Recent under $50 gongfu sharing thread.

[Teaism]

Think of tea and teapots from the business point of view which is quite similar to real estate. Buyer want a cheap bargain but all other parties want to maximize profits. The problem is there is no regulatory bodies to do quality control, standards and no by laws. And there is no reference or tangible clue on the product unless you are long into the hobby in the right direction and learned what is good or not. So you can imagine the horrors especially it is a consumable items.

Don't waste your time coming to Asia for tea and teapot hunting. Just come for holiday. The good stuff are long gone and the newer tea enthusiast is as lost as to what is right or wrong. Even tea vendors are at the mercy of suppliers and producer.

It is really a sad situation as compared to those days in 80/90s. No more cheap and good stuff, unless we are willing to pay for it, and still we might end up with expensive inferior stuff.

[futurebird]

This was $15, it holds 40ml. The claim is that it's "from the 80s." Is it possible to tell from the mark on the bottom? There is just something a bit more fine about the workmanship compared to my other posts. I like the color. No strange smells. I think I'll assign it too aged oolongs? can't make up my mind.

The cord isn't my work, but I like the color choice.

This is after cleaning it, it was covered in tea, but not knowing what kind, I cleaned it.

The only flaw is that the lid is a bit loose.

I can live with that!

[futurebird]

A better photo of the above pot, along with another "under 50" addition.



Though to be honest this pot just isn't photogenic.



I swear it looks letter in person!




It's a lovely color.

[futurebird]

Because I had to take my pots to a party I needed little travel bags for them. The silk purse is a perfect fit for this 40ml pot.





The newest addition. In fact, I think I'll sell a few pots shortly. I'm getting a better idea of what I like.