A Real Yixing Teapot?

[CrazyInTea]

Hi there,

I love tea, and I've finally decided to commit myself to a decent teapot, having got tired of teabags in a cup.

Having done a bit of research I've got my heart set on a YiXing. If I find one for £15odd is it likely to be genuine?

yix.jpg (60.92 KiB) Viewed 1548 times

I have found the one above, but I don't want to get it if it's not real. Can any one here tell, just by looking at it?

Thanks very much.

[teaisme]

I'm no expert on teapots or clay, but my guess just from price alone would say that it is not genuine yinxing zhuni, more likely just some average red clay
I hear that real zhuni is pretty rare these days

Also, welcome to teachat!
and have you considered a nice porcelian teapot? Much more affordable, and good for all teas whereas a clay pot would not be suitable for some

[CrazyInTea]

I'm no expert on teapots or clay, but my guess just from price alone would say that it is not genuine yinxing zhuni, more likely just some average red clay
I hear that real zhuni is pretty rare these days

Also, welcome to teachat!
and have you considered a nice porcelian teapot? Much more affordable, and good for all teas whereas a clay pot would not be suitable for some

Thank you!

I'm after a YiXing as I'm particularly fond of Assam tea. I read on here (and elsewhere) that it was a good option, and I really like the idea of infusing the pot with the flavour. I will get round to getting a good general teapot but the missus doesn't drink it so it'll just be for me most of the time (aside from when we have guests).

That's a shame about the pot, but I had a feeling as I seem to have found them on dedicated sites for more like £50+. I really like the pattern so I'm tempted anyway, but I wouldn't like to spend ages trying to infuse the flavour then find it's not the real thing.

[David Duckler]

Also, it looks like that pot is very very shiny from the picture you posted. Unless an yixing pot has been used for quite awhile, it should not be shiny at all. The luster on that pot smacks of oil or wax, which will negatively affect the taste of your tea. The pot will also not grow as a normal yixing, because all of its pores are clogged and stopped up with oil.

[nonc_ron]

Hi there,

I love tea, and I've finally decided to commit myself to a decent teapot, having got tired of teabags in a cup.

Hi and welcome to the TeaChat.
Looks like a nice pot to me. But you should find at least one more.
This will allow them to dry out between brewing's, which helps prevent mold.

[MarshalN]

I'd use my hands to brew tea before I use that pot...

Avoid.

[nonc_ron]

I'd use my hands to brew tea before I use that pot...

Now now, we don't discourage the Newbies.
They should be encouraged to buy lots of different pots & different teas.
Maybe we can learn from their mistakes.

[entropyembrace]

For Assam I´ve gotten the best results brewing in a smallish (250-300ml) glazed porcelain pot...I´d suggest porcelain over yixing if what you want to brew in it is Assam.

Also if I was going to get another "yixing" I´d spend $100+ at a reputable vendor to make sure I get good clay...the clay in cheap "yixing" pots seems to have a negative effect on the tea taste more often than not.

[Luthier]

that is real enough to me

[Margules]

I'd use my hands to brew tea before I use that pot...

Now now, we don't discourage the Newbies.
They should be encouraged to buy lots of different pots & different teas.
Maybe we can learn from their mistakes.

Nobody learns anything if we all just pretend it's a nice pot. I think people around here have become too afraid to criticize anything, even blatantly shoddy work.

[tingjunkie]

I'd use my hands to brew tea before I use that pot...

Now now, we don't discourage the Newbies.
They should be encouraged to buy lots of different pots & different teas.
Maybe we can learn from their mistakes.

Nobody learns anything if we all just pretend it's a nice pot. I think people around here have become too afraid to criticize anything, even blatantly shoddy work.

We've had this discussion before around here. MarshalN is right about the pot, and his knowledge about tea/teaware is outstanding. Having said that, I do think it would be more beneficial to beginners to offer specific reasons as to why it's a junk pot. How else are new folks supposed to learn about Yixing if they don't learn what to look out for specifically? In this case I think Verdant is right about the pot being abnormally shiny, and I would add the slightly bumpy texture also looks weird and fake (artificial), but unless you're used to looking at real pots already, that might be hard to notice.

P.S. Anyone else also curious about why it has a tiny white plastic ball on top of the knob? Never seen that before.

[Victoria]

P.S. Anyone else also curious about why it has a tiny white plastic ball on top of the knob? Never seen that before.

Looks on my monitor to be turquoise, maybe a tiny natural decorative stone, for luck. My guess, although it looks turquoise to me, is that it's probably jade. Make more sense.

[Poohblah]

P.S. Anyone else also curious about why it has a tiny white plastic ball on top of the knob? Never seen that before.

Looks on my monitor to be turquoise, maybe a tiny natural decorative stone, for luck. My guess, although it looks turquoise to me, is that it's probably jade. Make more sense.

I've never seen blue jade before