Yixing Stickers

[mael]

Hi There,

Was just speaking to my mum today and she remembered being gifted a teapot set a good 20 years ago. She sent me a pic of a sticker that fell off since it has just been sitting there (note it is not the pot that she put it on to take the photo). I live in a different city so can't speak to the authenticity of the tea pot/setting, but thought it might add to the little sticker collection. It seems to add something new as there is no dash between Yixing and China as per the other stickers and the font of the characters at the bottom of the black half seems to be the tallest without having the square look of the yellow sticker.

Thoughts Anyone?

The teapot on this picture also bear a sticker with different font. YIXING CHINA and characters are thinner. The teapot is said to be from 1987-1993.

[William]

I'm finding all this info very interesting so keep it coming guys! I guess I should be a bit more specific. I have boiled it already for a couple of hours and the smell remains. It's not the chemical smell of my tuition pots but rather than smelling like hot rocks, it has a more earthy sand/mud smell to it. I will test it on water/tea when I get some time and if it's giving the throat itches then I may consider returning it...

I see, the aroma you describe (that always reminds me of hot rocks) is a typical characteristic of natural clays like this one (and many more actually), nothing to worry about!
Use the teapot for a couple of weeks as Kyarazen suggested and that smell will disappear!

Oh, no need to be whelmed! Believe me, that zini clay is much better than 98 percent of modern zini or any zini produced by factory 1 after the green sticker era. I think chrl42 just has too many gems and maybe isn't as appreciative of it as many of us would be

Coarse is not a bad thing. Something to remember is that some of the best pots take a while to season. That just means that they have good porosity and breathe well. Keep brewing the same tea in it and it will give much in return after the years As always, pairing up with the right tea is crucial. That means nothing you want to conserve high notes in (dc, gaoshan, green, fragrant young sheng, etc.) . I don't see the purpose of buying yixing pots (especially zini, qingshui, DCQ) if they are low porous, slick finishes. In those circumstances then you want to go for zhuni instead.

And for craftsmanship, I easily noticed from the pictures alone it's not among the best for factory 1, but neither are others that much better. Remember, these pots are hoarded and you better believe if a vendor comes across an old factory 1 pot with excellent workmanship, perfect firing, and nice clay they most likely won't want sell it, but keep it for themselves. EoT prices are more than fair considering what's out there and the work it would take to source these pots on ones own (e.g. flying, boarding, searching saturated markets, confirming authenticity, etc.).

Wise words!

[Rosh]

This Zini clay is in my opinion of good quality .. I use it a fair bit with a lot of different teas. A clay used during this period that I personally don't like is the hongni blended with qingshuini that can be found, for example, on 70 ml biandeng.

Now I am confused since I always thought niangao clay was the most representative clay used during green label period but this BaLe seems to be zini. Or is the blend of hongni with QSN you mentioned what is called niangao? An example of a biandeng pot from green label period was also recently sold by EoT:

https://www.essenceoftea.com/teaware/cl ... a-210.html

[William]

Now I am confused since I always thought niangao clay was the most representative clay used during green label period but this BaLe seems to be zini. Or is the blend of hongni with QSN you mentioned what is called niangao? An example of a biandeng pot from green label period was also recently sold by EoT:

https://www.essenceoftea.com/teaware/cl ... a-210.html

I personally call Zini, the clay the last BaLe posted by CheekyChipmunk is made of.
Instead, with Hongni blended with Qingshuini, I refer to this teapot: viewtopic.php?f=87&t=16273&start=15 (the biandeng posted by tingjunkie near the end of that page).

Niangao is a term rarely used here in Japan, so I don't know what overseas friends exactly refer to.
What I know about Niangao, is that many theory can be heard about the origin of this clay (and its first use), e.g. it was a layer in proximity to the Zini one, or it was a variant of qingshuini clay used during late 70s/early 80s, or it was either discovered during the late Qing or R.O.C. period, or it was originally Zini clay blended with another clay, etc.
A reliable source here in Japan told me Niangao was first used during 1982~1985, i.e. exactly after the green-label period ('77~'82). Therefore, according to this source, Niangao can't be considered a green-label period.

There is a lot of confusion (and many theories), unfortunately for us, with regards to Niangao clay.

