What Tea does Yixing absorb the best?

[cinemadonkey]

I've been thinking about purchasing a Yixing pot soon because I've recently been getting really into loose leaf teas. What kind of tea would you say Yixing is good for over prolonged use? Thanks!

[iannon]

you will probably get a myriad of opinions on this BUT really..if you are just starting out with looseleaf I may suggest a couple Gaiwans of different sizes while you start on your teajourney. or a very small glazed pot. that way you can really try out different teas before dedicating a yixing to one type in particular.

[tingjunkie]

Yixing pots are traditionally used for Chinese teas- most often for oolongs and puerh, though you could really use them for any tea you want. I'd second iannon's advice though- start out with a gaiwan and focus on the teas. The world of Yixing pots is one deep, dark rabbit hole to get yourself into, especially when you are just beginning to get into loose leaf. One big issue being that each Yixing pot should be dedicated to one specific type of tea- this doesn't lend itself to a whole lot of experimentation with many different teas.

[bagua7]

I've recently been getting really into loose leaf teas.

What kind of loose tea have you been brewing?

[GongFuChan]

I will go against the grain and say if you have your heart set on Yixing, by all means get one of the yixing starter sets. It will give you a hands on "this is what yixing brewing is like" experience. Yixing really makes a difference in how the tea comes out. It also gives you a baseline to compare to when you get a more expensive yixing pot.

Of course get a gaiwan as well. Gaiwan are cheap and all around good for drinking or brewing.

[JRS22]

I purchased a reasonably priced Yixing pot as a starter pot for Puerh based on advice I received on Teachat. Take a look at the apprentice yixings at Red Blossom. They're affordable enough to experiment with.

http://www.redblossomtea.com/teaware/sp ... ixing.html

[GongFuChan]

Those are really nice pots at that site. Simple designs and hand crafted. I think 100 usd is a pretty steep price and represents a fairly high quality. Not being able to see the pots up close I can only say from the picture and descriptions that any of those pots on that web page are fantastic pot and much better than a "starter" pot.

My starter set costed roughly $40usd and had the pot, bowl, pitcher, six saucers and six cups(lined with porcelain). It is a dull colored zisha and the pot was too big but it was enough that I got a feel for what I wanted and needed. I bought my first artist's pot a month later for $100usd.

[isaac]

My suggestion is that you first determine the type of tea that captures your attention. Use a gaiwan for this.

Next find the appropriate clay for the yixing pots that suit your preferred tea.

Get a relatively inexpensive yixing teapot. It is best if you have access to a chinese teashop. When there is one such shop, it is only a matter of time that you will find knowledgeable people around. Ask them for advice and your knowledge and experience will increase by leaps and bounds.

[JRS22]

Those are really nice pots at that site. Simple designs and hand crafted. I think 100 usd is a pretty steep price and represents a fairly high quality. Not being able to see the pots up close I can only say from the picture and descriptions that any of those pots on that web page are fantastic pot and much better than a "starter" pot.

The artisan pots are $108. The apprentice pots I was referring to are only $43 and should also be handcrafted as they're made by senior students who are on the road to becoming artisans. I purchased mine based on the advice of a Teachatter who had handled them in the shop.

[isaac]

I can't speak for matters outside of my experience. Within my experience, hand-crafted new teapots are priced above one thousand for a junior accredited potter of an established potter family.

The world of yixing is really a tad complex. You will have plenty of questions should you delve deeply into it. So go slow and take your time.

Should you progress to a stage whereby you love teapots more than the tea, you might like to check out http://www.chinazsh.com (I have no monetary interest in this website - I am just a regular online visitor to it). My favourite is http://www.chinazsh.com/uploading/pic.php?iInfoID=243. Well, that's my contribution. All the best, isaac.

[bagua7]

Hi isaac,

Thanks for sharing this link . There are many gorgeous pots in the page, truly impressive pieces of art. For example:













There are no prices listed on that page, I only found the contact details and I guess all communication with the studios would be strictly in Chinese, right? Too bad I can't read it.

