yixing pot purchase

[theredbaron]

I think that i agree wirh you theredbaron. The first think is the brew, somethink that is difficult. The best is to have a pot which dont smell unpleasant. I understand that i must buy first a pot from factrory 1 or 5 about 70 $ and after that and much experience will buy somethink better.

I am glad i could help, and i am sure you will enjoy it.
Just now i am drinking a very high fired Taiwanese Oolong which i rested for two years from such a Factory 5 Hong Pi Long clay Shui Ping pot, and i do very much enjoy it.
When one day you buy better pots, you will still be able to enjoy such a factory pot. If you made your decision, i would suggest to hurry before they are sold out. I would have, for example, yesterday suggested to buy this pot: http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/te ... -65cc.html , which i use as a second aged Sheng Pu Erh pot - my first is much older, when i want to just have a short brew, but it seems to be sold out now.

Both Chawangshop and Esssence of Tea have often quite OK pots for reasonable cost in their shops. Some other shops aimed at the western market i find at times far too expensive, and/or sell pots that i would not trust.

[manolis1978]

I think that i agree wirh you theredbaron. The first think is the brew, somethink that is difficult. The best is to have a pot which dont smell unpleasant. I understand that i must buy first a pot from factrory 1 or 5 about 70 $ and after that and much experience will buy somethink better.

I am glad i could help, and i am sure you will enjoy it.
Just now i am drinking a very high fired Taiwanese Oolong which i rested for two years from such a Factory 5 Hong Pi Long clay Shui Ping pot, and i do very much enjoy it.
When one day you buy better pots, you will still be able to enjoy such a factory pot. If you made your decision, i would suggest to hurry before they are sold out. I would have, for example, yesterday suggested to buy this pot: http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/te ... -65cc.html , which i use as a second aged Sheng Pu Erh pot - my first is much older, when i want to just have a short brew, but it seems to be sold out now.

Both Chawangshop and Esssence of Tea have often quite OK pots for reasonable cost in their shops. Some other shops aimed at the western market i find at times far too expensive, and/or sell pots that i would not trust.

Thank you my friend. I will take a look on the sites and will buy something

[theredbaron]

I think that i agree wirh you theredbaron. The first think is the brew, somethink that is difficult. The best is to have a pot which dont smell unpleasant. I understand that i must buy first a pot from factrory 1 or 5 about 70 $ and after that and much experience will buy somethink better.

By the way, i would also suggest you to buy two (or three, in case of one more person) of these cups: http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/te ... -45cc.html
They are quite good cups, and will improve your experience of tea. Older cups get increasingly expensive, but are worth buying. Among others, i have the same cups (but bought them more than 20 years ago in China for less than a dollar)

[ricegeek]

I think this vendor also has some good yixing pots within your price range, like this factory 1 shuiping, https://www.ebay.com/itm/262263291857.

220$ for a last factory 1 period Shui Ping is crazy (plus 40$ shipping to my part of the world). Sorry.

It's so rare to find factory 1 pots in the western world that it's hard to know the right price. EoT sold their factory 1 pots for close to US$150, and they sold out pretty quickly. While I personally can't afford to drop $200 on a factory 1 pot, but i have to admit I was pretty tempted to get one. It worked out for me since I was luckily able to score a few for a lower price later on. It seems like there's demand for that price level in the West though.

I have an upcoming trip to Asia, and was thinking about looking for a nice factory 1 pot. What do factory 1 pots go for in asia? I know the age of the pots and style/craftmenship probably has a lot of effects on the price, but would love to know just ballpark figures for entry level shuiping pots as a reference.

I do agree though that there are probably other ways to improve one's brew for less money such as better tea and water.

One thing about a nice pot is that it will last for a long time if well cared for. And like you say, it will probably get more expensive in the future.

[theredbaron]

It's so rare to find factory 1 pots in the western world that it's hard to know the right price. EoT sold their factory 1 pots for close to US$150, and they sold out pretty quickly. While I personally can't afford to drop $200 on a factory 1 pot, but i have to admit I was pretty tempted to get one. It worked out for me since I was luckily able to score a few for a lower price later on. It seems like there's demand for that price level in the West though.

I have an upcoming trip to Asia, and was thinking about looking for a nice factory 1 pot. What do factory 1 pots go for in asia? I know the age of the pots and style/craftmenship probably has a lot of effects on the price, but would love to know just ballpark figures for entry level shuiping pots as a reference.

