Hi all! This is my first post here.
I'm buying a new yixing pot for sheng, and am spending 40-60$ on it. I am currently looking at the following two pots: http://cgi.ebay.com/Wrinkle-Small-Pear- ... 335693246f, and http://yunnansourcing.com/store/product ... roduct=982 . Which one do you think is the best buy?
Apr 22nd, '10, 15:05
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Apr 22nd, '10, 15:17
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Apr 22nd, '10, 21:21
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Re: Which yixing pot?
Welcome.
It really boils down to your personal choice. Your first pot will always have a special place in your heart and even after you've acquired a collection of Zisha Teapots, your first one will always remain special.
It really boils down to your personal choice. Your first pot will always have a special place in your heart and even after you've acquired a collection of Zisha Teapots, your first one will always remain special.
Apr 22nd, '10, 22:10
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Re: Which yixing pot?
Help the newbie member out ... why not?MarshalN wrote:Second thisTead Off wrote:Neither.
Apr 22nd, '10, 22:14
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Re: Which yixing pot?
I wanna hear this too. For the price range ($40-60) what would you recommend? The whole thing has always stymied me. I have a few pots in the $50-70 range that I'm happy with, but I couldn't really tell you exactly why other than they seem to brew good tea.
Re: Which yixing pot?
It always amazes me that folks who have a good amount of knowledge to share will actually take time out of their busy day to post something intentionally unhelpful, rather than making a positive contribution to the community. 
Face it folks, we're all tea nerds here. No matter how much knowledge you may have on this topic there is no such thing as a "cool kids" club on this forum, so let's stop the snobbery, shall we?
Anyway Ljung93, welcome to the forum. Perhaps you could give us some more info on what you want the pot for... Young sheng? Aged Sheng? Do you already have experience using a gaiwan? I think 90% of oolong/pu drinkers here will tell you that if you haven't learned to brew tea "properly" in a gaiwan first, then there's no sense in buying a Yixing pot right away.
It can be very overwhelming at first, but if you use the search feature, there is a TON of info already on this forum about Yixing pots and trusted vendors. Good luck.
Face it folks, we're all tea nerds here. No matter how much knowledge you may have on this topic there is no such thing as a "cool kids" club on this forum, so let's stop the snobbery, shall we? Anyway Ljung93, welcome to the forum. Perhaps you could give us some more info on what you want the pot for... Young sheng? Aged Sheng? Do you already have experience using a gaiwan? I think 90% of oolong/pu drinkers here will tell you that if you haven't learned to brew tea "properly" in a gaiwan first, then there's no sense in buying a Yixing pot right away.
It can be very overwhelming at first, but if you use the search feature, there is a TON of info already on this forum about Yixing pots and trusted vendors. Good luck.
Apr 23rd, '10, 00:48
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Re: Which yixing pot?
I too am curious to hear what led to the quick responses: type of clay or size or shape of pot is wrong for sheng, or price seemed way out of line for pot quality?
I happen to prefer lower, flatter profiles because the shape is more attractive to me, but don't imagine that has much effect on their brewing capabilities.
Can't think of what else could lead to such rapid dismissal, since the original poster did not give enough info to permit me to assess their brewing skills as unfit to handle a pot vs gaiwan etc.
I happen to prefer lower, flatter profiles because the shape is more attractive to me, but don't imagine that has much effect on their brewing capabilities.
Can't think of what else could lead to such rapid dismissal, since the original poster did not give enough info to permit me to assess their brewing skills as unfit to handle a pot vs gaiwan etc.
Re: Which yixing pot?
Whether or not they were short answers, I think they were honest answers, and both from people who I would hesitate before ignoring on matters related to teapots. The question wasn't framed in terms of "would either of these pots be appropriate for..." or "could you suggest a pot for X in Y price range", but rather "which of these two pots should I buy", so I don't feel that "neither" is a bad answer.tingjunkie wrote:It always amazes me that folks who have a good amount of knowledge to share will actually take time out of their busy day to post something intentionally unhelpful, rather than making a positive contribution to the community.
