Where to buy a real Yixing teapot

[tingjunkie]

wyarldley's response was very well thought out, diplomatic, and helpful. I'm not in a diplomatic mood myself, so I'll just ask... Why do you want a "top quality" Yixing pot if you haven't put in the time and effort to understand and appreciate one in the first place?

If someone doesn't know how to drive stick, or what a rear spoiler does, what's the point in buying a Lamborghini?

[Chip]

I can drive stick but would be too ... apprehensive to drive a Lamborghini ...

And despite years of reading about Yixing here, there, and everywhere ... I am still too ... apprehensive to buy.

[tingjunkie]

And despite years of reading about Yixing here, there, and everywhere ... I am still too ... apprehensive to buy.

Really? Jump on in Chip, the water is fine! Just start out with a good, solid, well-built Honda Accord of a pot, and you'll be fine.

[brunogm]

wyarldley's response was very well thought out, diplomatic, and helpful. I'm not in a diplomatic mood myself, so I'll just ask... Why do you want a "top quality" Yixing pot if you haven't put in the time and effort to understand and appreciate one in the first place?

Wyarldley's answer is indeed very helpful and informative. It is exactly the answer I needed. Thank you Wyardley.

Now, to answer tingjunkie's question. I do not want to spend the rest of my life collecting teapots. I am not interested in collecting, I am interested in drinking.
I want to focus on tea, not on teapots. Yet, I bought an assortment of teapots I found esthetically pleasing, because esthetics add to the drinking experience. And even though I am not a collector, I am sort of a "completist". In MMO's I always finish all the quests and explore every nook and cranny. This is my psychology.

Most of my pots are not Yixing. They are not even from China. But I need some Yixing too, to have what I consider a complete collection so that the inner workings of my brain are at peace.
I already have some Yixing pots. They are "tuition" pots in the sense that I purposedly avoided expensive ones supposedly made from rare clays. They are not "tuition" pots in the sense that I did not get screwed, I got exactly what I was told I was buying. And they brew decent tea.

I have one of each type of clay, except old zhu ni. That is the clay type required to complete collection. Hence my question.

As an aside, I do not see what is wrong with relying on experts and trusted vendors to buy something. I do not have the time to become an expert on everything I would like to buy.

[brunogm]

Thank you bagua7.

I just checked the site you recommended, and this is exactly what I was looking for. I had forgot to mention that I do not care about the age of the pot, only the age of the clay.

Right now, it does not have the size I am looking for, and I do not like the shape of their smaller pots. But I will make sure to check this site new offerings to see if they have something with a shape/size I like.

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Edit: forget it. I found a solution to my problem. They are selling clay. I am going to order some clay and commission a local guy to make a teapot to my specifications. This will not be a Yixing teapot. This will be a teapot made in Yixing clay. The upsides are:
- it will be exactly in the size and shape I like.
- I will be betting only on clay origin, not on other factors.
In terms of cost, it should end up about the same.

[Chip]

... but then it will not be a "real Yixing teapot."

Well, this is debated on TeaChat.

Still, an interesting solution that hopefully you will share with us upon completion.

[tingjunkie]

Edit: forget it. I found a solution to my problem. They are selling clay. I am going to order some clay and commission a local guy to make a teapot to my specifications. This will not be a Yixing teapot. This will be a teapot made in Yixing clay. The upsides are:
- it will be exactly in the size and shape I like.
- I will be betting only on clay origin, not on other factors.
In terms of cost, it should end up about the same.

Thanks for answering my earlier question so directly. Good luck with the project. Make sure the potter knows that zhu ni clay has a very high shrinkage and breakage rate, and that he should probably make at least three to have a better chance that one will survive the kiln. Please update us to let us know how it goes.

[gasninja]

That way sounds like it could end in disaster. The people that work with zhuni every day break a large percentage of there pots in the kiln. Good luck with a potter trying it for the first time.

[tingjunkie]

See, that time is was trying to be diplomatic.

[wyardley]

Edit: forget it. I found a solution to my problem. They are selling clay. I am going to order some clay and commission a local guy to make a teapot to my specifications. This will not be a Yixing teapot. This will be a teapot made in Yixing clay. The upsides are:
- it will be exactly in the size and shape I like.
- I will be betting only on clay origin, not on other factors.
In terms of cost, it should end up about the same.

Not sure if you're joking, but in case you weren't a few problems with this strategy:

1) Finding someone to sell you the raw material you're looking for (if you're looking for lao zhuni) is going to be even harder than finding a pot. There are one or two vendors (like Chinese Clay Art) that sell Yixing clay, but even they will tell you that this is not the highest possible quality of material. Old zhuni is, for all intents and purposes, extinct, so while the stories of individual studios with some stock of it may be true, I think the chances of you being able to obtain it are very low.
2) Working with Yixing "clay" requires different methods than those most potters in other places are familiar with. And, even if this person knew how to work with it, chances are that the results may not be great compared to even a commercial grade pot

[brunogm]

I was thinking of buying this clay:
http://www.teapot.com.tw/prod/prod_detail.php?id=560
Now, I know Zhao Zhuang clay is supposed to be extinct since the early 20th Century. This casts a lot of doubt on this clay origin.
But they seem to be going to extraordinary lengths to prove this clay is from Zhao Zhuang mountains (pictures of the mines, of the storage, certificates of authenticity...).
And it is not expensive, so if I get swindled it will not be by much.

What do the experts on this forum think about this clay? I know it is a bet, but how much more of a bet than a pot?

You mentioned an important point, which is that the European potter may not be able to build a nice small pot. I will have to think about this.

[Ambrose]

Natural zhuni is a fine yellow ore. This is according to my tea friend in Malaysia and the hojo god mentions and shows pics of very high iron clays that are yellow ore as well. Plus its extinct and if there is some out there it wouldn't be so easy or cheap to get. YMMV

[wyardley]

Agree that the raw material should not be red.

That site's pots don't look right either.

[brunogm]

Well, I think I will just give up and consider my collection complete.

[tingjunkie]

What's your beef with a well made modern zhu ni pot? The clay is just from a different mountain. More machine processed instead of hand processed. Write to Jing Tea Shop and ask if they have something to suit you. Old zhu ni and modern zhu ni are both lower on the porosity scale, so 10 to 1 says you wouldn't tell the difference in a blind taste test, as long as it's a good modern pot.