Opinion on Yixing pots from Zen8tea

[TMike]

I especially want to know what you guys think of their "zhuni's"
real? fake? real but low quality? how about the other pots?

heres' the link to one:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Yixing-Zisha-Ha ... 3cc670b652

Any info from previous buyers would be great.

[chrl42]

Modern Zhuni..clay quality looks mediocre(not too bad)..overall looking is missing somehow, multiple-holes are alined neatly.

For 30 bucks, it'd not bad

[tingjunkie]

I only own one of their teapots- a great 50ml Shui Ping that seems to be sold out now- but my impression of the rest of their stock is quite hit and miss. I do like the looks of their 200ml Shui Pings for the price (although they used to have more interesting clay choices) but I don't need a pot that big. The clay on the "Lucky Wheel" looks pretty good to my eyes. That would be my pick of the litter, personally.

On the other end of the spectrum, there is crap like this, which isn't even close to real clay.

There are also quite a few Taiwanese pots mixed in. Taiwanese pots, depending on the quality, can be superb, but they are a different animal than Yixing.

I think if you avoid the fancy shapes and stick to the pots which are $30 and up, you will be getting a fair price for some real but entry level Yixing & Taiwanese clay.

[TMike]

Thanks a lot guys for the info!

[bagua7]

There are also quite a few Taiwanese pots mixed in. Taiwanese pots, depending on the quality, can be superb, but they are a different animal than Yixing.

How can you tell that pot is made of Taiwanese clay instead of hong ni?

Does anyone know how does Taiwanese clay behave compared to Yixing? Softer, harder?

Cheers.

[tingjunkie]

There are also quite a few Taiwanese pots mixed in. Taiwanese pots, depending on the quality, can be superb, but they are a different animal than Yixing.

How can you tell that pot is made of Taiwanese clay instead of hong ni?

Does anyone know how does Taiwanese clay behave compared to Yixing? Softer, harder?

Cheers.

It's the style and craftsmanship, as much as the look of the clay. Generally speaking, Taiwanese pots are thinner walled, and very high fired clay. They are usually wheel thrown as opposed to slab built like Yixing. In my experience, good Taiwanese pots will behave similarly to Yixing, but the less expensive pots are more like high fired modern zhuni in that they behave closer to porcelain.

[bagua7]

Very interesting. Thanks for the info.

Next time I go to Taiwan I will search for these indigenous pots, I would like to own a couple of pieces at least.

What is your experience with them, I mean what teas have you brewed in them?

[tingjunkie]

I had a black clay pot from a well known artist, but I hated it. It erased too much flavor with gao shan. It could be that I just didn't give it enough of a chance to season up though, because TIM has a similar pot from the same artist, and it seems to perform well. I currently own a beautiful Taiwanese zhuni shui ping, and I love it! It's a killer for bringing out the best in greener gao shan.

As far as lid fit, balance, and symmetry, decent Taiwanese pots are fantastic! They certainly have that going for them.

[bagua7]

Cool, thanks! I have to wait for Taiwan to own this sort of pottery, unfortunately