I do agree though that there are probably other ways to improve one's brew for less money such as better tea and water.

One thing about a nice pot is that it will last for a long time if well cared for. And like you say, it will probably get more expensive in the future.

Essence of Tea sold their recent Factory 1 Shui Ping for 72 to 78 Pounds, which is 104 to 112 $, and they were better than the one offered for double of that on ebay.
What do they go for in Asia? It really depends - which period, etc., and also where in Asia you think of buying. Some factory one pots are highly collectible, and i am quite sure that they will be far beyond what you are willing or able to pay. You really have to know about Factory 1 pots (which i don't, but some members here do) There are also a lot (!!!) of fakes around. Best is to have a reliable source who knows the subject and who you can trust.
I honestly do not know much about the prices - i bought most of mine a loooong time ago, when prices were not crazy yet, and one or the other i got presented, one i was given when i visited factory one in '95 or so.
In the tea world here everything is contacts and friends, as everything in Asia, and people will help you along the way. But it takes time to build all that.

[ricegeek]

It's so rare to find factory 1 pots in the western world that it's hard to know the right price. EoT sold their factory 1 pots for close to US$150, and they sold out pretty quickly. While I personally can't afford to drop $200 on a factory 1 pot, but i have to admit I was pretty tempted to get one. It worked out for me since I was luckily able to score a few for a lower price later on. It seems like there's demand for that price level in the West though.

I have an upcoming trip to Asia, and was thinking about looking for a nice factory 1 pot. What do factory 1 pots go for in asia? I know the age of the pots and style/craftmenship probably has a lot of effects on the price, but would love to know just ballpark figures for entry level shuiping pots as a reference.

I do agree though that there are probably other ways to improve one's brew for less money such as better tea and water.

One thing about a nice pot is that it will last for a long time if well cared for. And like you say, it will probably get more expensive in the future.

Essence of Tea sold their recent Factory 1 Shui Ping for 72 to 78 Pounds, which is 104 to 112 $, and they were better than the one offered for double of that on ebay.
What do they go for in Asia? It really depends - which period, etc., and also where in Asia you think of buying. Some factory one pots are highly collectible, and i am quite sure that they will be far beyond what you are willing or able to pay. You really have to know about Factory 1 pots (which i don't, but some members here do) There are also a lot (!!!) of fakes around. Best is to have a reliable source who knows the subject and who you can trust.
I honestly do not know much about the prices - i bought most of mine a loooong time ago, when prices were not crazy yet, and one or the other i got presented, one i was given when i visited factory one in '95 or so.
In the tea world here everything is contacts and friends, as everything in Asia, and people will help you along the way. But it takes time to build all that.

Thanks for the perspective on the ground in Asia. I guess the lesson is I better start making some friends in Asia fast, unless someone invents a time machine! I will be traveling to Hong Kong and southern China, and in my research so far, it does seem like the HK and Chinese markets might be even more treacherous than the US, in that the fakes seem to be even higher quality.

I am impressed by the volume of information in some Chinese FB groups on f1 pots (especially those managed by Dr Lu, who made an appearance at Teachat), and the general optimism in that community about the battle against faked pots. I am hoping at least my trip will be a good experience to be able to touch and see more pots rather than window shopping on the couch in the US.

[kyarazen]

that is a very complicated question....

first you have to decide on the type of pot, i.e. big, small, design,

then the material....

then the era...

and then the level of "refineness"...

and the local culture and how they hype/inflate prices..

which will eventually help you decide where is the best place to look for, or buy what you want

It's so rare to find factory 1 pots in the western world that it's hard to know the right price. EoT sold their factory 1 pots for close to US$150, and they sold out pretty quickly. While I personally can't afford to drop $200 on a factory 1 pot, but i have to admit I was pretty tempted to get one. It worked out for me since I was luckily able to score a few for a lower price later on. It seems like there's demand for that price level in the West though.

I have an upcoming trip to Asia, and was thinking about looking for a nice factory 1 pot. What do factory 1 pots go for in asia? I know the age of the pots and style/craftmenship probably has a lot of effects on the price, but would love to know just ballpark figures for entry level shuiping pots as a reference.

I do agree though that there are probably other ways to improve one's brew for less money such as better tea and water.

One thing about a nice pot is that it will last for a long time if well cared for. And like you say, it will probably get more expensive in the future.

