70mL Shui Ping

[the_skua]

Hi all. It's been a while. I recently found a source for very small shui ping (70mL) and bought one the other day. I'm considering buying more from this source, because they're very reasonable, but I wanted to ask if more experienced members would be willing to provide some comments and thoughts on the quality of the pot. Slipcast or hand formed? Age? Value?

It holds exactly 70mL, has a really nice ring, and the lid fits pretty well (not perfectly).

Thanks for your help!


70mL Shui Ping


70mL Shui Ping


70mL Shui Ping


70mL Shui Ping


70mL Shui Ping

[brandon]

Hi Skua can we please see a shot at 'eye level' of the front? Straight on shot of the spout.

[the_skua]

Here it is. Thanks for your help!


70mL Shui Ping - Head On

[brandon]

Sorry, I am a little perplexed by this piece. Please remember I am just a beginning learner! It is new and trying to mimic something it isn't (mimics 80s-90s factory 1 red clay mix for Taiwan export, is a shot in the dark from me.) It is a copy, but I don't understand how it is made. I can't make out any tool marks or joins that would indicate either hand building the slab or joining pieces from a mold. The craftsmanship is well disguised, but the material used is average to my eye. The sand is very coarse. I think the size is very convenient and function is good, so for the right price it is a fine teapot. I feel it has not much collectible value so I would get nervous over $50 or so. Please let us know how it takes to seasoning.

If I am wrong and the clay is better than it looks on my screen, it becomes quite a find.

[wyardley]

I agree with most of what Brandon said - some kind of modern "zhuni" or hongni, clay looks Ok.

I would hang onto it, but I wouldn't necessarily buy 10 of them or anything, especially if the price is over what Brandon mentioned. You'll find that even though small pots aren't the most common, if you keep an eye out for them, you will run into them eventually.

I would guess it's half hand-made? If you look at the closeup of the clay texture around the rim, I'm also guessing it has a layer of makeup clay, though I could be wrong.

If it were me, I'd take off the string, or at least replace it with a longer one.

I think it will start to pick up a nice looking shine fairly quickly.

[tingjunkie]

I'd agree that it's red makeup clay over common pin zi ni. See the rim of the pot around the opening where the clay is ground down? There is purple clay showing with yellow sand mixed in. There's nothing to say this won't brew a decent cup, but I've always avoided these makeup clay pots. They just feel "dishonest" to me.

I've never personally been a fan of ball filters for Yixing, especially smaller pots, but that's a small gripe. My value estimation is closer to $25 or less. As longs as it brews well, it could be a nice utilitarian pot because of the great size, but nothing to get too excited about in my humble opinion.

[theredbaron]

This filter is disaster pre-programmed. When it gets stuffed, it will be major excavation work to get it free during a session. I do not understand why Yixing potters use filters anyhow in their pots nowadays, and worst - not very well made ball filters in small pots.
For practical purposes - I like simple one whole spouts in my Yixing pots - if they get stuffed, one or two pinches at most frees the spout. For Oolong and Pu Erh, which both have very short initial steeping times, a quick and smooth flow is essential.
All spouts get stuffed at times - multihole filter spouts and especially ball filter spouts are very difficult to get free during sessions, and can ruin then the entire session, while one hole filters are quickly to free during a session. More small particles may pass, but i do not see this as a problem at all.

Very frustrating - it is difficult enough to find newly made OK small pots, but almost impossible to find one hole spouts in such small pots. For me, when i still bought Yixing pots, this was a deal breaker, after almost every such pot i bought turned out to be more work than fun.

Only for Japanese greens i find multihole filters useful, if they are well made (but not mesh or ball filters - mesh is a real pain to get clean, and ball filters will always leave that bit too much liquid in the pot). Actually - the first Japanese pot i have found that i am really happy to use without any reservations at all is the small Shimizu Ken pot i recently bought from Hojo.

Finding the right pot(s) is not easy, nowadays. It's not only about clay quality, etc, but also about practicability. It took me years to assemble a few pots i am unreservedly happy about, and a lot of money spent (wasted) on pots i stopped using for one or the other issue.

[wyardley]

I find that most small pots I've come across are single-hole -- maybe that's because most of the small pots are either old, or made in an old style.

If you pack your pot right, you probably won't have it clog on the first brew, but if it does, it is much more likely to happen with a one-hole pot than with pots which have builtin filters. My experience is opposite yours in that I rarely have the pot clog to the point of not pouring quickly enough on pots which have either a multi-hole or ball filter.

While most of my pots do not have a ball filter, I don't mind the ball filter on some newer pots -- it does do a pretty good job of keeping the spout clear. If you get a bit of tea jammed in one or two of the holes, and are worried about it, you can use a toothpick or something to clean it out, or just let it fall out after it dries.