[kyarazen]

Now I am confused since I always thought niangao clay was the most representative clay used during green label period but this BaLe seems to be zini. Or is the blend of hongni with QSN you mentioned what is called niangao? An example of a biandeng pot from green label period was also recently sold by EoT:

https://www.essenceoftea.com/teaware/cl ... a-210.html

one can rather say that niangao was one of the clays that appeared during this period of time, with the largest amount of niangao being used in lovely cute objects that were made during the 82 八二小品 period. early green label pots, i.e. '77-80 there is a lot of "carry over" in sentiment, pot making techniques, etc from the CR.

there are several sayings, but one of them is that niangao is a strata that was mined during that period of time. some say it is a blend, but to date no one has re-created the blend.

hong qing shui ni is different. it is qing shui ni base with red clay blended, it is still very coarse.

[chrl42]

This Zini clay is in my opinion of good quality .. I use it a fair bit with a lot of different teas. A clay used during this period that I personally don't like is the hongni blended with qingshuini that can be found, for example, on 70 ml biandeng.

Now I am confused since I always thought niangao clay was the most representative clay used during green label period but this BaLe seems to be zini. Or is the blend of hongni with QSN you mentioned what is called niangao? An example of a biandeng pot from green label period was also recently sold by EoT:

https://www.essenceoftea.com/teaware/cl ... a-210.html

NGT is what made up most of the early-80s (aka 82小品）Hongni family (with brown and white, a set of different colors can sell better)..but not all that period's Hongni is NGT.

how it was made (apart from all of the stories), no opinion, it's very dense (no porosity), super-smooth and sorta heavy, dark clay that was only used during early-80s (or maybe late-70s, too)..

[MmBuddha]

This thread popped up again at an interesting time, as I'd recently been wondering about Yixing stickers, what could be gleaned from them etc as I'd received my first pot with one attached. I purchased what appears to be a late 80s/early 90s Factory 1 shui-ping (60ml), though as this is my first factory pot I haven't felt able to authenticate it nor understand much about it's clay type/period.

I bought it from a reputable tea shop, not sure if I should mention which but I've heard them mentioned in a favourable light occasionally around here. They explained it was Factory 1 hong-ni and suggested the dates above but that's about all I know. If anyone has an opinion on its authenticity, or advice about the quality and pairing for this type of clay, i'd love to hear it. Due to the size and material I thought I'd use it for yancha.

















https://postimg.org/gallery/k4t6d4ag/

Based on my own uninformed impressions the clay looks quite smooth, fine-grain and dense (more so to my eye than the big batch EoT sold a while ago, at least based on their pictures) and not very porous, but I don't really know. It's marginally darker and less orange than when it arrived after being subjected to a couple of yancha rinses.

[Zared]

Looks exactly like one I bought from local NYC tea shop. Looks inline with othe legit pots I've seen and handled from this period. The nice thin walls make great mid fired yancha.

Where's this one from?

[JB-ONE]

This thread popped up again at an interesting time, as I'd recently been wondering about Yixing stickers, what could be gleaned from them etc as I'd received my first pot with one attached. I purchased what appears to be a late 80s/early 90s Factory 1 shui-ping (60ml), though as this is my first factory pot I haven't felt able to authenticate it nor understand much about it's clay type/period.

I bought it from a reputable tea shop, not sure if I should mention which but I've heard them mentioned in a favourable light occasionally around here. They explained it was Factory 1 hong-ni and suggested the dates above but that's about all I know. If anyone has an opinion on its authenticity, or advice about the quality and pairing for this type of clay, i'd love to hear it. Due to the size and material I thought I'd use it for yancha.

















https://postimg.org/gallery/k4t6d4ag/

Based on my own uninformed impressions the clay looks quite smooth, fine-grain and dense (more so to my eye than the big batch EoT sold a while ago, at least based on their pictures) and not very porous, but I don't really know. It's marginally darker and less orange than when it arrived after being subjected to a couple of yancha rinses.

I have the same pot also from a nyc local shop. It's a good pot. I tried it with dong ding and also yancha and find it goes well with both.

