Mom and Dad's Yixing Teapots

[jayinhk]

Now that I know a touch more about Yixings, I can see that mom and dad's pots have loose, grating lids and they aren't airtight either. I tried pouring some water out of them and putting my finger on the vent slows the flow, but doesn't stop it.

I'll try to PM you again: the iPhone does funny things sometimes.

Also Lau Yu Fat in Lok Fu appears to have some reasonably priced Yi Xings. How do you feel about their tea and pots? Funnily enough I'm walked past their store dozens of times and always thought it looked old-fashioned and stuffy. Now I'm about ready to hop on a train from HK Island just to visit them! Crazy how things change.

[MarshalN]

Lau Yu Fat is not cheap. Don't buy tea there unless they're the only ones selling it.

[jayinhk]

Lau Yu Fat is not cheap. Don't buy tea there unless they're the only ones selling it.

Thanks, you just saved me a long MTR ride.

[debunix]

I'd rather brew tea in a gaiwan.

As long as there isn't actual concern for toxicity from contamination of the clay, why not try the cheap pots with an infusion or two? If they're worse than the gaiwan, then you haven't lost much, but if they're better, you're a step ahead while you learn and look for a pot you like better.

I've got some remarkably cheap little pots that have brewed up some pretty nice tea for me, that is distinct from the same tea in a gaiwan, different in a pleasing way. I haven't gone out of my way to do much to them besides a good boil to get rid of any surface contamination, and then let them soak in some cheap tea for a day or two.

[MarshalN]

I'd rather brew tea in a gaiwan.

As long as there isn't actual concern for toxicity from contamination of the clay, why not try the cheap pots with an infusion or two? If they're worse than the gaiwan, then you haven't lost much, but if they're better, you're a step ahead while you learn and look for a pot you like better.

I've got some remarkably cheap little pots that have brewed up some pretty nice tea for me, that is distinct from the same tea in a gaiwan, different in a pleasing way. I haven't gone out of my way to do much to them besides a good boil to get rid of any surface contamination, and then let them soak in some cheap tea for a day or two.

Well, at least two of those are of the lowest "screw the tourist" variety which probably isn't Yixing clay and are not really fit for use. A few of the other ones might be marginally better, but why risk it? The alternative, of buying a few reasonable yixings of good provnance and quality at not very high a price, seems much safer.

[jayinhk]

I did pick one that seemed to have the tightest fitting lid and thickest walls to give the old boil this morning. Boiled for an hour in Brita filter water after a good wash, and then washed it again, and boiled it for another hour in fresh water. Going to season it in pu erh tonight and tomorrow and then give it a try. It didn't smell like clay anymore after the first boil, so I'm confident it will be safe, even if the tea comes out less than stellar.

Marshal has very kindly suggested a local source for a Yixing, so I'll be picking one up there very soon!

[edkrueger]

I A few of the other ones might be marginally better, but why risk it? The alternative, of buying a few reasonable yixings of good provnance and quality at not very high a price, seems much safer.

Yeah, that makes sense.

[debunix]

Well, at least two of those are of the lowest "screw the tourist" variety which probably isn't Yixing clay and are not really fit for use. A few of the other ones might be marginally better, but why risk it? The alternative, of buying a few reasonable yixings of good provnance and quality at not very high a price, seems much safer.

Not fit for use how? Do they look like they're made with toxic color agents in the clay? I'm not trying to be rude here, but just trying to figure out if there is some actual danger suspected, or if it's dismissal based on connoisseurship alone. We've had discussions here that have demonstrated some really dangerous practices like using non-food stuffs (e.g., shoe polish) to 'antique' pots; and some clays that are being adulterated with toxic chemicals (like the fake 'purple yixing' whose color was achieved with heavy metal compounds); but I didn't get that oversaturated impossible color sense from the pots that started this post, and I'd like to know what other concerns there are with cheap pots that we all should be aware of.

If it's just that they're not likely to be yixing, well, there are a lot of pots out there in the world that aren't yixing that brew up some fine tea.

[RedBear]

Looking pretty is one thing, but a tea pot's main purpose is of course, to brew tea. So if your pot is no good at brewing tea, then it doesn't matter what's it's made out of or how pretty it looks, it's not a good tea pot. It could be a beautiful piece of art, but it's not a good tea pot.

And what is your true pursuit, then? Good tea? Or pretty looking tea wares that ultimately serves no purpose to the tea itself?

I guess what I'm trying to get at is, don't mind how pretty something looks, looks are extraordinarily deceiving, especially in the tea world.

[MarshalN]

Well, at least two of those are of the lowest "screw the tourist" variety which probably isn't Yixing clay and are not really fit for use. A few of the other ones might be marginally better, but why risk it? The alternative, of buying a few reasonable yixings of good provnance and quality at not very high a price, seems much safer.

