Apr 24th, '09, 22:33
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
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chamekke
Thanks. Oh, well!MarshalN wrote:Nope. Almost all the info out there are vendor based, which makes it pretty suspect immediately
Guess I'd assumed that there must be a blogger out there with (1) a serious oolong habit, (2) an impressive yixing collection, and (3) the burning desire to explain to the world how best to combine them.
Well, one can wish
______________________
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
As some one said, "you can make good tea in a muddy boot".
You can also make good tea in a styrofoam cup.
The MOST important thing is the tea.
Aesthetics aside, the leaf is main. ingredient.
You can also make good tea in a styrofoam cup.
The MOST important thing is the tea.
Aesthetics aside, the leaf is main. ingredient.
“Take some more tea,” the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
“I’ve had nothing yet,” Alice replied in an offended tone: “so I ca’n’t take more.”
“You mean you ca’n’t take less,” said the Hatter: “it’s very easy to take more than nothing.”
As MarshalN posted, most is vendor based.
Vendors of high priced pots want you to be afraid that cheaper pots are contaminated with heavy metals.
I just wanted this pot because it looked nice and I could use it with my oolongs. But now I'm concerned about contaminants. Just as much as I distrust the advice of vendors who want you to buy their expensive pots....I'm also distrustful of vendors of cheap pots who use dangerous materials (.....like the whole melamine business.....) to cut corners and increase profit margins.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about contaminants in clay? Or is this just BS?
I totally agree about the whole boot thing as well. If you want simplicity, you can brew quality tea in whatever way you want. If you want more advanced techniques, I will be interested in hearing about your results. Neither path is wrong. Tea may taste better to you if you drink it standing on your head...and that is fine by me. If it tastes better to you, then you are totally correct. Absolutes about correct ways to brew are usually propagated by vendors for sales purposes.
I just wish there was more transparency in the market....and I didn't need to worry about contaminants in clay and melamine in my milk.
Vendors of high priced pots want you to be afraid that cheaper pots are contaminated with heavy metals.
I just wanted this pot because it looked nice and I could use it with my oolongs. But now I'm concerned about contaminants. Just as much as I distrust the advice of vendors who want you to buy their expensive pots....I'm also distrustful of vendors of cheap pots who use dangerous materials (.....like the whole melamine business.....) to cut corners and increase profit margins.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about contaminants in clay? Or is this just BS?
I totally agree about the whole boot thing as well. If you want simplicity, you can brew quality tea in whatever way you want. If you want more advanced techniques, I will be interested in hearing about your results. Neither path is wrong. Tea may taste better to you if you drink it standing on your head...and that is fine by me. If it tastes better to you, then you are totally correct. Absolutes about correct ways to brew are usually propagated by vendors for sales purposes.
I just wish there was more transparency in the market....and I didn't need to worry about contaminants in clay and melamine in my milk.
only my Perspective,you can Reference.
frist, this seller is in beijing,i think he need buy from yixing artist and then sell you, so the teapot in yixing less than rmb 50, i promise.
this artist learn how to make zisha to now about ten years. according the marketing value, the wholesale price of his pot using good clay is about 120-180RMB.
when he sell to beijing and the beijing person sell it to you, i promise above 200yuan.
the clay mined after 2000's year is not very pure, and mix some Chemical substances. because the huanglongshan 1#,2#3#,4#are closed after 90's. so i promise if you want pure clay pot, the best choise is select 90's clay.
chinese waste good clay alot in 80's-90's, at that time, Flowerpots,Water tanks are use huanglong mt 4#clay. so the good Resources is very Scarce. in my childhood, the clay's price is verylow, now the good clay of 90's qingshuini is more than 100yuan one kg. dicaoqing and zhu ni is more high.
frist, this seller is in beijing,i think he need buy from yixing artist and then sell you, so the teapot in yixing less than rmb 50, i promise.
this artist learn how to make zisha to now about ten years. according the marketing value, the wholesale price of his pot using good clay is about 120-180RMB.
when he sell to beijing and the beijing person sell it to you, i promise above 200yuan.
the clay mined after 2000's year is not very pure, and mix some Chemical substances. because the huanglongshan 1#,2#3#,4#are closed after 90's. so i promise if you want pure clay pot, the best choise is select 90's clay.
chinese waste good clay alot in 80's-90's, at that time, Flowerpots,Water tanks are use huanglong mt 4#clay. so the good Resources is very Scarce. in my childhood, the clay's price is verylow, now the good clay of 90's qingshuini is more than 100yuan one kg. dicaoqing and zhu ni is more high.
To the mod: Agree about the personalization. Didn't like the condescension, though.Chip wrote:Coming in a bit late here.
