Essence of Tea new yixing

[Zacherywolf7]

Sorry if this seems like an ad but rather I wanted to spread the word so that anyone interested in yixings know about this.

https://www.essenceoftea.com/blog/2016/ ... apot-news/

In summary, over the next couple of months EoT is digging up older pots, changing from getting them from a modern workshop. If they are as good as the puerh they find (and even the pots they already have), these should be amazing.

[William]

Good to know!

[wei301]

Are older yixing pot better?

[kyarazen]

Are older yixing pot better?

[jayinhk]

lol @ kyarazen's response. Yes, you need to try an older pot for yourself wei--the clay quality is completely different.

[kyarazen]

lol @ kyarazen's response. Yes, you need to try an older pot for yourself wei--the clay quality is completely different.

no, it is just a very complex question without a direct answer.
whether new or old, as long as it is well selected, they both perform well, with my preference going towards the old ones.

this is not to exclude the number of crappy old pots, and the number of crappy new pots too

[wei301]

lol @ kyarazen's response. Yes, you need to try an older pot for yourself wei--the clay quality is completely different.

Is it still possible to get unused "older pots"? If they have been used, how can we clean them properly? I saw a pot described as "light use", with some ugly marks ...

[BW85]

Is it still possible to get unused "older pots"? If they have been used, how can we clean them properly? I saw a pot described as "light use", with some ugly marks ...

Yes there are still plenty of older pots that haven't been used. And pots that have been used can been cleaned, you can search this forum and find different cleaning methods

[LouPepe]

Are older yixing pot better?

My favorite pot is a modern EoT yixing. It would be helpful to point out that it's a clay #1 pot which is their costliest of their modern selection. But in my eyes it proves that what really matters is quality of clay, proper firing, and craftmanship. Old pots seem to be as much of a crapshoot as new ones. You have to spend either way to get a nice one. Save if you have to. Buy from reputable sellers. My 3 cents

[steanze]

There are good modern clays and good old clays. My impression is that the number of people buying pots today in China is larger, and that to meet that demand a lot more crappy pots are being offered on the market.
So if you are picking randomly among old factory 1 pots and among modern pots, the chances of getting good clay are MUCH higher among factory 1 pots.
Another thing to consider is that the firing is different. I do wonder sometimes what some old clays would look like fired with current techniques.
For modern pots, there are also some fairly good artisans who focus on the artistic aspect of craftmanship and not as much on clay quality. So that is another factor, you want to know what are the priorities of the artisan who made the pot and what she/he is known for.

[bagua7]

no, it is just a very complex question without a direct answer.

Actually, it's quite simple; for example compare the Taiji skill of Chen Xiaowang (someone who had been practicing this art for over 60 years) to a young apprentice with only 3 years of Taiji practice. Who do you think is going to perform better and understand the complexity of this art?

Take a 40-year-old pot made of decent clay to that of pot made in 2010? Which is going to yield better tea bearing in mind equal brewing parameters? Even though the final brew might no be significant to the uneducated palate, there will be for the experienced tea drinker since age produces something of higher quality.

[kyarazen]

no, it is just a very complex question without a direct answer.

Actually, it's quite simple; for example compare the Taiji skill of Chen Xiaowang (someone who had been practicing this art for over 60 years) to a young apprentice with only 3 years of Taiji practice. Who do you think is going to perform better and understand the complexity of this art?

Take a 40-year-old pot made of decent clay to that of pot made in 2010? Which is going to yield better tea bearing in mind equal brewing parameters? Even though the final brew might no be significant to the uneducated palate, there will be for the experienced tea drinker since age produces something of higher quality.

that is assuming that in clay there is an "absolute", like if chenxiaowang's taichi is to be regarded as the "absolute" reference, and not a variation of the most original form. there are talented individuals that can dive into taiji real quick, and it does not rule out the existence of people whom had spent half a century practicing and developing something different from the absolute.

the peak of qing zhuni was around qianlong era or so they say, but the number of them with really decent and non-receded firing is not many (due to retrieval of these pots from graves or the sea), it may be hard to surpass the well fired late qing-roc zhuni that is.

[kyarazen]

lol @ kyarazen's response. Yes, you need to try an older pot for yourself wei--the clay quality is completely different.

Is it still possible to get unused "older pots"? If they have been used, how can we clean them properly? I saw a pot described as "light use", with some ugly marks ...

it is. there are many new in box yixings from the 80s, commonly seen in those white or fangyuan boxes.

or if you are luckier you can look for hongni from the 60s, the unused state is easy to spot today, as pots in the 60s were covered with a layer of protective wax on the exterior, and over time/age, this wax falls off in small patches. the wax can be removed by just a single dose of hot water, but many taiwanese collectors prefer to preserve it with the wax, it is a mark of being "original" and "unused", and may confer a tiny premium over the used one.

[kyarazen]

My favorite pot is a modern EoT yixing. It would be helpful to point out that it's a clay #1 pot which is their costliest of their modern selection. But in my eyes it proves that what really matters is quality of clay, proper firing, and craftmanship. Old pots seem to be as much of a crapshoot as new ones. You have to spend either way to get a nice one. Save if you have to. Buy from reputable sellers. My 3 cents

the type of clay in #1 is similar to the zi-qingshuini of the 70s, clays of such a characteristic/composition is still available today, but not openly, mostly held in the hands of people replicating old pots or high end pots. from the grape vine, it seemed that the real "hoarding" of these clays started in the late 80s, such clay was still visible in green label pots (78
'82), but post that period, no longer seen.

in the 60-70s, this clay was used to make flowerpots, and all sorts of random objects, i have some $10 flower pots from the 70s that are made of some of the densest and most beautiful qingshuini ever..

[kyarazen]

There are good modern clays and good old clays. My impression is that the number of people buying pots today in China is larger, and that to meet that demand a lot more crappy pots are being offered on the market.
So if you are picking randomly among old factory 1 pots and among modern pots, the chances of getting good clay are MUCH higher among factory 1 pots.
Another thing to consider is that the firing is different. I do wonder sometimes what some old clays would look like fired with current techniques.
For modern pots, there are also some fairly good artisans who focus on the artistic aspect of craftmanship and not as much on clay quality. So that is another factor, you want to know what are the priorities of the artisan who made the pot and what she/he is known for.

yup btw the taiwanese people have been refiring their pots, a couple of years ago there was a thread in potsart or was it t4u? that someone refired old Duanni pots and it turned out quite well. a couple of merchants/traders i met, also refire their pots discretely. i have an ROC pot that needs refiring, so i'm thinking of scouting a local potter to help me do it