Not fit for use how? Do they look like they're made with toxic color agents in the clay? I'm not trying to be rude here, but just trying to figure out if there is some actual danger suspected, or if it's dismissal based on connoisseurship alone. We've had discussions here that have demonstrated some really dangerous practices like using non-food stuffs (e.g., shoe polish) to 'antique' pots; and some clays that are being adulterated with toxic chemicals (like the fake 'purple yixing' whose color was achieved with heavy metal compounds); but I didn't get that oversaturated impossible color sense from the pots that started this post, and I'd like to know what other concerns there are with cheap pots that we all should be aware of.

If it's just that they're not likely to be yixing, well, there are a lot of pots out there in the world that aren't yixing that brew up some fine tea.

Well, they may not be of Yixing clay, and is instead made of I-don't-know-what. I-don't-know-what from China is not something I'd like to use on a daily basis.

Also, the OP lives in Hong Kong. Relatively cheap, and well-sourced, alternatives are everywhere. He doesn't have to go shop on the internet and pray for a good pot that arrives in one piece. When the substitution cost is so low, why bother?

[jayinhk]

Valid points from both sides of the fence, and I actually agree with both of you guys. I'm going to A & B the pots and use my brother and sister as guinea pigs.

Dad got back from Thailand last night with lots of great fruit and snacks, and some high mountain Taiwanese-hybrid oolongs grown in Northern Thailand. The oolong #12 hybrid is like nothing I've ever had in my life: by the second infusion I was starting to wonder if it had some kind of flavoring added because it was so intensely fruity. It is quite enjoyable though and a nice break from the heavier pu and roasted Taiwanese oolong I've been drinking. He also brought some jasmine pearls back, which I'm kind of sick of, but I'll get around to them eventually.

I asked him about the pots and he wasn't entirely sure where he got them from. My brother said we've had them for at least a decade. Dad said he got them either in Taiwan or he bought them at auction in Hong Kong. I told him that the stamps on the bottoms indicated they were made by a master craftsman who is now in his 80s and I joked that they'd be worth enough to buy a home on the Peak (some of the most expensive property in town) if they were the real thing. Either way, it'll be interesting to see how they compare!

Apparently there were eight in total, but he gave one away to his former secretary when she came by for dinner one night. My mom started complaining about that. lol When I told them about the seasoning process necessary, they were pretty surprised it was so involved.

The pot I elected to season has a lid that will slow the flow to a drip if positioned just right. I am definitely looking forward to trying it out, and also to picking up one of the Yixings Marshal recommended. The store's only around a ten-minute-walk from here!

[debunix]

And what is your true pursuit, then? Good tea? Or pretty looking tea wares that ultimately serves no purpose to the tea itself?

I have some cheap unglazed clay pots, some from China (marked yixing when I bought them, but at the price, they were just cheap unglazed clay pots, perhaps made by someone who'd once seen a 'genuine' yixing pot), and some from teaware artisans in different places around the world. And I've enjoyed tea brewed in all of them.

I can taste some of the same effects my TeaHabitat Chao Zhou pot has on my fancy Dan Cong oolongs when I prepare those teas in this $5.99 pot



It seems reasonably safe and is definitely functional: it does mute some of the sharper notes that are more obvious and sometimes problematic when I brew the same teas in the porcelain gaiwans.

It's not fancy, but my impression from reading here and elsewhere is that to be assured of doing better with the tea, buying a nice pot likely to improve the nuances of the finished brew, I need to pay quite a lot more. I don't begrudge the cost of my Chao Zhou pot, which does brew nice tea, but I also appreciate the good effects of this humble little pot.

[MarshalN]

Debunix, I'd use yours before I use the ones the OP posted. Thing is, like I said, some of these are "made for tourist", and I don't just mean aesthetically. They are made as a decoration, basically, with no regard to it being used as an actual teapot. Some are pretty scary looking in person, and at least two or three in the OP's pictures look to be of that type (and the other more "normal" looking ones are therefore tainted by association). You have no idea what went into those clays, and are better off not risking it. Your pot, however, is not of that type, and is probably therefore safe for use, even if it's not Yixing.

[jayinhk]

Is the complete lack of a slipcasting line on them a good sign? There does appear to be a series of circles in the very center of the inside of the pots.

Fingers crossed this pot doesn't kill me!

[debunix]

Thing is, like I said, some of these are "made for tourist", and I don't just mean aesthetically. They are made as a decoration, basically, with no regard to it being used as an actual teapot. Some are pretty scary looking in person, and at least two or three in the OP's pictures look to be of that type (and the other more "normal" looking ones are therefore tainted by association). You have no idea what went into those clays, and are better off not risking it.

Ok. Getting it now. I figure mine is so cheap no one had any motivation to cheat on it....