Quick yixing question

[danibob]

Snafu, was it YSLLC where you got that pot? Because the pot mentioned above is also advertised as "Da Hong Pao".

Yes, the pot was from YSLLC.

I would avoid ebay pots. Particularly ones from vendors who blatantly lie about the types of clay used. (I also speak from experience, and some of the smells from those pots are really gross.)

I don't know how much you're willing to spend, but I've had really good experience from Jing.

http://www.jingteashop.com/pd-yixing-te ... glanhu.cfm

The walls look thin, and it's a pretty fast pourer. Nice size, too.

That's a beautiful pot, but sadly out of my price range. I can't justify spending over $75 at this point. I'm looking for a good quality pot, not great.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I'm going to do some more research before making a final decision.

[Oni]

I don`t know why jing teashops teapots is considered better quality just because the price is higher, in fact it might be of lower quality, do you own one of both so that you can tell the diffrence? You might even notice that Dragon teahouse sells the same benshan clay teapot that yunnan sourcing has but at a higher price, does that mean that it is better quality, no, just one shop got a diffrent deal on the item, or just wants more profit.
At first I wanted to buy a teapot from funalliance, and when I read that those teapots with drawing are usually factory made, mold-made, teapots, generally handmade teapots do not need so many ornaments, if the clay is good and it has a simple but elegant design, it beats all those teapots with drawing or kanji on it.

[Oni]

PS the teapot from jing has relief stamp, that is factory made teapot, the ones handmade usually have invard stamps, and four of them usually at diffrent locations, I would stay away from that jing yixing, they sell it at 120$ but they might have got it for 12$, my teapot never had any bad smell, and it works like a charm, when you block the hole on the top it stops pouring imediately.

[danibob]

Speaking of benshan clay, this one looks darling and the top looks large enough to accommodate large leaves. During my research I think I came across a thread where someone said they owned a pot like this. But would this type of clay be suited?

Oi, my head hurts now. I think I just need to pick a pot and roll with it.

[cupioneer]

PS the teapot from jing has relief stamp, that is factory made teapot, the ones handmade usually have invard stamps, and four of them usually at diffrent locations, I would stay away from that jing yixing, they sell it at 120$ but they might have got it for 12$, my teapot never had any bad smell, and it works like a charm, when you block the hole on the top it stops pouring imediately.

Obviously you missed the point completely. I posted that pot not because it was expensive, but because I have personal experience with Jing. I know they sell quality pots. However, since you have never ordered a pot from Jing, please stop spouting useless "advice" based on hearsay and your belief that higher prices just mean more profit for the dealer. I own a number of pots from Jing, and I also own several pots from different ebay dealers. The difference is noticeable. Please do not dispute that which you do not know.

Notwithstanding the above, I'd be willing to bet the profit margin is similar on the alleged "da hong pao" clay pot than it is to any of Jing's pots. You do realize that tea dealers are in the business to MAKE MONEY. If you think the pot I posted cost $12 to make, then it's just as likely that the "da hong pao" pot cost $6 to make.

I'm not even going to comment about your opinions re: handmade v. slipcast pots. Ridiculous.

[cupioneer]

Speaking of benshan clay, this one looks darling and the top looks large enough to accommodate large leaves. During my research I think I came across a thread where someone said they owned a pot like this. But would this type of clay be suited?

Oi, my head hurts now. I think I just need to pick a pot and roll with it.

I have a "ben shan" pot, and honestly, I don't think it brews very good tea. It seems to really absorb a lot of the fragrance, so I'm not sure it would be suitable for dancong. I ended up turning mine into a cheap shui xian pot.

Check out this post here: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=8042

They're talking about a zisha shi piao Stephane sells through his Teamasters website. I think he sells it for about $72?

[ABx]

If you really want something special for dancong, I would really just get a glass gaiwan; I've had far better results with them than any yixing. If you don't preheat then it will hold all of the heat in for a short time and then release it quickly, drawing out a perfect aroma each time. High heat with quick bleed off seems to be key with dancong, regardless of what type of brewing vessel you are using.

As far as picking a yixing pot in general, I wouldn't try to pair the pot before you've tried it. You can try to get something for a general leaf shape, but whether it will really turn out for a particular type of tea really just has to be seen.

[tenuki]

I totally agree with ABx, either an eggshell gaiwan or a good glass gaiwan (I have and use both for dancong) will produce better results for most dancongs than a pot IMHO.

I also agree with ABx on not pairing/dedicating a pot until you have it and understand it's characteristics.

[ABx]

I agree with the eggshell gaiwan as well - that's what I typically use, mainly for it's size. The glass seems to make a great cup a little easier, though - with an eggshell being able to produce a little better once you're really good at brewing dancong in it.

[danibob]

I certainly didn't mean to cause any strife over the issue..

I think I'll just continue with my thin, porcelain gaiwan for now.. I may indeed get that dragon egg yixing Oni posted (since people seem find those pots acceptable) and compare how the tea brews in each. If it doesn't work out in the yixing I could always use it for another oolong. Trial and error I suppose.

But I'll definitely look into glass gaiwans. Being able to see the tea brew might be incentive enough.

[tenuki]

But I'll definitely look into glass gaiwans. Being able to see the tea brew might be incentive enough.

The major design flaw most glass gaiwans have is the knob on top of the lid is hollow, allowing hot water to come in close contact with your finger/thumb the second you try to decant. Find one with a solid knob, Hou De sold one a while back that I have and love. Most glass gaiwans have this problem, so look carefully.

[chrl42]

Ben Shan Luni, Di Cao Qing, Lao Zhuni....etc forget it. Chances are there are too many low-quality ones all over.

On Ben Shan, the clay must be very delicate, small, silky texture zisha, if not then it's low-quality, duanni, baima zini etc..Ben Shan Luni has see-thru texture like a marble stone.

There are lots of good clays tho, like Hongni, modern Zhuni, Qing Shui ni, factory-1 clays etc..

Clay disappears before knowledge appears, that's how yixing is.

[gingkoseto]

Clay disappears before knowledge appears, that's how yixing is.

I like this comment But this fact somewhat makes me feel not confident even start to learn more about the clays.

[danibob]

sometimes a pot is just a pot .....

Heheh, Freud.. probably his most wise statement.

Yea I'm going to stop stressing, sit back and enjoy the tea. Way too much to consider to find a perfect pot. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't about to buy a poor quality pot.