Official/Different Yixing Show Off Topic!

[Fabien]

One of a few pots.
Saw it among others, liked its shape and its feeling in hands.
A good regular companion.

[David R.]

Nice Fabien. Did you bring it back from one of your trips ?

[Fabien]

Nice Fabien. Did you bring it back from one of your trips ?

Directly from China, yes.
Because I'm not an expert I just brought back teapots that seemed "aesthetically" right to me or others that consistantly brewed good teas.

And because they also are "souvenirs" from this chinese parenthesis, they have some added value to me... which gives me a great mood when I use them.

But I shall be very careful with all these, just after I submitted this post, I broke a nice old Jinghdezen porcelain cup I had for more then ten years, the first one I had!

[debunix]

That's a lovely pot--subtle things in the shape make it stand out in a very pleasing way. Enjoy!

[David R.]

Sorry to hear that. If it was an expensive cup or with a high sentimental value, there are ways to repair it. I heard about someone leaving near Lyon (France) who was making golden repairs. I could check it out for you if you want, although it won't be free...

Like every other thing, loving something/someone comes with the fear to loose it/him/her... One just has to enjoy while it is here, and think about the past good times when it is no more.

[Fabien]

Like every other thing, loving something/someone comes with the fear to loose it/him/her... One just has to enjoy while it is here, and think about the past good times when it is no more.

Exactly what I was thinking... a few minutes after.
It's just always sad when it slips out of your hand and starts to fly across the room. You exactly know what is going to happen and you just can't stop it. I'm just a bit angry at me because I never broke anything (tea-related, at least) in 10 years and, in the past weeks, I broke my two gaiwans and this particular cup.

And unfortunately, like most of the things I do as a rather perfectionist person, I do it well.... none of them can be fixed.

So, yes, it's sad but like other things, it's just the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new one

To Debunix : Thanks. I had the same thought when my eyes caught it on the shelf. Only two pots got my attention at that point, just by their shape, feeling, balance...

[DarkenedSun]

OK, I asked my friend to get me a yixing teapot because I wanted to try using one. This is what she brought me. It's my first little yixing pot.
Sorry the pictures are bad.. I only have my camera phone.
P.S. It's a swan on the side. (I don't know if it's really visible because the pic is not so good)

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[Drax]

Very cool, DarkenedSun! The handle has such a swoop in it, it makes the overall form of the pot appear to mimic the swan...!

[tingjunkie]

New Acquisitions...









Clay: Zisha. Med-high fired.
Size: 110 ml
Age/Year: Late 1970's or early 80's
Walls: Medium Thick
Pour: +/- 7 sec. Single hole. Slight drip if poured hard. Good lid fit for the era.
Source: Hou De
Tea Pairing: High fire TGY or high fire aged Taiwanese oolongs.
Info: From pics on Hou De's website, the clay looked quite nice, so I figured even if it was a modern fake, it was worth the gamble. Once I got it, I felt pretty sure it was older, and my knowledgeable Yixing expert friends confirmed it is a 70's-80's Factory 1 production. The bad news is that Hou De listed the pot at 80ml and it tuned out to be more like 112ml. A difference of 30ml+ on a small pot makes a big difference in what the pot can be used for, and is just plain lazy on the vendors part (if you ask me). After testing it out, the pot performs so well I've decided to keep it anyway. In exchange for a very slight rounding of the higher notes, the pot really deepens the base notes of high fired oolongs, and gives a wonderfully rich and decadent mouthfeel. Not sure if it will become a high fire TGY pot, or replace my aged Taiwanese oolong pot. More testing is needed.

Hou De claimed this pot was made by well known Yixing artist Shi Xiaoma in his earlier days at Factory I. Of course, that would be pretty cool, but I'm not holding my breath. Here are some closeups of the chops. If anyone can provide more info about what they say, or if the pot is authentic, I'd appreciate it!

[tingjunkie]

Clay: Hong Ni (Xiao HN?). High fired.
Size: 85 ml
Age/Year: 90's
Walls: Medium Thick
Pour: +/- 5 sec. Single hole. Slight drip if poured very hard. Good lid fit.
Source: TeaSwap (Thanks auhckw!)
Tea Pairing: Undecided
Info: Love the concave donut bottom! Testing has just begun with this guy. It performed extremely well with both high fire TGY and greener bao zhong so far, but didn't do that great with Da Yu Ling. It might become a pot used for kung-fu style TGY when I'm serving 2-3 people, but I'd like to see how it does with oriental beauty or even dan cong first. A good quality 85ml hong ni pot will always find a use somewhere. The testing shall continue!