[tingjunkie]

My suggestion is that you first determine the type of tea that captures your attention. Use a gaiwan for this.

Next find the appropriate clay for the yixing pots that suit your preferred tea.

Get a relatively inexpensive yixing teapot. It is best if you have access to a chinese teashop. When there is one such shop, it is only a matter of time that you will find knowledgeable people around. Ask them for advice and your knowledge and experience will increase by leaps and bounds.

I agree with your first suggestion completely, but sending a beginner (or even a seasoned veteran) to figure out which clay will suit their favorite tea is a wild goose chase in my opinion. If picking out a clay for a specific tea was that easy, we'd have the official list as a sticky here on the forum. Generalities exist, but ultimately, the pot always chooses the tea.

[isaac]

Not really. By the time he explores and know his taste in tea, he is no longer a beginner.

Even if he escalates that step and still remains within the category of 'beginner', there are sufficient opinions within this forum for him to make his own tentative opinions.

With these tentative opinions, he can proceed to the practical step of trying out the various types of zisha that matches his needs. If that is not practical, then compromises will need to be made. As for the nature of compromises, that will depend on the specific issues that are raised at that point in future.

Finally, my perspective in taking it slow and easy still remains a strong recommendation to him. With that, his tuition costs will remain as low as possible. This can be a very addictive hobby and besides, there are technical considerations that will not surface until sufficient practical experience is formed and a willing teacher emerges.

[isaac]

You are welcome, bagua7. Not all the pots are for sale and the price need to be enquired.

[isaac]

For those interested in matching tea to teapots, may I suggest this book for your reference: "The beauty of chinese yixing teapots and the finer art of tea drinking". It is found at http://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Chinese-Yi ... 119&sr=8-2

The author has experimented with various types of teapots in his efforts to match tea to clay. Caveat: the clay situation in his day is very different from the clay situation today.

Some customer reviews of his findings:

This is a real stunner for anyone who has a penchant for YiXing teapots. When I received this lovely work as a Christmas gift, I was so stunned, I almost cried. Lim Kean Siew is obviously a great lover of these unique teapots and this book does a beautiful job of displaying that love. The photos are perfectly lit, show fine detail and make you really want each teapot! But, sorry, all of the teapots pictured are from his private collection. He does a nice job of describing his early tea experiences, his budding appreciation of YiXing teapots and the history of where they originated. I found the duel printing of his words in both english and chinese very welcome and helped to set the 'atmosphere' of this book. And, since you purchase one of these teapots for both use and artistic beauty, he displays gorgeous teapot images from his private collection with a recommendation of the precise tea best enjoyed in that teapot. While not all that useful (the recommendations), the photos are certainly stunning 'eye candy'. From the very first teapot pictured, I simply wanted to own each and every one. After his gallery of teapots he describes how to enjoy tea properly. He goes into enough detail to satisfy any YiXing teapot enthusist. My only complaints (if you can call them that): the teapots pictured are one of a kind so tea recommendations are not very helpful, the translation from Chinese to English could be a little bit better and I think the editor should have pared some of the rambling (the tests at the end maybe?). But, I assure you, this is a very nice book that would make a great conversation piece.

In this book, the author is looking at the relationship between Yixing pots and Chinese tea from a new point of view based on his experiments. Yixing pots are unglazed stone ware only made in Yixing, China. Tea lovers have been treasuring those pots for hundreds of years, not only for their artistic value, but also for their practical side, the pots enhances the flavour of tea. His theory is a Yixing pot speaks for itself--a pot chooses tea to be made. The book includes plenty of beautiful pictures of Yixing pots and the explanations about his experiments. His efforts definitely brings the art of drinking Chinese tea to the new heights. I just wanted little more reading parts. But this is a beautiful book by all means and I recommend everybody who loves tea.