Official/Different Yixing Show Off Topic!

[tingjunkie]

Mod edit. This is a very good concept thread TingJunkie! It is now stickied and I have added the term "Official" to the title.
Chip
Immoderate TeaDrinker who happens to Moderate

On this forum, Yixing pots are some of the most discussed, yet least understood kinds of teaware out there. In an effort to educate ourselves on clay types, pot shapes and sizes, clay sources and vintages, pot/tea pairings, etc., some of us spend hours pouring over countless threads and links. Luckily, due to lots of sharing from some generous and very knowledgeable people here, there is quite a decent amount of info about these perplexing and alluring vessels on TeaChat.

That being said, many of us (myself included) are mere beginners in terms of knowledge. Asking "What's the best type of clay for x tea?" or, "What's the best shape for y tea?" is ok, but it can only get us so far. Those of us who have plunged far enough down the rabbit hole, usually come to some similar conclusions, namely: there is no best anything! Vintage zhuni is not always magic, there are good modern pots, and sometimes cheap pots can work as well as expensive ones. On top of that, everyone has different tastes, and it's all subjective in the end!

So, for the betterment of the teaware forum, I propose a new approach to learning about Yixing clay and pots. Instead of asking questions which may not have any ultimate answer, let's post info and photos about some of our favorite pots in the hopes of learning what works well for other members. In this way, perhaps we can answer some questions before they are even asked.

So, along with a photo of a pot you own, please post the following info:
- Clay type (zhu ni, hong ni, zi ni, duan ni, zisha, etc.) Low/Med/High fired?
- Size of pot in ml or oz.
- What year/decade the pot was made.
- If the pot is thin-walled, medium, or thick-walled.
- How long is the pour?
- Where you acquired the pot.
- What type of tea you make with it.
- What qualities the pot has on tea. i.e. Why do you like to brew a certain tea in it, and what does it do for that tea?

[tingjunkie]

I'll be happy to get things started. Sorry for the crappy indoor lighting, but I was motivated to get this done tonight. Feel free to copy and paste the format.




Clay: Hong Ni. Med-high fired.
Size: 120 ml
Age/Year: Modern- late 2000's.
Walls: Thin
Pour: +/- 8 sec. No drips. Good lid fit.
Source: Purchased at the Tea Gallery
Tea Pairing: Light to medium roast rolled oolongs [Light roast TGY, Ali Shan, Dong Ding, etc]
Info: This pot is excellent for protecting the higher floral/fruity notes in a lightly roasted oolong. It doesn't really round any of the flavors, and keeps aromas very well intact. What I like about this pot the most is that it seems to increase and prolong the lingering finish of lighter oolongs and keep the "perfume" going longer in my mouth when compared to a gaiwan. The pot doesn't change the mouthfeel of the tea too much. If anything, it makes the tea feel a bit smoother and perhaps a little more dry- though the dryness is getting less and less the more I use it.

[Maitre_Tea]

This sounds like an excellent idea...and it's a good way to showing, rather than just talking, and it would also be a good place for people to get ideas about pots



- Clay type: Modern Zhuni, rings clear as a bell; high fired clay
- Size of pot: 130 ml; single-holed
- What year/decade the pot was made: modern, brand-spanking new
- If the pot is thin-walled, medium, or thick-walled: thin walled
- How long is the pour? Haven't timed it, but really quick...the best out of all my pots, and a really comfort to use
- Where you acquired the pot: Tea Gallery
- What type of tea you make with it: light/medium roasted yancha, now light Taiwanese Oolongs
- What qualities the pot has on tea: Being fairly non-porous and high fired, it protects aroma and flavor...and the thin walled nature of the pot makes it ideal for Taiwanese oolongs, IMHO. It's already acquiring a nice shine since this photo, and it's one of my favorite pots. Perhaps the best modern Zhu Ni clay I've seen (though I haven't seen/used much)

*at this point mine is probably more or less as shiny as the one above*

[Maitre_Tea]

hey! you beat me to posting about the Tea Gallery pot!

[tingjunkie]

hey! you beat me to posting about the Tea Gallery pot!

I only own two pots! Let me have it. I'd love you to post your impression too though!

[Chip]

Mod post. This is a very good concept thread TJ!

I propose if you all like, we make this the "official Yixing topic" and thus sticky it!