[tingjunkie]

Clay: Pin Zi Ni. High fired.
Size: 100 ml
Age/Year: 90's (Supposedly Factory II?)
Walls: Medium Thin
Pour: +/- 10 sec. Multiple hole. No drips. Perfect lid fit.
Source: Jing Tea Shop
Tea Pairing: Red Tea
Info: I haven't seen too many nice drop ball (duo qiu) shape pots in the <150ml range, and the clay looked nice from the pics, so I jumped on it. The pot pairs perfectly with Yunnan Red tea, taming the slight bitterness, preserving the high notes, and really bringing out the sweetness. I imagine this would be a great pot for young sheng too. It's seasoning very quickly as well. After 3 uses, it's really beginning to glow, and it's holding on to the aroma of the tea like crazy. Long overnight infusions in this pot turn out so sweet and refreshing! Once again, Jing has proved to me that they are a dependable vendor for high quality Yixing.

[tingjunkie]

Ooooh... sparklies!

Sitting next to its 235ml cousin.


Clay: Dark Zi Ni. High fired.
Size: 75 ml
Age/Year: 80's (Likely Factory I)
Walls: Thick (Holds heat like a boss.)
Pour: +/- 5 sec. Multiple hole. Surprisingly, no drips despite the rough craftsmanship.
Source: NYC Chinatown Store
Tea Pairing: Undecided
Info: Found this little gem in a Chinatown shop yesterday. The owner told me he had just uncovered a box of 30 year old teapots in his warehouse. I'm always skeptical of such claims, but it happens that I bought a larger 80's Factory I pot in a different Chinatown Store a few months ago, and the clays are identical. Same firing, color, weight, tons of mica *sparklies*, and even the same smell! The craftsmanship is clearly very "rustic" and commercial, but the clay is great! The size, thickness of the walls, and clay make this a great pot for high fire rolled oolongs, but I have more than enough pots for those. I'm betting this could do cooked puerh, aged puerh, aged yancha, or red tea quite well too.

[Tead Off]

When you are trying to decide if a pot is good for a particular type of tea, are you doing the side by side Hojo test with other pots using the same tea? For me, this is the only accurate way to judge. It goes like this:
Brew the tea in a glass or porcelain vessel.
Empty into a glass or porcelain fair cup.
Pour equal amounts into each empty teapot that is being tested.
Pour into porcelain cups for the comparative tasting. It works!

[tingjunkie]

When you are trying to decide if a pot is good for a particular type of tea, are you doing the side by side Hojo test with other pots using the same tea? For me, this is the only accurate way to judge. It goes like this:
Brew the tea in a glass or porcelain vessel.
Empty into a glass or porcelain fair cup.
Pour equal amounts into each empty teapot that is being tested.
Pour into porcelain cups for the comparative tasting. It works!

Yep, exactly. (Except I call it the Michael Wong method.) In comparing the effects from the pot(s) to the sample straight from the faircup, I focus on aroma, up front flavors, mouthfeel, and finish (in that order). After that initial stage of testing, if I think I've found a good match, I'll then brew a full session or two with that tea just to make sure.

I've also come to discover a lot can be learned from the smell under the pot lid after the tea has been marinating the pot for a minute. If the lid smells fragrant, pure, sweet and complex, then it's often a good match. If the lid aroma is muddled, unfocussed, clay-heavy, or weak, then it's often a bad match. Of course, there are exceptions to every rule.

Sometimes I'll like the way a pot brews a particular tea, but I won't be able to define why. It just IS. I've heard of some folks detecting a difference in Qi with the same tea, depending on what pot is used. I guess my Jedi training has not yet reached this level, as that's beyond me.

[Tead Off]

A rose by any other name smells as sweet.............

The more pots we have, the more possibilities we have for new discoveries. Also, the more testing needs to be done. It's a kind of obsession. Then there is the pot that theoretically should not work well with a particular type of tea. For example: I have an 80-90-ml porcelain teapot from Seong il. Unglazed on the inside. Thick walls, wider than taller. Yesterday, I put in some high grade Taiwanese gaoshan. Really good. Lot of aroma, full bodied taste, and, long finish. Why should this pot be so good with this tea? It goes against all the 'rules' for brewing a gaoshan tea. Thick walls, not thin. Wide body, not round. Heavy porcelain, not bone or eggshell.

This morning I took out a Dong Ding and used the same teapot. Again, very good results. I have to question not only my own 'knowledge' but the general knowledge that is floating around the universe about all of this.

Qi? I don't want to go there.