Yixing teapot for white tea

[prezeus]

Hi guys!! I have a question. Is it wrong to use a Yixing teapot for white tea? I heard that white tea taste is too delicate for a teapot (that will absorbe some of the taste) and you would get more aroma in a gaiwan.

Also is there a zisha color or shape preference for white tea if using a yixing teapot?

Thank you in advance, Im currently in China "Shenyang" and it's amazing to go to the tea markets!!

[PolyhymnianMuse]

To say white teas are delicate would be a false assumption. It can be truer for whites, but like all teas you will find some remarkebly full bodied ones. Theres nothing to say you cant dedicate a yixing to white teas other than personal preferance.

[prezeus]

Sorry, I meant more delicate than other kinds of tea in general terms. I heard here in a Chinese tea shop that using a gaiwan you would get more aroma and taste when infusing white tea. Do you guys think that's true?

Thank you PolyhumnianMuse for your respond

[PolyhymnianMuse]

Generally speaking, since not all teas brew the same way, and furthermore not all white teas brew the same, I don't think that can be an accurate assumption. Is the gaiwan porcelain, glass, or other material? Thin or on the thicker side? All these things will affect taste even if using the same exact brewing parameters.

[steanze]

I think a Yixing pot is not so necessary for white teas. They do tend to be more delicate, although there is variability among them. I usually brew them below boiling and for a longer time. I don't usually do gongfu with them.
You can get more aroma in a gaiwan, but it is not clear whether you always want more aroma. Sometimes you might want a slightly fuller body and less aroma, you can decide that depending on the particular tea and especially on what you feel like that day
I would focus on getting a couple of good yixings for yancha and pu erh if you have the opportunity, ~100ml zhuni for yancha, ~120ml zini for puerh. Have fun!

[ethan]

+1 for advice from steanze but no harm in experimenting

If you have a yixing pot, prepare white tea in it. Don't overthink. It won't ruin seasoning to put a different tea in a pot than the type of tea you have dedicated it to, just for a few times.

[tingjunkie]

I would focus on getting a couple of good yixings for yancha and pu erh if you have the opportunity, ~100ml zhuni for yancha, ~120ml zini for puerh. Have fun!

Why those particular clay types and sizes for those teas?

[steanze]

I would focus on getting a couple of good yixings for yancha and pu erh if you have the opportunity, ~100ml zhuni for yancha, ~120ml zini for puerh. Have fun!

Why those particular clay types and sizes for those teas?

Good question. On sizes, I think ~100ml is quite good for yancha, because it is large enough that the long leaves fit, small enough that you don't spend a lot every time you prepare it. But between 80ml and 120ml are also fine, and even 60ml, in that case it's easier if the shape is flatter and with a wider opening. 140 starts to feel really big for yancha. But of course there isn't a precise separating line so that smaller than 123ml is fine and bigger than 123ml does not work
For puerh, I usually like a slightly larger pot than for yancha, many of the considerations are the same but I tend to drink a bit more when I have pu erh.
Now for clay types, there is a huge debate on this (for instance here: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=20577). In my experience, even in the face of the large amount of variability due to particle size and firing, teapots of "clays like zini" tend to make the tea thicker and smoother subtracting some aroma, as compared to "clays like zhuni". Here "clays like zini" can include also clays that don't look so much like zini, like jiangponi, but often brown clays like zini or dicaoqing or qingshuini tend to do that. In the case of yancha, I have the impression that some drinkers consider more important the aromas/nuances, while others consider more important the body/thickness of the tea. Also the same drinker may care more about one or the other depending on the day. If one aims for a thicker tea (or also if the tea is very high roasted and hasn't rested enough for the roast to subside), then using a "clay like zini" can be a good option. Those clays also reduce bitterness a bit more, so one can push the tea with a bit more leaf or slightly longer infusions and get a thicker brew that is not too bitter. However, for yancha that has a good balance between aromas and body, I tend to prefer "clays like zhuni" (e.g. zhuni, hongni), because I feel that the body is already sufficiently thick, and I can get more of the nuances in the aroma.
For puerh, especially if aged (if very young I'd go with a gaiwan), I think there are fewer nuances in the aroma and I prefer a smoother body, so I'd go for a zini (or dicaoqing, or qingshuini, or jiangponi, or hongpilong, or qinghuini ...) pot.

In general, I think that everyone should experiment and see what they like, but if someone were just starting and had the opportunity to get a couple of pots in China, without enough time to learn about their preferences before coming back, I would suggest a zhuni and zini around those sizes to simplify things

[theredbaron]

However, for yancha that has a good balance between aromas and body, I tend to prefer "clays like zhuni" (e.g. zhuni, hongni), because I feel that the body is already sufficiently thick, and I can get more of the nuances in the aroma.
For puerh, especially if aged (if very young I'd go with a gaiwan), I think there are fewer nuances in the aroma and I prefer a smoother body, so I'd go for a zini (or dicaoqing, or qingshuini, or jiangponi, or hongpilong, or qinghuini ...) pot.

+1

That's more or less exactly how i have in most cases ended up pairing my pots

[prezeus]

Thank you again for your responses!! Once I return home from my China trip, I will show you a photo of my new Yixing teapots. It was around 200 Yuan (30€) each, I bought it in those tea markets. Im going now to Beijing for few days, and I don't know if I should buy a expensive one. What do you think? is 200 Yuan (30€) usually right here in China? I'm not looking for a hand-made artisan masterpiece, just good clay for making good tea.

Thank you again!

[Jaymo]

Another place to consider, if you haven't, is the TeaSwap section of the forums here. There are some decent pots for decent prices that show up there.

[kuánglóng]

What do you think? is 200 Yuan (30€) usually right here in China? I'm not looking for a hand-made artisan masterpiece, just good clay for making good tea.

Thank you again!

It all depends on the individual pot. I paid around 30€ some years ago in Kunming for what has become my favorite Yixing pot. I bought a different, slightly larger pot for about the same amount and couldn't ask for anything 'better'.
Regarding the 'right' pot for any tea just keep experimenting. I mainly drink Himalayan teas and Oolongs and keep switching between different brewing vessels and methods all the time. Couldn't think of a better way to get to know a tea and your gear from the inside out.

[prezeus]

Ok!! Thank you all for your responses. I'll see if I can find a good gaiwan and will see if another yixing teapot cross my way.

See you!