I used a Yixing for nothing but Long Jing for a looong time with no improvement in taste.
One day I just broke out a porcelain gaiwan and had the best cup of LJ I had had in a loooong time. I discontinued using the Yixing immediately and now only brew Chinese greens (and white) in either porcelain or glass.
It seemed the Yixing took something away from the green LJ and never ever gave it back after time.
From the Mod: Of course everyone is entitled to an opinion, but please endeavor to not personalize it.
I did an experiment today as I don't like getting caught up in my own beliefs and wanted reevaluate some brewing vessels. It went like this:
Brewed green tea (Burmese) in a porcelain gaiwan then poured into a porcelain faircup. From the faircup, poured into a banko pot, a purple yixing zisha pot, and, a red yixing zhuni pot. I put out 3 small porcelain cups for my wife and 3 for myself and poured the contents of each pot into the cups for the taste test. We drank many infusions. Our result from best to worst: banko pot, zisha pot, zhuni pot. Banko and Zisha were very close with both smoothing and enhancing both flavor and aroma. The green tea just died with the Zhuni.
I repeated the experiment by using the zisha, banko, and, tea directly from porcelain faircup to see how the porcelain stood up to the other 2. The porcelain didn't come close to either flavor or aroma of the other 2. Certainly, the porcelain and zhuni didn't make bad tea, but the difference between them and the purple clays was very noticeable leading my wife and I to conclude once again, that the clay wins hands down.
This is an easy experiment to do and I urge others to do side by side tests so they have a reference point for their own tea enjoyment and amusement.
I don't worry about contaminants with a pot in this price range. An 88 rmb teapot is still expensive for many Chinese.
One tea shop owner/worker have told me that a 60 rmb teapot that I was looking at will brew tea just as well as a several hundred rmb pot (also at his store). I've seen a lot of teapots, and yours looks like something in the mid-range, and probably made in Yixing using molds. I have been to Yixing and they make a lot of teapots a lot worse than what you have there. So yeah, it looks good enough, from here at least. I would suspect however that the teapot was not made by the potter who's name is on it; in Yixing it seems to be common practice for an established artisan to have a workshop with less skilled workers where he/she puts his/her name on everything that comes out of it.
When you get the teapot look inside at the bottom of the teapot. If it has little scratch marks, it was most likely hand-made (though unlikely at this price range) or made using molds. If it has concentric circles, it was likely wheel-thrown (and therefore probably not made at Yixing, or with Yixing clay). I don't know what slip-cast pots look like, since I'm not sure I've ever seen one. Teapots I've seen that were claimed to be handmade frequently had smooth bottoms, with a more obvious joint where the bottom met the body.
One tea shop owner/worker have told me that a 60 rmb teapot that I was looking at will brew tea just as well as a several hundred rmb pot (also at his store). I've seen a lot of teapots, and yours looks like something in the mid-range, and probably made in Yixing using molds. I have been to Yixing and they make a lot of teapots a lot worse than what you have there. So yeah, it looks good enough, from here at least. I would suspect however that the teapot was not made by the potter who's name is on it; in Yixing it seems to be common practice for an established artisan to have a workshop with less skilled workers where he/she puts his/her name on everything that comes out of it.
When you get the teapot look inside at the bottom of the teapot. If it has little scratch marks, it was most likely hand-made (though unlikely at this price range) or made using molds. If it has concentric circles, it was likely wheel-thrown (and therefore probably not made at Yixing, or with Yixing clay). I don't know what slip-cast pots look like, since I'm not sure I've ever seen one. Teapots I've seen that were claimed to be handmade frequently had smooth bottoms, with a more obvious joint where the bottom met the body.
beachape wrote:As MarshalN posted, most is vendor based.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about contaminants in clay? Or is this just BS?
Apr 25th, '09, 10:46
Posts: 20891
Joined: Apr 22nd, '06, 20:52
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I am not sure what you mean by your first comment. If you would like me to show you condescending and patronizing, I can surely accomodate. My comment was quite measured and purposed.Tead Off wrote:To the mod: Agree about the personalization. Didn't like the condescension, though.
This is an easy experiment to do and I urge others to do side by side tests so they have a reference point for their own tea enjoyment and amusement.
Regarding your experiment, I would be more interested in a more common green tea that than "Burmese green." Kind of obscure, imho.
Plus I would be interested in how tea actually brews in different pots versus pouring brewed tea into the different pots, after all, who does this?
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
Apr 25th, '09, 10:48
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
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chamekke
Of course the tea is most important.woozl wrote:As some one said, "you can make good tea in a muddy boot".
You can also make good tea in a styrofoam cup.
The MOST important thing is the tea.
Aesthetics aside, the leaf is main. ingredient.