My somewhat less qualified $0.02... One thing that stands out to me is the really obvious fake wrinkles on the first pot. Also, both appear to be fairly dense, modern red clays; I think the conventional wisdom is that this sort of clay might not be flattering to at least young sheng, assuming that's what the OP wants to brew in them. The spout of the second one is a little oddly proportioned IMHO, at least based on the photos. For more opinions on Scott's "Da Hong Pao" clay pots, I think there are a couple of threads on here. This one might be worth a look:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=6153
I think one could probably find a more appropriate pot for less money. Depending on the # of people the OP is brewing for, a smaller pot might also be a good idea. If it were me, and I were making puer for 1-5 people, I would look for something ~ 100ml.
Re: Which yixing pot?
Grasshopper, just joking. 
As wyardley put it, the zhuni has obvious fake wrinkles. That's not the worst thing in the world but it would really bug me if I owned it. 2ndly, we all know and have heard how rare good zhuni and da hong pao clays are. To sell 'rare' clays for this price point always brings up the red flags for me.
The final criticism is that personally, I think that neither pot is particularly suited for Puerh. I've always had a preference for zisha (purple clay) or more porous clays. This could be a matter of contention and taste so I will leave it as 'my' preference.
Also, this question may be better suited for the Puerh heads to answer in the Puerh tea section. I'm sure there are many there that would be glad to pipe in and state their preferences and have far better knowledge than I.
As wyardley put it, the zhuni has obvious fake wrinkles. That's not the worst thing in the world but it would really bug me if I owned it. 2ndly, we all know and have heard how rare good zhuni and da hong pao clays are. To sell 'rare' clays for this price point always brings up the red flags for me.
The final criticism is that personally, I think that neither pot is particularly suited for Puerh. I've always had a preference for zisha (purple clay) or more porous clays. This could be a matter of contention and taste so I will leave it as 'my' preference.
Also, this question may be better suited for the Puerh heads to answer in the Puerh tea section. I'm sure there are many there that would be glad to pipe in and state their preferences and have far better knowledge than I.
Re: Which yixing pot?
I have been using a gaiwan for a long time, and knows how to brew tea "properly". I am dedicating the pot to young sheng (1-5 yrs.) I guess I'm willing to spend some more $ on a decent one. I'm open to suggestions 
Re: Which yixing pot?
For young sheng I would suggest a pot with a quite porous clay, as it can reduce the bitterness of the tea. I would go for things like zi ni or di cao qing. Dragon Tea House has some pots at 69 and 99 dollars that I think would fit nicely young sheng. I personally use one of the 80s lao zi ni pots to brew my sheng and I am very happy with it.
Another possibility is Chen's site, zishateapot.co.uk, where they have a wide selection of pots made of zi ni and di cao qing. I never ordered from them yet (I have only 2 pots). I read various posts of teachatters reviewing what they bought from them, and they seemed to be happy with the mid-high priced pots. I read of a couple of complaints about the cheaper pots (20$) and about handmade custom order pots, so I might avoid going for those options.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
Another possibility is Chen's site, zishateapot.co.uk, where they have a wide selection of pots made of zi ni and di cao qing. I never ordered from them yet (I have only 2 pots). I read various posts of teachatters reviewing what they bought from them, and they seemed to be happy with the mid-high priced pots. I read of a couple of complaints about the cheaper pots (20$) and about handmade custom order pots, so I might avoid going for those options.
I hope this helps. Good luck!
Re: Which yixing pot?
Perhaps it's a cultural difference and I need to be more aware of what constitutes a decent answer in other parts of the world. Generally in the West, when a brand new member comes and has a question, it's not enough to give an opinion without a "why" also attached. In fact it can usually be taken as gruff and unfriendly. But as I said, I have a particular cultural viwpoint. Is it different over in Bangkok wyardley?wyardley wrote: Whether or not they were short answers, I think they were honest answers, and both from people who I would hesitate before ignoring on matters related to teapots.