Should I use these old tea pots for brewing? (need information)

[teato]

Hello everyone, my (deceased) father used to collect old tea pots when he was alive. Some of these pots have been purchased (if I remember correctly, during the 80s and/or 90s in HK). We gave away some of his collections to friends, but I kept his "best" ones.

That was 10 years ago. I just kept everything stored inside a cabinet. Fast forward to present time--I'm starting to appreciate Chinese tea and have also purchased my very first Yixing pot in Shenzhen. I'm leaning towards the Oolong & Pu'er varieties and so far I'm having a blast with my pot.

While I would not sell/give away my father's tea pots, I'm thinking of using some of them (Yixing pots are so expensive!)

I want to know more information about these pots to help me decide which ones I should use (and which ones should still be kept in display on my glass shelf). I would like to request help on:
1. Artist/make/origin of the pot?
2. When was the era it was made?
3. What's the best (type) of tea to brew in that pot?
4. Any relevant information that you might know in identifying the pot.
5. Any comments or discussions about the pots are welcome.

Thank you so much teachat community!

P.S. I'll post the photos of the other pots in this thread soon.

POT #1

[tingjunkie]

Welcome to the forum!

The first pot looks like lovely sandy purple clay and nice craftsmanship, though I can't tell you any specifics about the artist or era. It also looks fairly large in terms of volume. Most tea drinkers tend to gravitate to very small pots (120ml and under) the more they get in to tea. Filling a large pot with tea for gongfu style brewing gets quite expensive. Of course, there's nothing wrong with using Yixing for more relaxed grandpa or Western style brewing either.

Considering these are family heirlooms, the biggest question I think you should ask yourself is how would you feel if the pot was accidentally dropped or chipped? It eventually happens to the best of us, the more we use a pot. If you are very careful, of course the chances are small, but they are still there. At the same time, using the pots would be a wonderful way to honor your dad and feel that connection to him.

Given the large size and the sentimental value, if it were me, I'd probably use the pot once per year with a very special tea (perhaps some nicely aged puerh) to honor my dad. Maybe on his birthday. Ultimately it's up to you, but the pot certainly looks of high enough quality to safely brew tea in. Don't worry about that aspect.

[teato]

POT #2

[teato]

POT # 3

[teato]

POT # 4

[teato]

POT # 5

[teato]

POT # 6

[teato]

POT # 7 (Last one)

[teato]

Welcome to the forum!

The first pot looks like lovely sandy purple clay and nice craftsmanship, though I can't tell you any specifics about the artist or era. It also looks fairly large in terms of volume. Most tea drinkers tend to gravitate to very small pots (120ml and under) the more they get in to tea. Filling a large pot with tea for gongfu style brewing gets quite expensive. Of course, there's nothing wrong with using Yixing for more relaxed grandpa or Western style brewing either.

Considering these are family heirlooms, the biggest question I think you should ask yourself is how would you feel if the pot was accidentally dropped or chipped? It eventually happens to the best of us, the more we use a pot. If you are very careful, of course the chances are small, but they are still there. At the same time, using the pots would be a wonderful way to honor your dad and feel that connection to him.

Given the large size and the sentimental value, if it were me, I'd probably use the pot once per year with a very special tea (perhaps some nicely aged puerh) to honor my dad. Maybe on his birthday. Ultimately it's up to you, but the pot certainly looks of high enough quality to safely brew tea in. Don't worry about that aspect.

Thank you so much for the information; I started using this one for shu puer. I’m currently using it for some western style brewing (the pot is too big for one person and it does use up A LOT of tea if brewed gong fu style...)

Are yixing pots good for western style brewing (more water, less tea leaves, longer brewing times?

I find that the pot seems to absorb some of the flavor as compared to using a glass mug to brew western style...

[Zared]

Welcome to the forum!

The first pot looks like lovely sandy purple clay and nice craftsmanship, though I can't tell you any specifics about the artist or era. It also looks fairly large in terms of volume. Most tea drinkers tend to gravitate to very small pots (120ml and under) the more they get in to tea. Filling a large pot with tea for gongfu style brewing gets quite expensive. Of course, there's nothing wrong with using Yixing for more relaxed grandpa or Western style brewing either.

Considering these are family heirlooms, the biggest question I think you should ask yourself is how would you feel if the pot was accidentally dropped or chipped? It eventually happens to the best of us, the more we use a pot. If you are very careful, of course the chances are small, but they are still there. At the same time, using the pots would be a wonderful way to honor your dad and feel that connection to him.

Given the large size and the sentimental value, if it were me, I'd probably use the pot once per year with a very special tea (perhaps some nicely aged puerh) to honor my dad. Maybe on his birthday. Ultimately it's up to you, but the pot certainly looks of high enough quality to safely brew tea in. Don't worry about that aspect.

Thank you so much for the information; I started using this one for shu puer. I’m currently using it for some western style brewing (the pot is too big for one person and it does use up A LOT of tea if brewed gong fu style...)

Are yixing pots good for western style brewing (more water, less tea leaves, longer brewing times?

I find that the pot seems to absorb some of the flavor as compared to using a glass mug to brew western style...

Larger yixing work well for more western style brewing but it depend on tea/pot. I often use my larger pots for very relaxed brewing of leaves after a gongfu session. Dim sum/grampa style.

[tingjunkie]

Are yixing pots good for western style brewing (more water, less tea leaves, longer brewing times?

I find that the pot seems to absorb some of the flavor as compared to using a glass mug to brew western style...

Nearly all Yixing will take away some flavor and aroma when compared to porcelain or glass. Some just take far more than others. A good Yixing should preserve most of the aroma and flavor, and give you a more powerful brew with better mouthfeel in return. It's all about finding a balance you are happy with.