Yixing pairing

[Exempt]

I am thinking of buying a small, high fire zisha (according to the vendor) teapot for oolongs. I prefer dark, fruity dancongs but there are other oolongs I enjoy. I don't have the budget to buy multiple teapots at the moment. Would it be ok to brew mostly dancongs in the pot but occasionally brew other oolongs, or should I stick to just dancong until I get a new teapot?

Edit: The other oolongs would be wuyi

[dpower12]

http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=14442

That should answer any and all questions

[wyardley]

If you like dancong and are short on money, why not use a thin porcelain gaiwan? This is suitable for brewing many types of oolongs, and will possibly bring out the fragrance better, and be less likely to "stew" the tea, than most zisha pots.

[Exempt]

If you like dancong and are short on money, why not use a thin porcelain gaiwan? This is suitable for brewing many types of oolongs, and will possibly bring out the fragrance better, and be less likely to "stew" the tea, than most zisha pots.

Do you think the same goes for wuyi oolongs

[TIM]

If you like dancong and are short on money, why not use a thin porcelain gaiwan? This is suitable for brewing many types of oolongs, and will possibly bring out the fragrance better, and be less likely to "stew" the tea, than most zisha pots.

Do you think the same goes for wuyi oolongs

Take the advice from Will. Same goes to all tea

[bagua7]

No budget? Better stick to wyardley's advice because you'll most likely end up purchasing pots that won't like those teas. Buying Yixings is like gambling, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Yixings are picky "animals."

[wyardley]

If you like dancong and are short on money, why not use a thin porcelain gaiwan? This is suitable for brewing many types of oolongs, and will possibly bring out the fragrance better, and be less likely to "stew" the tea, than most zisha pots.

Do you think the same goes for wuyi oolongs

I am more likely to use a zisha pot for yancha than for dancong, but I do find that with many Wuyi oolongs, regardless of processing, that a porcelain gaiwan often gives as good, or better, results. This is especially true (IMHO) for lower to medium quality teas.

Don't get me wrong; Yixing teapots are great, but you can take your time to build that collection slowly, and, if your budget is limited, there's no need to rush.

[Exempt]

No budget? Better stick to wyardley's advice because you'll most likely end up purchasing pots that won't like those teas. Buying Yixings is like gambling, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Yixings are picky "animals."

It's not that I have no budget, I'm just looking to spend around $100 and I know that a lot of high quality yixing teapots go for many times that much. I prefer spending more of my budget on high quality teas instead of teaware. It's a waste of money to spend $1000 on an amazing teapot if I only have enough money left for Lipton tea

[Exempt]

If you like dancong and are short on money, why not use a thin porcelain gaiwan? This is suitable for brewing many types of oolongs, and will possibly bring out the fragrance better, and be less likely to "stew" the tea, than most zisha pots.

Do you think the same goes for wuyi oolongs

I am more likely to use a zisha pot for yancha than for dancong, but I do find that with many Wuyi oolongs, regardless of processing, that a porcelain gaiwan often gives as good, or better, results. This is especially true (IMHO) for lower to medium quality teas.

Don't get me wrong; Yixing teapots are great, but you can take your time to build that collection slowly, and, if your budget is limited, there's no need to rush.

Are there any specific vendors you recommend that sell thin porcelain gaiwans? Currently I have a medium wall gaiwan from dth and a really thick one from a local shop.

[bagua7]

Gaiwan and you'll love your teas. Here (the last two, I use one for Chinese greens and it's thin) and you'll be laughing. Cheap and good quality.

[AdamMY]

Going to walk on both sides of the line, because I am not sure how long you have been drinking tea, or how confident you are in how much you have settled into your preferred tastes.

If you feel you are still very much into exploring, I would go with a gaiwan. Heck if you do not have a gaiwan, and are getting more and more into Chinese and Taiwanese teas, a gaiwan is nearly essential ( if you want to attempt anything close to gong fu brewing opposed to western style with large amounts of water and rather small amounts of leaves).

That being said as someone rather fond of teaware ( though attached more to Glazed wares), if you are dead set on a teapot, don't change your mind so quickly. Just know that I gather even quite a few of the more advanced if not experts in yixing on this forum who are forced to purchase Yixing online on a somwhat regular basis, usually do not know exactly what they have until it arrives. I am not trying to be discouraging, but with yixing you either need to stalk well trusted vendors websites for a pot you really like and hope you are the first to swoop. Otherwise its is a borderline gamble, which is in part why there was a huge outcry for gaiwan prior to leaping full force into yixing.

Though coming from a self admitted teaware addict and by extension borderline if not full on snob. I almost feel everyone that purchases yixing initially make some mistakes. We can only hope that the mistakes we make are not that costly. I myself have 3 horror stories, my very first two Yixings might as well have been teapot shaped terra cotta pots, if it sounds unpleasant to use for brewing, they really really were. Another one i still have, I should take it out and see if it is really as bad as I remember it. But to borrow a phrase Robert Yellin used about mass produced "bizen" pottery, but it just seems like fake plastic compared to something even remotely real. ( It is not actually plastic but it just seems like it is).

While Yixing does seem daunting, I will say gaiwans are no walk in the park either, but those rely much more on your own personal preferences for how you brew with them. So either way you go, I recommend caution.

Wow looking back at this post, I look like I am saying do not take the leap into these specialized teawares, but actually my feelings are quite the opposite, it is just a rabbit hole, a very enjoyable one, but a possibly never ending one.

[Exempt]

I realize the potential dangers of purchasing yixing but I have the chance to buy a nice looking small teapot from Stephane at teamasters. From reviews I have seen he seems to be a good, reliable vendor. It costs less than $75 dollars so even if It doesn't work well with some of the teas I want a yixing for, it wouldn't be a huge loss.

And Adam, I do have a couple gaiwans and 2 yixing pots (albiet not great). I am fairly experienced with puerh but I am only beginning to venture into oolong. I have decided that I enjoy wuyi and dan congs more than any other type and that is why I wanted to dedicate a yixing teapot.

[jayinhk]

And Adam, I do have a couple gaiwans and 2 yixing pots (albiet not great). I am fairly experienced with puerh but I am only beginning to venture into oolong. I have decided that I enjoy wuyi and dan congs more than any other type and that is why I wanted to dedicate a yixing teapot.

IMO Wuyi oolongs and Dancong benefit less from Yixing use than pu erh, but a good pot will make it taste better. Kind of sick of dancong at present, but I use two thin walled zisha Yixings for my TGY and SX and I do feel they bring the best out of my tea and allow me to keep the temperature up, especially in later infusions.

[Exempt]

And Adam, I do have a couple gaiwans and 2 yixing pots (albiet not great). I am fairly experienced with puerh but I am only beginning to venture into oolong. I have decided that I enjoy wuyi and dan congs more than any other type and that is why I wanted to dedicate a yixing teapot.

IMO Wuyi oolongs and Dancong benefit less from Yixing use than pu erh, but a good pot will make it taste better. Kind of sick of dancong at present, but I use two thin walled zisha Yixings for my TGY and SX and I do feel they bring the best out of my tea and allow me to keep the temperature up, especially in later infusions.

This is probably a stupid question but if the goal is to keep the heat up, why does everyone seem to recommend thin porcelain or thin yixing for oolongs? It seems that the thicker the material the longer it should retain heat

[jayinhk]

I believe it's because porcelain conducts heat much better than the air does!