Essence of Tea new yixing

[steanze]

That's interesting, I did not know about this refiring business.
I might just know which ROC pot you are talking about

I wonder how different it would be to refire a pot that was originally wood fired vs firing it in a modern gas kiln from scratch...

[kyarazen]

That's interesting, I did not know about this refiring business.
I might just know which ROC pot you are talking about

I wonder how different it would be to refire a pot that was originally wood fired vs firing it in a modern gas kiln from scratch...

different!...

historically these pots were fired for weeks.. and the warm up to cool down is a super shallow gradient across weeks. this is probably why the success rate of zhuni pots was much higher then. nowadays in electrical kilns, the patient ones cool it in days, the impatient ones.. overnight etc..

but it could be better for the ceramic experts to chime in on how this will affect microscopic structures

[LouPepe]

My favorite pot is a modern EoT yixing. It would be helpful to point out that it's a clay #1 pot which is their costliest of their modern selection. But in my eyes it proves that what really matters is quality of clay, proper firing, and craftmanship. Old pots seem to be as much of a crapshoot as new ones. You have to spend either way to get a nice one. Save if you have to. Buy from reputable sellers. My 3 cents

the type of clay in #1 is similar to the zi-qingshuini of the 70s, clays of such a characteristic/composition is still available today, but not openly, mostly held in the hands of people replicating old pots or high end pots. from the grape vine, it seemed that the real "hoarding" of these clays started in the late 80s, such clay was still visible in green label pots (78
'82), but post that period, no longer seen.

in the 60-70s, this clay was used to make flowerpots, and all sorts of random objects, i have some $10 flower pots from the 70s that are made of some of the densest and most beautiful qingshuini ever..

Fascinating. If only they had made the flower pots gungfu size . I'm not very familiar with all the old clays, but did get the impression this clay #1 was indeed an "old" clay as the website states. It's very pure and dense like you say. And it retains aroma magnificently as well as picking up glow pretty easily during tea sessions. I'm guessing that's due to it being a well fired and 'breathable'. I've used it with aged oolongs mostly and it's just terrific, and we all know how finicky aged oolongs can be. Thanks for your sharing of knowledge, always a pleasure even for the less enthused yixing aficionados.

[kyarazen]

Fascinating. If only they had made the flower pots gungfu size .

it is roughly gongfu size i use it as a teaboat once in a while
a pic here at : instagram.com/p/7OASxARfzt/

[LouPepe]

Fascinating. If only they had made the flower pots gungfu size .

it is roughly gongfu size i use it as a teaboat once in a while
a pic here at : instagram.com/p/7OASxARfzt/

Ohhh yeahh.. So many coveting good yixing and there you are with plenty in the form of a teaboat . Funny how they did not realize back in the day the value this clay would accumulate. Or maybe flower pots were important enough to them to use good clay in their making

[wei301]

Is it still possible to get unused "older pots"? If they have been used, how can we clean them properly? I saw a pot described as "light use", with some ugly marks ...

Yes there are still plenty of older pots that haven't been used. And pots that have been used can been cleaned, you can search this forum and find different cleaning methods

I bought a teapot from Jing Tea Shop (chinese one), it says the material is pin zi ni. Most of their pots are dated earlier so I asked them if this one is used, didn't get a reply, still went ahead and bought it because I like the shape and size. It doesn't look new, and it has a strange smell from the outside when there is hot water or tea inside. I don't even need to come close to smell it. Is it a sign that this is a used pot?

[steanze]

Pictures? My used pots don't have a weird smell from the outside...

[wei301]

Pictures? My used pots don't have a weird smell from the outside...

This one :

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea- ... ing-19.cfm

The smell is mainly from the outside, I can't smell much from the inside. It is stronger when it's with hot liquid inside.

[bagua7]

Yeap, they sell used pots and also new ones but they don't tell you which is which. I got a couple, but don't get me wrong they are good quality Yixings.

Just give it a good boil with baking soda for about 1h, that would kill any unwanted 'tenants.'

[steanze]

Pictures? My used pots don't have a weird smell from the outside...

This one :

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea- ... ing-19.cfm

The smell is mainly from the outside, I can't smell much from the inside. It is stronger when it's with hot liquid inside.

Hard to tell from those pictures, they're dark and high ISO (noisy). At first glance it looks like ok zini, not too much better than the ones from the ebay vendor

[LouPepe]

[This one :

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea- ... ing-19.cfm

The smell is mainly from the outside, I can't smell much from the inside. It is stronger when it's with hot liquid inside.[/quote]]

Jing Tea Shops yixing seems to range from average to good to pretty exceptional. I don't think any would deserve a title of 'inferior'.

I would not worry, it may be used or possibly something in the packaging/storage penetrated the exterior of the pot. A good boil/seasoning should take care of it. I get an aroma on the exterior of my pots sometimes, especially if I feed them and brush them down. Seems like my brush leaves a smell behind, it may need a good cleaning or to be replaced all together . The main reason to worry about an exterior of a pot is if it's unnaturally glossy or shiny.

[wei301]

Yeap, they sell used pots and also new ones but they don't tell you which is which. I got a couple, but don't get me wrong they are good quality Yixings.

Just give it a good boil with baking soda for about 1h, that would kill any unwanted 'tenants.'

Yes, I can see the quality is very good, I love every bit of it, apart from the smell ...

[wei301]

Pictures? My used pots don't have a weird smell from the outside...

This one :

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea- ... ing-19.cfm

The smell is mainly from the outside, I can't smell much from the inside. It is stronger when it's with hot liquid inside.

Hard to tell from those pictures, they're dark and high ISO (noisy). At first glance it looks like ok zini, not too much better than the ones from the ebay vendor

If the ebay vendor has the same shape and size, I will definitely choose to buy from him.

[wei301]

[This one :

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-jing-tea- ... ing-19.cfm

The smell is mainly from the outside, I can't smell much from the inside. It is stronger when it's with hot liquid inside.

]

Jing Tea Shops yixing seems to range from average to good to pretty exceptional. I don't think any would deserve a title of 'inferior'.

I would not worry, it may be used or possibly something in the packaging/storage penetrated the exterior of the pot. A good boil/seasoning should take care of it. I get an aroma on the exterior of my pots sometimes, especially if I feed them and brush them down. Seems like my brush leaves a smell behind, it may need a good cleaning or to be replaced all together . The main reason to worry about an exterior of a pot is if it's unnaturally glossy or shiny.[/quote]

It dose indeed have glossy / shiny and greasy / oily feel under running water, do I need to worry?

[William]

Yes, I can see the quality is very good, I love every bit of it, apart from the smell ...

The surface on the outside feels a bit oily / greasy when washing it under running water. should I try to use a soft scourer to rub the outside?

Try to clean the outside with some baking soda. If it doesn't work, try a solution of 50% bleach and 50% water, leaving the teapot in it for at least 24 hours. If it doesn't work, trash the pot.