Hong NI or Duan Ni Clay

[gingkoseto]

The context is always important. The average kiln temperature of duan ni is not lower than most other types of clay (except for the unusual zhu ni). The green-gray duan ni (supposedly the type showed in the photo) even has slightly higher kiln temperature than most other types of duan ni.
The context is important because different kiln temperatures could be used for the same type of clay, for various reasons.
The high fire red clay showed in the photo is a classic favorite for Taiwan high mountain oolong. Ben shan green clay (a type of high end duan ni, not the one showed in the photo) is another classic favorite for Taiwan high mountain oolong. But Ben Shan green clay is more expensive, more rare and more faked. So it's not as much talked about as high fire red clay as a match of greener oolong.

I don't dispute anything you say but it would seem to me that the mineral structure of the clay would have the most meaning as far as affecting a tea. Also, when we talk about these clays, are they Yixing clays or clays found in Taiwan? And then, we come to each drinker's sensitivity to all of this and their subjective experience of what they like. So, I say throw a dart at all the information and start from there and trust your own experience.

I don't dispute anything you say either
Yeah I'm talking about yixing clay only and I haven't experienced any of Taiwan local clay except for a Lin's volcano clay teapot.

[theredbaron]

I would suggest not to obsess too much on the clay type, but to rather be particular on the clay quality.

Both pots here, 150 ml and 200 ml, by the way, are way too large if you mostly drink alone, or with two people. Half this size would be much better.

[jbu2]

Well i usually drink a lot, because i don't have much time in week days but when i have time for tea i take my time, and haveing a long drinking all morning long, soo i am looking for ~180-200 ml .

soo in the end what should i do ?
i what a pot that inrich my oolong but don't what to take a big risk on ~50$ ?

[steanze]

$70 is not much if you can find the pot that is right for you. If you care for it well it will last you a long time.
I do think that type of clay matters, although of course quality is really important too. I'd say that if a pot is made of low quality clay, it will be bad for brewing all kinds of tea. If it is made of high quality clay, it will be good to brew many teas, but it might still not be suitable to brew some kinds of tea. Especially, I wouldn't want to brew a light roasted oolong in a very porous clay like duan ni, zini or dicaoqing, because it could reduce some of the high notes. Rather than using a very porous clay, you might do better just brewing light roasted oolongs in a gaiwan or in a small porcelain or celadon teapot.

With respect to size, I feel that even if you drink a lot of tea 200ml would be too much if you drink tea alone. Better to have a pot around 90-130 ml, if you need more tea you can just throw away the old leaves and put in new ones. The pot will pick up its shine more quickly, and you will be able to drink an entire brew before the tea gets cold - you don't want it to get too cold, nor you want to have to choke it down without savoring it. IMHO with Taiwanese oolong you don't want a pot that is much smaller than 100ml, I wouldn't go below 60-70ml. That's just my personal preference though, and others might have different views. The reason why I wouldn't want a pot that is too small is that Taiwanese oolong has relatively large leaves, and I'd want there to be enough space in the pot so that they can fully unfurl and release their flavor.

To sum up, $70 is not a bad price for the right Yixing, but if I were you I would be looking for a pot of size 90-130ml, and of clay that isn't too porous, like zhu ni, xiao hong ni, or (if you can find it, but if real it will be expensive) ben shan lv ni. My advice is: when you find something like that, go for it, and it will be well worth the money. But until you find that, it's probably not worth it to spend money on a pot that is not a good match for your needs.
Importantly, when you think you have found the right pot for you, make sure to ask for advice about the quality of the clay to someone who has seen and purchased several Yixing teapots before. I hope this helps! Good luck!