[MmBuddha]

Haha, well I'm pretty sure these must be from the same batch. Mine is also from a 'local NYC teashop' (though not local to me). Is yours also 55-60ml? The lid fit is not exactly superb but mines been brewing nice tea so far, and the size seems perfect. Have you had a chance to compare this Factory 1 hong-ni to older clays? I've heard many say it can't compare to green label or earlier Factory 1 hong-ni, but it seemed a good choice considering the kind of modern clay I'd find for an equivalent price.

[chrl42]

This thread popped up again at an interesting time, as I'd recently been wondering about Yixing stickers, what could be gleaned from them etc as I'd received my first pot with one attached. I purchased what appears to be a late 80s/early 90s Factory 1 shui-ping (60ml), though as this is my first factory pot I haven't felt able to authenticate it nor understand much about it's clay type/period.

I bought it from a reputable tea shop, not sure if I should mention which but I've heard them mentioned in a favourable light occasionally around here. They explained it was Factory 1 hong-ni and suggested the dates above but that's about all I know. If anyone has an opinion on its authenticity, or advice about the quality and pairing for this type of clay, i'd love to hear it. Due to the size and material I thought I'd use it for yancha.

Based on my own uninformed impressions the clay looks quite smooth, fine-grain and dense (more so to my eye than the big batch EoT sold a while ago, at least based on their pictures) and not very porous, but I don't really know. It's marginally darker and less orange than when it arrived after being subjected to a couple of yancha rinses.

Most of after mid-80s' F1 Hongni teapots are Chuanbu Hongni + iron oxide mixed..no problem using for Yancha I think..

[chrl42]

Haha, well I'm pretty sure these must be from the same batch. Mine is also from a 'local NYC teashop' (though not local to me). Is yours also 55-60ml? The lid fit is not exactly superb but mines been brewing nice tea so far, and the size seems perfect. Have you had a chance to compare this Factory 1 hong-ni to older clays? I've heard many say it can't compare to green label or earlier Factory 1 hong-ni, but it seemed a good choice considering the kind of modern clay I'd find for an equivalent price.

In Fact, there is a difference, older Hongni was made from original ores and has a good porosity, newer Hongni had that effect by adding iron oxide..firing was good though.

[MmBuddha]

Haha, well I'm pretty sure these must be from the same batch. Mine is also from a 'local NYC teashop' (though not local to me). Is yours also 55-60ml? The lid fit is not exactly superb but mines been brewing nice tea so far, and the size seems perfect. Have you had a chance to compare this Factory 1 hong-ni to older clays? I've heard many say it can't compare to green label or earlier Factory 1 hong-ni, but it seemed a good choice considering the kind of modern clay I'd find for an equivalent price.

In Fact, there is a difference, older Hongni was made from original ores and has a good porosity, newer Hongni had that effect by adding iron oxide..firing was good though.

Thanks chrl42, that was also the impression I got reading around here. Older hongni seems generally more porous. From handling the pot I posted above, it doesn't give the impression of being especially porous or liable to season too noticeably, but I hope it will still mineralise the water in a favourable way as compared to porcaline. Perhaps one day I'll find an older F1 pot I can afford, but for the time being if I'm to buy a few inevitable 'tuition pots', I'd rather they were F1 from a less desirable period than an anonymous modern pot with dubious clay.

[victoria3]

Haha, well I'm pretty sure these must be from the same batch. Mine is also from a 'local NYC teashop' (though not local to me). Is yours also 55-60ml? The lid fit is not exactly superb but mines been brewing nice tea so far, and the size seems perfect. Have you had a chance to compare this Factory 1 hong-ni to older clays? I've heard many say it can't compare to green label or earlier Factory 1 hong-ni, but it seemed a good choice considering the kind of modern clay I'd find for an equivalent price.

So which is the 'local NYC shop' ?

[MmBuddha]

Haha, well I'm pretty sure these must be from the same batch. Mine is also from a 'local NYC teashop' (though not local to me). Is yours also 55-60ml? The lid fit is not exactly superb but mines been brewing nice tea so far, and the size seems perfect. Have you had a chance to compare this Factory 1 hong-ni to older clays? I've heard many say it can't compare to green label or earlier Factory 1 hong-ni, but it seemed a good choice considering the kind of modern clay I'd find for an equivalent price.

So which is the 'local NYC shop' ?

It was Fang Gourmet Tea.