Indeed I have been very tempted to point out that a bowl of matcha is a bowl of matcha regardless of the exquisiteness of the chawan it's made in, provided that said chawan meets the basic criteria that even a second-hand $5 Kyoyaki cheapie possesses. And a satisfactory bowl of matcha can be whisked in an "unqualified" bowl, too, in a pinch.
Yet, many TeaChatters are spending a lot of money and bandwidth deciding on which Yixing(s) they want to purchase for use with their teas. They must have some criteria with which they're making this decision. I think it's perfectly reasonable to ask what these criteria are. Some factors that have mentioned as salient include the pot's shape, the composition of its clay, the thickness of the walls and so on.
If these are irrelevant, why are people spending so much time worrying over them? If they're relevant, exactly HOW are they relevant? (Admittedly this information may well be here on TeaChat somewhere. It's hard to work through hundreds of "Yixing" search results, however!)
P.S. I am not a big fan of the earthier-flavoured teas, so I will reluctantly pass on brewing in the muddy boot
Just from my own experience, I dont trust teapots that are below 100RMB. I got my first "Zisha" teapot from a tea shop and I later found out is was wheel thrown from the concentric circles.
After some research, I found out that the clay might be contaminated by unscrupulous dealers by adding lead and other toxins. They can even put melamine in baby milk formula.
Even after I boiled the pot and used it, there was still a terrible smell in the teapot. So I totally stopped using it.
AFter that I bought a decent Duan-Ni teapot for HKD300 and that was a world of difference. The clay does smell like "Hot Stones" when heated with boiling water. My tea also came out rounder and smoother.
Finally to be certain I only got good Yixing Clay, I purchase teapots made by mid level yixing crafters and those cost HKD1,200 - HKD1,300 from truly reputable sources.
After some research, I found out that the clay might be contaminated by unscrupulous dealers by adding lead and other toxins. They can even put melamine in baby milk formula.
Even after I boiled the pot and used it, there was still a terrible smell in the teapot. So I totally stopped using it.
AFter that I bought a decent Duan-Ni teapot for HKD300 and that was a world of difference. The clay does smell like "Hot Stones" when heated with boiling water. My tea also came out rounder and smoother.
Finally to be certain I only got good Yixing Clay, I purchase teapots made by mid level yixing crafters and those cost HKD1,200 - HKD1,300 from truly reputable sources.
Apr 25th, '09, 11:47
Posts: 342
Joined: Jul 30th, '08, 02:24
Location: Cambridge, MA
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xuancheng
I agree with you in general, especially if you are buying Yixing out side of China. To pay for shipping outside of China and profit for the retailer, you ought to look to pay more than 100RMB, but the pot in this thread was bought inside China, and over the internet. So they have lower costs and can accept lower profit margins.swozt wrote:Just from my own experience, I dont trust teapots that are below 100RMB. I got my first "Zisha" teapot from a tea shop and I later found out is was wheel thrown from the concentric circles.
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茶也醉人何必酒？
Apr 25th, '09, 11:54
Vendor Member
Posts: 2084
Joined: Sep 24th, '08, 18:38
Location: Boston, MA
This teapot looks ok to me. But my impression is mainly based on the several thousand positive feedback of this seller on taobao, normally such kind of feedback is good enough. I don't know much about clay and even people who know a lot about clay won't trust online photos. Usually if a pot looks weird on photo, it IS weird. But a pot that looks decent on photo is not necessarily decent 
I agree with zicheng that it's totally possible to get a usable teapot with 88rmb. But on the other hand, not all 88rmb pots are usable.
I wouldn't worry about toxins. In my impressions toxins are added to fake color, and usually on fake pots that are sold for hundreds of rmb, not a 88rmb one
A pot I got around this price range (with friend's reference from a trusted seller), the strainer was semi stuck by bits of clay. I had to use a straightened metal pin to "repair" the strainer. After being repaired, the pot actually works ok. Depending on your budget, it's totally possible to find a usable 88rmb pot (for me I would need an "expert" to help me), but I wouldn't pay international postage for such a pot
I agree with zicheng that it's totally possible to get a usable teapot with 88rmb. But on the other hand, not all 88rmb pots are usable.
I wouldn't worry about toxins. In my impressions toxins are added to fake color, and usually on fake pots that are sold for hundreds of rmb, not a 88rmb one
A pot I got around this price range (with friend's reference from a trusted seller), the strainer was semi stuck by bits of clay. I had to use a straightened metal pin to "repair" the strainer. After being repaired, the pot actually works ok. Depending on your budget, it's totally possible to find a usable 88rmb pot (for me I would need an "expert" to help me), but I wouldn't pay international postage for such a pot
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