Very cheap Yunnan Sourcing yixing teapot (opinions)

[bagua7]

At $11.69.

Hard to beat that price. But is it worth getting to brew tea rather a decorative teapot.

What do you think?

[MarshalN]

Slightly ugly

[TokyoB]

Sorry more than slightly ugly. And as for functionality - the top/opening looks rather small. May be hard to clean the leaves out.

[Alex]

That does look like it would be awkward to use.

[teaisme]

at that price my guess is that you would be better off drilling some holes on the bottom and using it as a flower pot

But you never know till you try. Maybe whoever sourcing those pots actually did care whether or not they would be suitable for tea. I'm not too optimistic though.

[Nenugal]

I've been looking at that teapot too, the price almost seem to good to be true, but who knows... I think the shop is considered to be quite trustworthy. It would be very interesting to hear the experiences from anyone who have tried this model, or any of the other cheaper teapots from Yunnan Sourcing.

[chicagopotter]

Spend a couple more bux at YS and get a easier one to use...

[Geekgirl]

This teapot went around in one of the box passes a year or so back. I probably wouldn't buy it. Yeah it's a bargain price, but it's cheap clay, cheap production, and has a tiny little opening that makes it inconvenient to use and to clean. It's not horrible, but you definitely get what you pay for.

[tingjunkie]

Here's my opinion...

What's the point of using a Yixing pot to brew tea in the first place? A pot that deserves to be on my tea table should: a) Improve a tea in some way, whether it's smoothing out rough edges and hiding flaws, or it's prolonging a nice sweet floral finish. b) Be a pleasure to use in terms of how it fits the hand, the smoothness of the pour, the feel of the clay, etc. c) Be a pot I can admire for its shape, design and craftsmanship. d) Be something I enjoy watching change over days, weeks, months, and years of use.

If a pot doesn't satisfy these conditions, am I going to want to keep using it for years? Keep seasoning it with good tea? Take pride in brushing/rubbing it after use to improve the patina? Nope, not worth my time. A pot worth having is going to be a treasured friend for years of tea making to come. Why settle for something cheap and not special? I'd rather just stick with a gaiwan and save up for something nice later down the road.