Buying a Yixing Teapot...Help!

[oolongtimeago]

Hello all,

I have recently become fascinated with the art of gong fu tea brewing and I have been looking to buy a yixing teapot online (since there are no tea shops near me). With so many fakes out there, especially online, I seek out the help of you knowledgeable people to help me. Here are my requirements.

- real zisha clay, no chemical blends
- semi handmade is fine
- newly made, not antique
- it will be used as a brewing pot, not collectable

I have found this website http://zishayixing.com/ and it checks out pretty well. I have read a few reviews on steepster and the reviews were positive, I'm just a little hesitant. Are the prices here reasonable? Can I get the same quality cheaper? Is this site completely fake and I need to look somewhere else? Please give me your favorite sites to buy from and your opinions on this one.

Thanks for all the help!

[Bef]

I suggest that you have a look at Origin Tea. You can send him an e-mail to know what he recommends for you.

[bonescwa]

As a fellow beginner, I drank chinese tea from small gaiwans for about 3 years before thinking about buying a yixing. I studied and read everything I could find online, evaluated the pots for sale on vendors and ebay. If money is no object, you can jump in and overpay (on my opinion) for something that is decently made and makes tea taste different from a gaiwan. Origin tea had a nice sale on their modern pots a little while ago. I would suggest a price point of at least 100 dollars to start. Listen to the experienced people on here, especially the ones not located in Asia if you want good advice about online shopping from a Western perspective (if you're in America/Europe).

[oolongtimeago]

Thanks for the help,

Of the pots that I did find on origin tea they did seem a little less expensive. With that said, I found a total of 2 modern pots that weren't sold out . So is http://zishayixing.com/ totally out of the question? Is it more of a, "definetely no" or a "you could probably get it cheaper"?

[bonescwa]

I don't know about them. It looks like they definitely sell some gaudy touristy pots, but that doesn't mean they don't have anything good. And I would take any review from steepster with a grain of salt, there are very few people on there that know anything about tea.

[kyarazen]

Thanks for the help,

Of the pots that I did find on origin tea they did seem a little less expensive. With that said, I found a total of 2 modern pots that weren't sold out . So is http://zishayixing.com/ totally out of the question? Is it more of a, "definetely no" or a "you could probably get it cheaper"?

what are the teas that you intend to brew with it? it could be good to know the volume you are looking at as well before deciding on a purchase.

[oolongtimeago]

Thanks for the help,

Of the pots that I did find on origin tea they did seem a little less expensive. With that said, I found a total of 2 modern pots that weren't sold out . So is http://zishayixing.com/ totally out of the question? Is it more of a, "definetely no" or a "you could probably get it cheaper"?

what are the teas that you intend to brew with it? it could be good to know the volume you are looking at as well before deciding on a purchase.

I haven't quite decided yet, but most likely some high mountain oolongs (my favorite). As far as the volume, I'll only be making tea usually for myself and one other person. So 100-150 ml should be plenty large.

[Bef]

BTW, Origin Tea often has some teapots that are not yet listed on their website. You can send them an e-mail to see if they have anything else available...

[oolongtimeago]

I took a look at origin, I know this contradicts what I said about antiques but... any thoughts on this one? http://www.origintea.net/teaware/older- ... a-le-100ml

[BW85]

I just purchased 2 yixing from origintea, one of which is factory 1. They have very good pots for the money. The thing about vintage pots is that they're typically going to be better clay than modern pots in the same price range

[oolongtimeago]

I just purchased 2 yixing from origintea, one of which is factory 1. They have very good pots for the money. The thing about vintage pots is that they're typically going to be better clay than modern pots in the same price range

I at first avoided antiques because I only found ones ranging $700 + but I now see that I can find a better quality pot at a decent price if it isn't modern. Is there a way to "un-season" a vintage pot so I can start over the process with a new tea? That was the other appeal factor to a new pot.

[Peacock]

The pots from Origintea haven't been used.

[bonescwa]

I just purchased 2 yixing from origintea, one of which is factory 1. They have very good pots for the money. The thing about vintage pots is that they're typically going to be better clay than modern pots in the same price range

I at first avoided antiques because I only found ones ranging $700 + but I now see that I can find a better quality pot at a decent price if it isn't modern. Is there a way to "un-season" a vintage pot so I can start over the process with a new tea? That was the other appeal factor to a new pot.

And the seasoning stuff is kind of overblown anyway.

[oolongtimeago]

Ooohhh, I don't know why I assumed they were...that's why I ask the questions, and you answer them . I think I found what I was looking for, thanks for your time and knowledge.

[bagua7]

Here are other vendors who sell real Yixing pots:

Jing Tea Shop (quality pots).

Life in Teacup (quality stuff).

Spring Teaware (formerly known as Shouzen). As above they have more pots for sale but you need to contact them by e-mail as discussed here.

Wisdom China sources their pots from the same potters as zishayixing but at a much lower price. Some pots are good some are not that good, ask here if you need further advice. I like their jiangpo ni and duan ni pots. I got few of them are they are excellent.