Sharing your experience with Shouzhen pots

[Maxwell2079]

Hi everybody, I was about to buy a few Shouzhen pots but I would like you to give me your thoughts about the results you got when brewing tea with the Shouzhen pot.

Following Herb_Master's good advice I am posting this new topic so I can learn from your experience.

I would like to know following please (you can add more than this if you want of course) :

1- Did you find improvements in aroma/aftertaste?
2- Did the pot smooth the off flavors?

I know that different results are expected depending on the clay the pot uses.
To summarize, was the outcome what you expected from the chosen clay?

Has anyone got a pot made of zhuni clay from Shouzhen? From what year is the clay you chose? Thickness? Tea that you decide to pair with?

Once I get the pots I will post my own results with them. In fact I am planning to do the test that was performed in http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=9911 by Betta or similar test and upload the pictures of the pots too.


I will really appreciate your comments!

[Herb_Master]

To continue my response from the less appropriate thread

I have, just the one - a 170ml Di Cao Qing

It is of course the studio flagship shape of Duo Qiu

I love the pot, it has a great feel, and the tea that comes out tastes great

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t=9129
This teachat topic discusses zisha clay, and Chen also shows a photo of one that may very well be similar to mine - [half hand made] - though they now have models in different sizes. I mainly drink alone at home so prefer some of my other Yixings between 100 to 140 ml.

I have perhaps 100 yixings, so my Chen pot has not been used enough to develop in a way that I could pass meaningful input to you.

In the above topic Chen describes how the clay has flecks of golden sand, if you look hard at her photo you can just discern some. With my pot you have to look even harder to find any golden flecks, but I am led to believe that if I use it constantly that they will become more evident.

Why not add a posting to the the above mentioned topic to solicit other Tea Chatters experiences with Shouzhen pots?
It is certainly a more suitable location than this sub forum. Yixing enthusiasts are less likely to visit this thread.

I would not hesitate to buy at least 1 Shouzhen pot, it gives you a stake in the ground to compare with other Teachatters.

I find that compared to a gaiwan I get rounder tastes from my Di Cao Qing. The aromas are better in the Gaiwan but the depth of flavour seems greater in the Yixing.

To describe comparison between Porcelain and Clay I can find words find easily, comparisons between Di Cao Qing and Zhuni I find harder to to categorise.

I brew with a large leaf to water ratio, and like a fuller bodied cup than some TeaChatters. I find that in each session the results between one infusion and another will themselves vary, so the results obtained from comparing (in my memory, rather than a scheduled academic comparison)Zhuni, Di Cao Qing, Zi Sha (unspecified) and Qing Shui Ni may not be down to the clay alone.

I get good results from my best pots and for a session will choose a pot based on a whim of the moment rather than any study I have previously carried out.

I did however carry out an academic study of Dan Cong in an expensive Porcelain Gaiwan, some specialty Chao Zhou pots and a couple of very cheap zisha pots that I bought from Zen8Tea.

For greatest fragrance on the first infusion the Gaiwan won.

But for complex full flavour profile, and changing profile from infusion to infusion - which is more important to me than initial fragrance -

Indoors - The cheap pots from Zen8Tea won
a real solid mouthfeel and long aftertaste

But when I go in the garden with the Chao Zhou stove and kettle boiling the water - the Chao Zhou pots won, multilayered flavours coming through from first sip to end of cup - but not as much texture as the Zisha.

I have not found it so easy to describe differences between different Yixing Clays on Yan Cha.

[Maxwell2079]

Hi Herb_Master,

Thank you so much for your answer!!

[Herb_Master]

Have you read this thread

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=15245

I guess I will probably go with a teapot from Cheng Shouzhen. I like the idea of buying directly and having a better idea of what you're getting compared to no-name teapots of questionable quality from other sources. I e-mailed them to ask about the capacity of a specific teapot. Are they typically reasonably responsive?

If I want a teapot that will primarily be used for just myself, occasionally one other person, what is a good capacity? I was thinking something like 120-150ml.

Are the sub-$100 teapots at Cheng Shouzhen of similar value compared to the more expensive ones they carry? A lot of them seem to be made by a couple of apprentices -- not necessarily a bad thing.

If its for max 3 people, I would get the smallest you can from Chen. Perhaps 4 different clay in the same style? 100-120 ml its my vote. Let us know whats the final verdict

If you are buying 2 or 3 then maybe Tim or Tingjunkie will advise you of which clays to purchase in order to easily observe more dramatically different results.

