you a price list for all of the items he carries. I'm very happy with everything I received, but then again, I'm new to tea. I can, however, say that I am more than satisfied with the business transaction. He responded to my emails promptly and answered all of my questions, narrowing down to my final order. He personally uses and drinks everything he sells and, from what I understand, knows the artists who make the pots.
I must warn you that while his pots are less than half the price of those at Hou De, they are still quite a bit more expensive than ones from dealers such as Fun Alliance and Yunnan Sourcing (both quality dealers). The 3 smaller pots he carries run around $95-135, I believe, and his porcelain is very reasonable (cups around $4 each). So, if you're looking to spend around $150-175, check Stephane's selection out.
I hope I helped some and wish you the best in your search.
hya, what do you guys think of this set?
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0307994379
i've been into tee for several years now, but mostly japanese greens. i only started exploring oolongs and pu erhs this year. i've already ordered a gong fu cha tray from andao tea and am looking for a yixing pot/set too. the thing is that i'm currently in germany and i'd prefer ordering from somewhere nearer than the states. if you have any recomandations for european teaware vendors, i would be very greatful
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0307994379
i've been into tee for several years now, but mostly japanese greens. i only started exploring oolongs and pu erhs this year. i've already ordered a gong fu cha tray from andao tea and am looking for a yixing pot/set too. the thing is that i'm currently in germany and i'd prefer ordering from somewhere nearer than the states. if you have any recomandations for european teaware vendors, i would be very greatful