My concern with Quality of Yixing are:
1. that no hazardous materials are being used in it in case they are released into the tea while brewing.
2. Ability to "enhance" the tea after being seasoned.
However, being able to determine the quality of Yixing Zisha is because it is not easy for someone to pick up a teapot and claim that it is "Good Quality and Genuine Yixing Zisha Teapot".
Another point is that how much a teapot can really enhance the tea being brewed can be very subjective.........much like tasting and appreciating red wine. Even experts cant distinguish expensive wine from cheap ones without a label.
So at the end of the day, as long as (1) the clay used is safe (lead and toxic free) and (2) you really like the teapot, therein lies the value and quality of the teapot.
gaiwan? no thx, they are no diff than any cup w/ a lid on it. I have used 'em b4 for gong fu and they are totally garbage in my opinion. why are they garbage? hmm ..let me state the facts..MarshalN wrote:I agree with Shogun89 here. I'd say that there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to buy a good pot to start with. My suggestion is always to first buy a gaiwan, and worry about pots later. You will always do something stupid with your first pot -- I know I did, and I know almost everybody else who drinks tea seriously did the same thing. Cheap gaiwan is the way to go for newbies.
1: lack of elegance compare to the beauty of yixing pots. put a yixing pot in any room and it brings so much life and energy into that room.
2: it freaking burnt my finger while pouring it into a pitcher.
3: u'll lose 1/3 of tea while trying to pour it into the pitcher.
4: lose 2/3 while trying to pour it into all the gong fu cups.
5: it has no handle
6: teas are not meant to be brew in a cup.
Oni wrote:I am not very experienced when it comes to yixing clay, I own only one teapot from YSLLC, that cost me 55$, DHP clay, shui ping design, so I really have nothing to compare it too, but I own 2 japanese kyusu, my first kyusu was the hohryu from hibiki-an, and the second is from horaido, it is the work of Tachi Masaki, it is banko wear made of purple clay, it is signed and came with a certificate, I tried both kyusu with the same tea, and the banko always made tea more smoth and sweeter than the other, and even after two packs of tea it took the aroma of the tea in, when I take it out even if it has not seen tea in 4 month it still smells of sencha, now that is a good clay.
These are my clay pots.
cool! i like your yixing pot. where did you get it from?
1. elegance, well its a personal view on thatLaybackPandas wrote: gaiwan? no thx, they are no diff than any cup w/ a lid on it. I have used 'em b4 for gong fu and they are totally garbage in my opinion. why are they garbage? hmm ..let me state the facts..
1: lack of elegance compare to the beauty of yixing pots. put a yixing pot in any room and it brings so much life and energy into that room.
2: it freaking burnt my finger while pouring it into a pitcher.
3: u'll lose 1/3 of tea while trying to pour it into the pitcher.
4: lose 2/3 while trying to pour it into all the gong fu cups.
5: it has no handle
6: teas are not meant to be brew in a cup.
2. a good quality gaiwan will not burn the fingers as easily, they tend not to be so hot
3/4. many of us have no problem pouring it into the pitcher then from pitcher to the cup... if u r losing 1/3 of the tea thats serious
maybe you're not doing it the right way.In most cases where we are testing a tea, we use a gaiwan so that we can tell any aroma, taste is purely from the tea itself. A good and well used yixing will enchance the tea and we do not want this to be a variable.
Hope you'll still give the gaiwan a chance?
but should be smooth after you get used to it...Mar 27th, '09, 05:28
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Not to sound too preachy but it might be worth learning to get decent cup of tea from a gaiwan without burning your fingers and getting tea everywhere before going for yixing - if you can't get a decent picture on a tube tv, don't invest a small fortune on a flat panel tv or something.
I find my pots far tougher on my fingers than my gaiwan.
I find my pots far tougher on my fingers than my gaiwan.
Aside on Banko-ware
Banko is located near Tokoname, Japan and also has high quality clay deposits and a long history of master quality pottery produced in special kilns that control oxygen, firing characteristics, and corresponding clay chemistry.
Banko red clay is also carefully worked before forming into various shapes and firing under semi-reductive conditions. The resulting products are very light, durable and *thin* walled, a desirable quality that limits brewing temperature extraction.
