Would like to buy a Yixing teapot

[someusername100]

Hello,

I would like to buy a Yixing teapot. I want something between 100 and 200 ml and i will use it only to make green tea, japanese and chinese.

I don't want to have to worry about quality or authenticity and therefore, I am inquiring if anyone knows of an online store that is so reputable and to be beyond reproach for the most part. In other words, a place where I can buy any Yixing teapot there and be assured of its authenticity or quality.

I see Yixing teapots on ebay for $17. I don't know enough about teapots to sort through the scams.

I have bought from Hojo tea in the past and have been very happy with my purchases, but they don't sell Yixing I believe.

Thank you!

[PatrickCamellia]

Why do you want a yixing for green tea ?

[tingjunkie]

Welcome to the forum. Please use the search feature. Mountains of info here already. What's your budget?

[someusername100]

Why do you want a yixing for green tea ?

Well, my clay teapot broke and I was reading about how great Yixing teapots were so I thought I would look into getting one. I am not an enthusiast and probably will never be, but I really do appreciate drinking tea and I love items of quality and authentic hand-made products.

From your response, I take it that Yixing does not go well with green tea. Would you recommend porcelain instead?

Also, as an aside: I was using 2 good sized pinches of tea leaves for 100 ml of water. Does that ratio seem off to you? I enjoyed the flavor very much, but recently read that a typical ratio is 1 teaspoon for 8 ounces. How does one measure a teaspoon of dried leaves in any event? I could arrange 4 leaves in such a way to exceed the volume of a teaspoon. Are they referring to ground or almost ground tea?

[someusername100]

Welcome to the forum. Please use the search feature. Mountains of info here already. What's your budget?

Thank you for the advice. The search engine has been valuable. My budget is under $200.

[BW85]

Also, as an aside: I was using 2 good sized pinches of tea leaves for 100 ml of water. Does that ratio seem off to you? I enjoyed the flavor very much, but recently read that a typical ratio is 1 teaspoon for 8 ounces. How does one measure a teaspoon of dried leaves in any event? I could arrange 4 leaves in such a way to exceed the volume of a teaspoon. Are they referring to ground or almost ground tea?

That's just very generic advice for probably very generic tea brewed conventionally. If you like the ratio you use, then stick with it. You can also try using more tea leaves and shorter steep times. Lots of possibilities

[entropyembrace]

For Chinese green tea I think most people do use porcelain. But if you wanted an unglazed clay you might have better luck with Tokoname from Japan than Yixing since it's typically used for green teas.

[jayinhk]

For Chinese green you definitely want porcelain. I use a small porcelain teapot (100-150 ml), a porcelain infuser mug, or a gaiwan. Many Chinese green tea drinkers just use a regular glass. I always flash rinse my green tea before brewing, and I fill my small pot 1/3 - 1/2 the way up with tea. I prefer to use more tea and I infuse quickly.

[someusername100]

Thank you all for the very good information.

[tingjunkie]

Though it's not that conventional, I see nothing wrong with using a Yixing for green tea. My only suggestion would be to make sure you have realistic expectations for what a Yixing pot can do. In my experience, the hardest kind of Yixing to find is one that protects and highlights the more delicate flavors and aromas. Using a Yixing is often a trade off on some level. For example: with a roasted oolong, in exchange for mellowing out the slight harsh notes of a recently roasted tea and making the mouthfeel smoother, you will likely have to give up the upper % of the highest flavors and aromas that would come through more when using porcelain. It's a very rare Yixing that can be great at everything.

I think it's also a myth that most Yixing teapots will season so much with use that the tea is improved by a massive amount. Yixing will of course season and improve, especially after the initial 5-10 uses during the break-in period, but the idea that a pot will season to the point of contributing a great deal of flavor is overblown. I hesitate to call it a myth, but it's overhyped.

For me, the benefits of using Yixing over porcelain is the ease of use, appreciation for the craftsmanship, having more control over highlighting certain aspects of a tea, being able to throw more heat at certain teas that benefit from that, and the joy of raising it up and seeing the patina change over time. If I were looking for a Yixing for green tea with your budget and between 100-200ml, I'd have a look at the modern zhuni clay teapots here. This one in particular sounds promising due to the "very thin" walls which will help dissipate heat more quickly so that it will be harder to accidentally cook the delicate green tea.

[someusername100]

For Chinese green you definitely want porcelain. I use a small porcelain teapot (100-150 ml), a porcelain infuser mug, or a gaiwan. Many Chinese green tea drinkers just use a regular glass. I always flash rinse my green tea before brewing, and I fill my small pot 1/3 - 1/2 the way up with tea. I prefer to use more tea and I infuse quickly.

What about Japanese green tea? Would your recommendations change?

[jayinhk]

Yes, kyusu for Japanese tea and no rinsing. Brew cooler! Japanese teas are much easier to brew badly IMO, since they are broken up for the most part and infuse much more quickly and completely.

[jayinhk]

Btw, tingjunkie's Yixing advice is right on...I'm drinking high mountain oolong right now and I'm using a Jingdezhen easy gaiwan. I brewed this tea in hongni and it was still excellent. For greens though...I wouldn't bother, unless you drink rough greens. Greens are all about aroma and I want to experience them in their entirety.

[someusername100]

Though it's not that conventional, I see nothing wrong with using a Yixing for green tea. My only suggestion would be to make sure you have realistic expectations for what a Yixing pot can do. In my experience, the hardest kind of Yixing to find is one that protects and highlights the more delicate flavors and aromas. Using a Yixing is often a trade off on some level. For example: with a roasted oolong, in exchange for mellowing out the slight harsh notes of a recently roasted tea and making the mouthfeel smoother, you will likely have to give up the upper % of the highest flavors and aromas that would come through more when using porcelain. It's a very rare Yixing that can be great at everything.

I think it's also a myth that most Yixing teapots will season so much with use that the tea is improved by a massive amount. Yixing will of course season and improve, especially after the initial 5-10 uses during the break-in period, but the idea that a pot will season to the point of contributing a great deal of flavor is overblown. I hesitate to call it a myth, but it's overhyped.

For me, the benefits of using Yixing over porcelain is the ease of use, appreciation for the craftsmanship, having more control over highlighting certain aspects of a tea, being able to throw more heat at certain teas that benefit from that, and the joy of raising it up and seeing the patina change over time

Thanks a lot for this information. I think I will look into a Yixing after all. What I don't understand with regard to those that say a Yixing is not good for green tea is this: IF a yixing pot is supposed to basically seal itself with the residue of tea after a while, then how is it that it wouldn't be perfect for any tea whatsoever?

[someusername100]

Yes, kyusu for Japanese tea and no rinsing. Brew cooler! Japanese teas are much easier to brew badly IMO, since they are broken up for the most part and infuse much more quickly and completely.

Wow, there is so much to learn. When you say "kyusu", do you mean a clay kyusu or not necessarily?