Make sure you PM or Email Chen in advance to check the size is exactly as listed. If you are selecting different clays, then you will need to have a dialogue with her in advance of the order, anyway!

http://www.zishateapot.co.uk/index.php? ... page&id=17

[Maxwell2079]

Hi H_B,

Thanks for your advice. I have read that thread already, very informative. But sometimes as you mention in a thread, there are conflicting opinions on shapes, clays ,etc. And it gets confusing .

I will be more than grateful if any knowledgeable teachater can give me any advice when it comes to choosing.
Do you think this is the appropriate thread? Or should ask for advice in a different one?

[bagua7]

Perhaps Herb_Master could have been more specific with the teas he referred to because, for instance, there is a huge difference between brewing sheng (raw) puerh tea and gaoshan oolongs.

Cheers.

[Herb_Master]

Perhaps Herb_Master could have been more specific with the teas he referred to because, for instance, there is a huge difference between brewing sheng (raw) puerh tea and gaoshan oolongs.

Cheers.

The whole point of me telling him to start this thread to solicit advice from others

My Shouzhen pot has only been used for Yan Cha - and too rarely for me to give him solid recommendations on how it will develop over time - as discussed with Max in previous conversations with him!

My one pot is 170ml Di Cao Qing - I now go instinctively for a 110, 100 or 140 Zhuni when brewing Yan Cha alone. I suggested this thread so others may advise him of different clays they have purchased from Shouzhen, and how they are likely to develop over time!

[Maxwell2079]

Thx again H_B!

You've been very kind. Have you tried the di cao qing with shu puerh?

By the way, is the opening of the duoqiu wide enough for the type of yancha leaves?


Hi Bagua, do you practice Ba Gua Zhang? You can check my master videos in http://escueladetaichi.com.ar/video.php just for fun.

[Herb_Master]

I am not a great lover of Shu, except in the sense that it imitates very old Sheng. When I am in Malaysia I enjoy very old Sheng with friends in tea shops there. Having bought a few Shu and a Few Sheng for home consumption, I would not dream of putting Shu in a pot that would be used for Oolong.

It is not too difficult to put large Yan Cha leaves in the 170ml Duo Qiu, it takes a bit of fiddling, but it is nice and deep so they go in quite easily on the diagonal. I usually drink my Yan Cha from 100 and 110ml pots which are more of a fiddle.

TingJunkie may be the expert on putting large leaves in small yixings, his preferred size is in the 60ml to 80ml range, I believe.

[bagua7]

The whole point of me telling him to start this thread to solicit advice from others

Not a problem. Written communication is not always perfect (things get lost in translation in most instances) otherwise we would require one single message all the time.

My one pot is 170ml Di Cao Qing - I now go instinctively for a 110, 100 or 140 Zhuni when brewing Yan Cha alone. I suggested this thread so others may advise him of different clays they have purchased from Shouzhen, and how they are likely to develop over time!

I also got one low profile di cao qing pot from Shouzen (very well-crafted and cute pot) in the small department (80mL) which I have stored for ageing and which will be used for sheng puerh tea in the future. This baby needs a lot of maturity, it has got too much wild Qi on it.

Hi Bagua, do you practice Ba Gua Zhang? You can check my master videos in http://escueladetaichi.com.ar/video.php just for fun.

Yes I do, I have posted several messages over at "emptyflower forum" (Gerard) if you wish to know more about what I exactly do with Baguazhang.

[Maxwell2079]

Hi Bagua7,

What do you mean by aging the pot? How do you age it?

I have read a thread started by TIM where he says his pot was very fresh.
And people recommend it to soak it in water etc.

Is this what you mean by aging the pot?

[bagua7]

Putting the pot aside, on a shelf/dark room away from direct sunlight for several years until the Qi of the pot matures a bit because young pots made of purer clay are too immature to brew tea correctly.

Everything in the Universe is energy and it comes layered.

[TIM]

Putting the pot aside, on a shelf/dark room away from direct sunlight for several years until the Qi of the pot matures a bit because young pots made of purer clay are too immature to brew tea correctly.

Everything in the Universe is energy and it comes layered.

You totally lost me there? What!?

[bagua7]

You totally lost me there? What!?

Daoist esoteric stuff, don't worry too much.

[Maxwell2079]

Well, coming from an internal martial artist practitioner the answer sounds all right.