Yixing Recommendations?

[horsencl]

I ordered a yixing pot that I fell in love with but I just got a voicemail saying that it is sold out and they aren't sure when they will get it back in. I'm so disappointed because it was wonderfully ornate; with a dragon, phoenix and chinese lettering. It came with a COA too, which is important if I'm spending a lot on a tea pot. Can anyone recommend a yixing pot for oolong tea? I'd like one that is really beautiful to look at, not just utilitarian. My budget is about $80 or $90. Not much I know but the original pot I found was only $65.

[tenuki]

I have 2 recommendations:

1) Get a YiXing, you'll like it.
2) Highly ornamental pots are a royal pain to clean and sometimes a pain to use. Because of this the ones that look beautiful to me are simple and elegant.


Do you have a picture of the one you like that you could link here? We may be able to comment more specifically and give better recommendations if we have an example of what you are looking for.

[Geekgirl]

2) Highly ornamental pots are a royal pain to clean and sometimes a pain to use. Because of this the ones that look beautiful to me are simple and elegant.

Ditto. I have two ornamental yixings, and a couple of nice "plain jane" pots. The ornamentals are hard to get leaves out of, take forever to dry, always seem to have some little bits of something stuck...

My favorite of the plain ones is a classic style, simple "large" 4.5 oz pot with no fancy pieces. I love it because it has this perfect symmetry between spout, mouth and handle. If you turn it upside down with the lid off, all three parts touch the table. (Not that I do that a lot. )

[wyardley]

It came with a COA too, which is important if I'm spending a lot on a tea pot.

I think the consensus is that most "certificates" for a teapot's authenticity are not worth the paper they're printed on. Hell, even most vendors will admit that.

[augie]

I have 2 recommendations:
1) Get a YiXing, you'll like it.

Do you really think so?

The reason I ask is not because I am being smart. I dropped a heavy pyred 1Qt measure onto my tokoname, leaving a sharp, pointed break that makes it too dangerous to use. (The crappy $3 glass measure is fine) I am going to give it a proper burial as soon as I get over the break.

I'm thinking of buying a yixing. Is that sacreligious? I'll eventually buy another tokoname.

[tenuki]

I have 2 recommendations:
1) Get a YiXing, you'll like it.

Do you really think so?

This is like asking the fox in the chicken house if it's ok to eat a chicken. You realize this, right?

I have 3 tokonames and 6 YiXing. Please don't ask how many gaiwan I have....

[Pentox]

I have 2 recommendations:
1) Get a YiXing, you'll like it.

Do you really think so?

The reason I ask is not because I am being smart. I dropped a heavy pyred 1Qt measure onto my tokoname, leaving a sharp, pointed break that makes it too dangerous to use. (The crappy $3 glass measure is fine) I am going to give it a proper burial as soon as I get over the break.

I'm thinking of buying a yixing. Is that sacreligious? I'll eventually buy another tokoname.

It's only bad if you're using the yixing in the place of the tokoname. Ever think about trying to sand down the injured tokoname to make it no longer sharp?

[horsencl]

I do see how ornamental pots would be hard to clean. I'm trying to find pictures of the pot but they took it down from their website since it is out of stock. In the meantime, any reliable vendor recommendations? I don't want to wind up with a fake yixing, or one that has been shoepolished as others have mentioned on another thread.

[britt]

Can anyone recommend a yixing pot for oolong tea? I'd like one that is really beautiful to look at, not just utilitarian. My budget is about $80 or $90. Not much I know but the original pot I found was only $65.

I think that more important than looks is making sure that the pot you choose is suitable for the type of tea you will brew in it. Once you determine that, I'd then try to choose a pot that also looks good in this size, shape, and clay.

Many vendors make blanket statements about Yixings such as "suitable for all types of oolong tea" but there are many types of oolong and they can be drastically different. I use a heavy purple zhi sha, mildly compressed, for Wu Yi oolong; I use a wide, fairly low, thick Chin Shui Ni for Dan Cong oolong; and I use a very light, moderately compressed three-footed Hong Ni for Taiwanese High Mountain oolong. If you drink much High Mountain, you may have trouble finding a suitable Yixing. I found the darker oolongs were easier to match to a pot.

[Geekgirl]

I use a heavy purple zhi sha, mildly compressed, for Wu Yi oolong; I use a wide, fairly low, thick Chin Shui Ni for Dan Cong oolong; and I use a very light, moderately compressed three-footed Hong Ni for Taiwanese High Mountain oolong. If you drink much High Mountain, you may have trouble finding a suitable Yixing. I found the darker oolongs were easier to match to a pot.

Pictures plz. Feed the addiction.

[britt]

Pictures plz. Feed the addiction.

I'm sorry but I don't own a camera. I do have the pics from the vendor I purchased these items from, but I don't have any way to show them here. I'm also still using a dial-up connection, which would make the upload very slow.

I'm kind of Wabi-Sabi when it comes to technology.

[chamekke]

Pictures plz. Feed the addiction.

I'm sorry but I don't own a camera. I do have the pics from the vendor I purchased these items from, but I don't have any way to show them here. I'm also still using a dial-up connection, which would make the upload very slow.

I'm kind of Wabi-Sabi when it comes to technology.

If applicable, you can always post the URL of the webpage where you found the item.

Otherwise, not to worry... detailed "word pictures" also work very nicely

[Salsero]

... detailed "word pictures" also work very nicely

Mmm, Word Pictures. You Canadians are so quaint.

[britt]

If applicable, you can always post the URL of the webpage where you found the item.

Otherwise, not to worry... detailed "word pictures" also work very nicely

There is only one of the three Yixings I mentioned still posted on the site where I purchased them.

The only Yixing I've tried that worked well with Taiwanese High Mountain oolong:

http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... 2a1c20349b

The only other that I've purchased that is still showing is too large (350cc) so I never use it:

http://www.houdeasianart.com/index.php? ... 2a1c20349b

Thanks for the alternate idea. I did open a Photbucket account yesterday but I closed it soon after. On a phone line and a 9 year old computer with Windows 98, it was torture even navigating the site before attempting any uploads. I guess I spend too much money on teaware and not enough on the computer!

[Salsero]

There is only one of the three Yixings I mentioned still posted on the site where I purchased them.

The only Yixing I've tried that worked well with Taiwanese High Mountain oolong:

The only other that I've purchased that is still showing is too large (350cc) so I never use it

Those are both beautiful pots. I remember seeing the smaller one when it was up for sale. Very nice stuff!

I got one from Kam at Fun Alliance that was too large for gong fu (like 10 oz) which I finally started using for Assam. For some reason, the clay really seems to reduce the astringency of the Assam to a more enjoyable level.