[jayinhk]

EoT was actually cheaper for the F1 hongni pots they were selling than dealers in HK. F1 hongni is in so much demand, one dealer outright refused to sell me any and had put his hongni pots aside for his own use. I bought up a bunch from EoT for that reason! I even bought two to hold long term for later sale, as they definitely aren't going to get any cheaper!

[theredbaron]

Thanks for the perspective on the ground in Asia. I guess the lesson is I better start making some friends in Asia fast, unless someone invents a time machine! I will be traveling to Hong Kong and southern China, and in my research so far, it does seem like the HK and Chinese markets might be even more treacherous than the US, in that the fakes seem to be even higher quality.

I am impressed by the volume of information in some Chinese FB groups on f1 pots (especially those managed by Dr Lu, who made an appearance at Teachat), and the general optimism in that community about the battle against faked pots. I am hoping at least my trip will be a good experience to be able to touch and see more pots rather than window shopping on the couch in the US.

One of the experts - kyarazen - has already chipped in. I haven't got any contacts in Hong Kong, and what i know form China is that many Chinese sellers since a few years have bought pots in South East Asia to sell back to China. I believe that the best and most accessible markets for such pots are Malaysia and Singapore.

[jayinhk]

Thanks for the perspective on the ground in Asia. I guess the lesson is I better start making some friends in Asia fast, unless someone invents a time machine! I will be traveling to Hong Kong and southern China, and in my research so far, it does seem like the HK and Chinese markets might be even more treacherous than the US, in that the fakes seem to be even higher quality.

I am impressed by the volume of information in some Chinese FB groups on f1 pots (especially those managed by Dr Lu, who made an appearance at Teachat), and the general optimism in that community about the battle against faked pots. I am hoping at least my trip will be a good experience to be able to touch and see more pots rather than window shopping on the couch in the US.

One of the experts - kyarazen - has already chipped in. I haven't got any contacts in Hong Kong, and what i know form China is that many Chinese sellers since a few years have bought pots in South East Asia to sell back to China. I believe that the best and most accessible markets for such pots are Malaysia and Singapore.

Yes, that is exactly why it's hard to get decent older pots in HK now--they've been bought up for resale on the Mainland!

[manolis1978]

I think that i agree wirh you theredbaron. The first think is the brew, somethink that is difficult. The best is to have a pot which dont smell unpleasant. I understand that i must buy first a pot from factrory 1 or 5 about 70 $ and after that and much experience will buy somethink better.

By the way, i would also suggest you to buy two (or three, in case of one more person) of these cups: http://www.chawangshop.com/index.php/te ... -45cc.html
They are quite good cups, and will improve your experience of tea. Older cups get increasingly expensive, but are worth buying. Among others, i have the same cups (but bought them more than 20 years ago in China for less than a dollar)

I have bought similar cups from a local shop, that are very good.

From the internet its very difficult to distinguish a real pot from a very good replica or fake. The best way to avoid this is to choose from a suggested shop.

[jayinhk]

In my opinion the modern hongni pots can be quite good, but need a LOT of use before they perform as they should. I don't know why this is, but that's been my experience this year.

[theredbaron]

I have bought similar cups from a local shop, that are very good.

From the internet its very difficult to distinguish a real pot from a very good replica or fake. The best way to avoid this is to choose from a suggested shop.

Indeed.

I trust the sourcing of Essence of Tea. I don't know their sources for the pots, but some of the sources for his tea, and know that these sources are excellent tea people. Chawangshop is friends with Essence of Tea. Both do not sell very rare pots for too good prices - as some shops do - and which would make me suspicious, or misrepresent their pots, but make OK pots accessible to western tea drinkers for reasonable prices. Which i think is a good thing.

[stevorama]

In my opinion the modern hongni pots can be quite good, but need a LOT of use before they perform as they should. I don't know why this is, but that's been my experience this year.

What do you mean when you say "perform as they should?" Thanks

[jayinhk]

In my opinion the modern hongni pots can be quite good, but need a LOT of use before they perform as they should. I don't know why this is, but that's been my experience this year.

What do you mean when you say "perform as they should?" Thanks

Hongni should bring out the flavor quite well with little muting and IMO it should highlight certain aspects of the flavor spectrum. New hongni can sometimes mute the tea quite seriously for quite a while. Once it reaches some point of saturation, it starts brewing better and better tea. Older hongni doesn't seem to have this issue.