I will delete this post once I hear some PM feedback. So, let me know via PM so we do not clutter this topic with discussion of "to sticky or not to sticky."

EDIT...it is now stickied!!!

[Margules]

I really like the idea of this thread, we can inject some science in with the mysticism and egos.

I don't actually own any yixing yet, I've been doing most of my brewing in glass and porcelain, but I've been thinking about making the plunge. I'll probably start out with one of the cheaper ones from rishi though, I've heard they are pretty good quality for the price.

I'm looking forward to seeing more posts on the subject.

By the way, I checked out the theteagallery.com website and didn't see any yixing. Am I looking in the wrong place?

[Maitre_Tea]

By the way, I checked out the theteagallery.com website and didn't see any yixing. Am I looking in the wrong place?

They don't sell their pots on their site, but they will show you photos of stuff via email. If you give them a general description of what you're looking for, or even what kind of tea you want a pot for, they might be able to give you some suggestions. I'm holding back on buying any yixing so I can buy one in person from them in February...but this thread is seriously going to test my will to resist temptations...

[tingjunkie]

Clay: Hong Ni. Very high fired. Think it's likely slip-cast though.
Size: 110 ml
Age/Year: Modern- late 2000's.
Walls: Thick
Pour: +/- 7 sec. No drips. Air tight lid fit.
Source: Shop in Chinatown, NYC
Tea Pairing: Still deciding! Works well for med-high roast Wuyi, except the opening is rather small for the long leaves. Aged sheng works reasonably well too.
Info: This little pot craps all over the theory that you can tell a pot's quality by it's sound! I bought it for $25 and it sounds almost as good as any pot in Hou De's video. I'm still trying to zero in on the perfect tea pairing though. Since it is extremely high fired, it maintains aromas and flavors reasonably well, though it does tend to round the higher notes some. Due to that, its thick heat-retaining walls, and the very fast pour, I think it works well for most heavily roasted Wuyi's- taming just a little of the charcoal roast flavors. If the opening of the pot was wider, I think I would have dedicated it by now. That being said, it does seem to work quite well for aged pu as well, but I need more experimentation there. Oddly enough, I would have thought it is the perfect shape and thickness for heavily roasted TGY, but it just doesn't seem to mesh well with those teas for some reason. As far as mouthfeel, the pot makes teas noticeably smoother, and a bit heavier/rounder on the tongue.

[Tead Off]

Here's one:



- Clay type: Zhuni. High fired.
- Chop: Gong Ju
- Size of pot: 180ml approx.
- Age:Either an 80's copy or much older.
- Thickness:Thin on the thick side.
- Pour: Single hole. Never thought about it.
- Purchase: Bangkok
- Tea used:rolled oolong
- Qualities: I like the way it looks, feels. Good flavor and aroma.

[tingjunkie]

That looks well used and well loved Tead-Off! Do you prefer lightly or heavily roasted rolled oolongs in it, or does it do it all?

[Tead Off]

That looks well used and well loved Tead-Off! Do you prefer lightly or heavily roasted rolled oolongs in it, or does it do it all?

I rarely drink heavily roasted oolongs. Sometimes a medium roasted Dong Ding will make it into the pot but I like the Taiwan high mountain greener oolongs, especially the Li Shan and Shan Lin Xi grown teas.

Good thread you started!

[Margules]

This little pot craps all over the theory that you can tell a pot's quality by it's sound! I bought it for $25 and it sounds almost as good as any pot in Hou De's

Any high fired and reasonably dense ceramic should "ping" like that. In fact, it is a fairly common method to quickly determine if vintage porcelain pieces have any small chips or cracks. I imagine that slip cast pots frequently ring nicely, as the uniform thickness that slip casting allows is good for resonance.

It sounds like a nice pot though, so perhaps it would be better to say that it craps on the theory that you can tell a pots price by it's sound...

[tingjunkie]

Well put Margules.

[oldmanteapot]

Here's mine...





Clay: ZhuNi
Size: Approx 100 ml
Age/Year: Modern- early 2000's.
Walls: Medium
Pour: Fast
Source: Penang, Malaysia.
Tea Pairing: Low fired Da Hong Pao
Info: Not much info on this pot, but it brew one heck of a good round of DHP. Brings to surface every detailed nuances and high notes in a well graded and aged DHP.