Even though I rarely add one of those add-on metal filters to a single hole pot, the ones I have that already have them seem to work fine, without any noticeable change to the taste of the tea and without clogging.

[chrl42]

Agree with what most Brandon said, it's just an average SP.

Clay quality still questionable, actually it is very hard to say firmly about things like from online. Just relying on my experiences of those modern hongni SPs...retired Factory-1 workers only make those commercial SPs with ok clays, but that doesn't look like the one.

[MarshalN]

The clay doesn't look great to me, but the value of this thing depends entirely on the price paid.

[the_skua]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. It's all been very helpful. I have been trying to decide if I should clean this shop out of their stock, but it sounds like what they're charging ($20) is what they're worth. I'll probably pick up a few more of the nicer ones for my own use. The shop has a random selection of larger pots, some of which even look like they've seen some use, but largely the pots are neglected, super-dusty and part of someone's retired tea shop or collection.

The pour is awesome, compared to my other pots, and I've had the hardest time finding pots this small for anywhere near the price I paid, so I was pretty happy to luck into these.

It also passed the Mandarin's float test (without the lid), sailing along nicely in a bowl of water.

[chrl42]

Thank you everyone for your feedback. It's all been very helpful. I have been trying to decide if I should clean this shop out of their stock, but it sounds like what they're charging ($20) is what they're worth. I'll probably pick up a few more of the nicer ones for my own use. The shop has a random selection of larger pots, some of which even look like they've seen some use, but largely the pots are neglected, super-dusty and part of someone's retired tea shop or collection.

The pour is awesome, compared to my other pots, and I've had the hardest time finding pots this small for anywhere near the price I paid, so I was pretty happy to luck into these.

It also passed the Mandarin's float test (without the lid), sailing along nicely in a bowl of water.

$20 is rmb120 or so. leaving a seller's profit, it's pretty affirmed the actually price well go under rmb100. IMHO, a Yixing made of genuine yixing clay go from rmb200, a bottom (that is, Jing Dian Tao Fang)

Good Hongni is much harder to find than good Zini, too...it's good it floats vertical and pours good...just don't expect too much on the clay.

[Chip]

Only for Japanese greens i find multihole filters useful, if they are well made (but not mesh or ball filters - mesh is a real pain to get clean, and ball filters will always leave that bit too much liquid in the pot). Actually - the first Japanese pot i have found that i am really happy to use without any reservations at all is the small Shimizu Ken pot i recently bought from Hojo.

I am sorry to reply to this, off topic and a tad late, but it has bugged me since I read it.

Of course we can all have preferences. However in Japanese teapots, mesh and ball screen filters when well made and well installed should drain the pot fully. However some care/practice may be needed in pouring in order to fully drain the pot.

And I do not seem to have any problem fully cleaning my mesh screen pots ...

[theredbaron]

Only for Japanese greens i find multihole filters useful, if they are well made (but not mesh or ball filters - mesh is a real pain to get clean, and ball filters will always leave that bit too much liquid in the pot). Actually - the first Japanese pot i have found that i am really happy to use without any reservations at all is the small Shimizu Ken pot i recently bought from Hojo.

I am sorry to reply to this, off topic and a tad late, but it has bugged me since I read it.

Of course we can all have preferences. However in Japanese teapots, mesh and ball screen filters when well made and well installed should drain the pot fully. However some care/practice may be needed in pouring in order to fully drain the pot.

And I do not seem to have any problem fully cleaning my mesh screen pots ...

Well, that's you.
I found the Shimizu Ken pot i recently bought the best made Japanese teapot i have ever used.

[Chip]

Only for Japanese greens i find multihole filters useful, if they are well made (but not mesh or ball filters - mesh is a real pain to get clean, and ball filters will always leave that bit too much liquid in the pot). Actually - the first Japanese pot i have found that i am really happy to use without any reservations at all is the small Shimizu Ken pot i recently bought from Hojo.

I am sorry to reply to this, off topic and a tad late, but it has bugged me since I read it.

Of course we can all have preferences. However in Japanese teapots, mesh and ball screen filters when well made and well installed should drain the pot fully. However some care/practice may be needed in pouring in order to fully drain the pot.

And I do not seem to have any problem fully cleaning my mesh screen pots ...

Well, that's you.
I found the Shimizu Ken pot i recently bought the best made Japanese teapot i have ever used.

No, I am stating fact. And I am not doubting that your new pot is the best pot you ever used. You did not mention the type of screen, but I am assuming it is direct wall type. They are very functional ... when made properly.

However, you paint with a very broad stroke at times and state things seemingly as fact when they are subjective opinions.

A lot has to do with how the screen is made and how it is attached. Done correctly there should be little problem as long as the brewer pours correctly. Perhaps something is "wrong" with your other pots' screens or your methods of pouring.

IMHO