The smoothness attributed to the use of Banko clay pots brewing Japanese green teas is the combination of clay chemistry and heat dissipation.
Nice article on Yokkaiichi Banko Ware
http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/crafts/ ... 409-5.html
Banko red clay is also carefully worked before forming into various shapes and firing under semi-reductive conditions. The resulting products are very light, durable and *thin* walled, a desirable quality that limits brewing temperature extraction.
The smoothness attributed to the use of Banko clay pots brewing Japanese green teas is the combination of clay chemistry and heat dissipation.
Nice article on Yokkaiichi Banko Ware
http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/crafts/ ... 409-5.html
The same tea can taste very different when brewed in different Yixings. I look closer at the pots size, shape, thickness, and weight than I do at clay type, although all of these qualities work together and affect the overall taste.
It can take a lot of patience and a bit of luck to come up with a really good match between an Yixing and a particular tea. I have found that it is more difficult to get a good match with lighter teas such as green, white, and high mountain oolong and easiest with black-red tea. All tea types can benefit from the right pot, but some are more affected than others.
I agree with the point someone made earlier about buying a better (and probably more expensive) Yixing now, rather than upgrading later. I also agree with whoever pointed out that this isn't necessarily easy to do with Yixings unless one is experienced. I do, however, question what is in those $20, fake Yixings and whether it's even safe to drink tea brewed in one. I'd rather brew tea in a higher quality, more expensive, poorly matched pot that reduces safety concerns than I would to brew it in a well-matched, cheap fake that may contain chemicals and industrial dyes.
It can take a lot of patience and a bit of luck to come up with a really good match between an Yixing and a particular tea. I have found that it is more difficult to get a good match with lighter teas such as green, white, and high mountain oolong and easiest with black-red tea. All tea types can benefit from the right pot, but some are more affected than others.
I agree with the point someone made earlier about buying a better (and probably more expensive) Yixing now, rather than upgrading later. I also agree with whoever pointed out that this isn't necessarily easy to do with Yixings unless one is experienced. I do, however, question what is in those $20, fake Yixings and whether it's even safe to drink tea brewed in one. I'd rather brew tea in a higher quality, more expensive, poorly matched pot that reduces safety concerns than I would to brew it in a well-matched, cheap fake that may contain chemicals and industrial dyes.
The only problem with this argument is that there is absolutely no guarantee that a $200 pot is not just another "well-matched, cheap fake that may contain chemicals and industrial dyes" that also happens to cost a lot of money.britt wrote: I agree with the point someone made earlier about buying a better (and probably more expensive) Yixing now, rather than upgrading later. I also agree with whoever pointed out that this isn't necessarily easy to do with Yixings unless one is experienced. I do, however, question what is in those $20, fake Yixings and whether it's even safe to drink tea brewed in one. I'd rather brew tea in a higher quality, more expensive, poorly matched pot that reduces safety concerns than I would to brew it in a well-matched, cheap fake that may contain chemicals and industrial dyes.
You need to learn what a fact and then learn what the facts are before you state them. Objections.LaybackPandas wrote: ..let me state the facts..
1: lack of elegance compare to the beauty of yixing pots. put a yixing pot in any room and it brings so much life and energy into that room.
2: it freaking burnt my finger while pouring it into a pitcher.
3: u'll lose 1/3 of tea while trying to pour it into the pitcher.
4: lose 2/3 while trying to pour it into all the gong fu cups.
5: it has no handle
6: teas are not meant to be brew in a cup.
1a. Elegance is not an objective quality.
1b. Bringing energy is... objectivly false.
2. Problem with agency. Objects cannot be agents. "I burnt my finger on it" would be a fact if it were true. I'm sure it is. It can happen with eggshell Gaiwans.
3. I have never lost any of my tea using a Gawain and will infer that I will not.
4. I never loose more than a few drops pouring in to cups from a Gaiwan. Statement is not evaluatable because it has no subject.
5. Mmm... yeah.
6. False –even if we accept that Gaiwans are cups. Chinese greens are intended to be brewed in cups.
At least make some effort at proof reading and truth if you are going to assert something like that.
Last edited by edkrueger on Mar 30th, '09, 16:27, edited 1 time in total.