Recommendations for My Duanni Pot

[beachape]

In my last topic, I asked about a zhuni pot ( http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... 96ea78.htm ) .

Now I have some questions about a duanni pot that I bought, an 80ml Yellow/Purple Duanni Xi Shi ( http://item.taobao.com/auction/item_det ... 7b8578.htm ). Any recommendations for tea pairings with this pot? I've heard recommendations based on shape and clay, so I was interested in your opinions.

Are there any special attributes of the different varieties of duanni? This one is yellow and purple clay.



Thanks

[swozt]

Hi, that is a nice Xishi Duanni teapot.

My recommendations for this teapot would be lightly roasted Oolongs such as tie guan ying, shou mei.

Duanni is very porous, much more than Zisha or Zhuni. So slightly stronger tea will be better since it absorbs quite a lot of aroma at the start.

If you drink more Pu-er, than the Shou type is also good with this pot since it is rather dark coloured and thick walled.

Happy Drinking!

[Smells_Familiar]

i'd drink shu puerh out of it or yan cha that aint Perfect.

[Tead Off]

i'd drink shu puerh out of it or yan cha that aint Perfect.

You are probably right on the money with this one. Duanni clay is probably prettier to look at than brewing high end teas. But, this one has some zhi ni in it which will help it.

[TIM]

I would suggest Raw Puerh or Kung Fu Red. If you like light oolong and experience how it will made a porous yixing smell over a period of time, I would not recommend using this one on any young, green oolong or green.

This pot seems to has a nice surface color and texture, should be enjoyable to see how the patina grows with stronger and darker tea. Cheers T

[beachape]

I've never used a duanni pot before, so I wasn't aware of this. So it is the over-absorbent nature of the pot that makes it poor for brewing high-end teas? If seasoned, and used for a while, will the pots become less absorbent like a regular zisha pot?

Do all duanni pots share this property? Besides zini and zhuni, do the other clay types tend to be inferior when mixed into duanni?

Thanks-

[TIM]

I've never used a duanni pot before, so I wasn't aware of this. So it is the over-absorbent nature of the pot that makes it poor for brewing high-end teas? If seasoned, and used for a while, will the pots become less absorbent like a regular zisha pot?

Do all duanni pots share this property? Besides zini and zhuni, do the other clay types tend to be inferior when mixed into duanni?

Thanks-

A funny question.... over-absorbent of a clay only produce a better seasoned yixing, given the right choice of tea. If you use it to brew poor quality tea, it will make even more poor brews? But if you use high quality tea, it will only absorb higher quality favor.

Duanni pots usually are good pot for aged or higher roasted tea. But it depends on what temp. it was fired. Just remember to dedicate it to one kind of tea because of its porous character. Instead of a higher fired one, which you might be able to switch around.

[Luthier]

i have 3 duanni pots but have no idea what was mixed with what.
anyways 2 for oolongs another for puer or liubao

this green one for shui hsien.



and this one for beibeixiang (杯杯香)



puer pot. the color somewhat similar to yours.



they age fast and gains patina faster than the other pots i have. makes great teas too.

[Tead Off]

I've never used a duanni pot before, so I wasn't aware of this. So it is the over-absorbent nature of the pot that makes it poor for brewing high-end teas? If seasoned, and used for a while, will the pots become less absorbent like a regular zisha pot?

Do all duanni pots share this property? Besides zini and zhuni, do the other clay types tend to be inferior when mixed into duanni?

Thanks-

I should explain what I meant better than I did. Duanni clay is not known to enhance flavor and aroma like zisha and zhuni. When i say high end teas, I am talking mostly about green oolongs that have a lot of subtlety and refinement to their characters, not overly powerful teas such as puerh, aged teas, high roasted yancha. Different clays bring out the unique character of teas, I believe. While Duanni clay is nice looking to me, it doesn't offer what I look for in a teapot and how it brews tea. I have seen some knockout looking duanni but for me a good zisha or red clay pot, high fired, are the best.

[TIM]

I've never used a duanni pot before, so I wasn't aware of this. So it is the over-absorbent nature of the pot that makes it poor for brewing high-end teas? If seasoned, and used for a while, will the pots become less absorbent like a regular zisha pot?

Do all duanni pots share this property? Besides zini and zhuni, do the other clay types tend to be inferior when mixed into duanni?

Thanks-

I should explain what I meant better than I did. Duanni clay is not known to enhance flavor and aroma like zisha and zhuni. When i say high end teas, I am talking mostly about green oolongs that have a lot of subtlety and refinement to their characters, not overly powerful teas such as puerh, aged teas, high roasted yancha. Different clays bring out the unique character of teas, I believe. While Duanni clay is nice looking to me, it doesn't offer what I look for in a teapot and how it brews tea. I have seen some knockout looking duanni but for me a good zisha or red clay pot, high fired, are the best.

Interesting Tead off, would you explain more about how Duanni clay is not known to enhance flavor and aroma like the other clay? And what doesn't it offer to your brew besides good looking. Thanks -T

[Tead Off]

I've never used a duanni pot before, so I wasn't aware of this. So it is the over-absorbent nature of the pot that makes it poor for brewing high-end teas? If seasoned, and used for a while, will the pots become less absorbent like a regular zisha pot?

Do all duanni pots share this property? Besides zini and zhuni, do the other clay types tend to be inferior when mixed into duanni?

Thanks-

I should explain what I meant better than I did. Duanni clay is not known to enhance flavor and aroma like zisha and zhuni. When i say high end teas, I am talking mostly about green oolongs that have a lot of subtlety and refinement to their characters, not overly powerful teas such as puerh, aged teas, high roasted yancha. Different clays bring out the unique character of teas, I believe. While Duanni clay is nice looking to me, it doesn't offer what I look for in a teapot and how it brews tea. I have seen some knockout looking duanni but for me a good zisha or red clay pot, high fired, are the best.

Interesting Tead off, would you explain more about how Duanni clay is not known to enhance flavor and aroma like the other clay? And what doesn't it offer to your brew besides good looking. Thanks -T

The color of the clay has to do with iron content. Unless someone can come up with hard evidence that duanni has at least as much iron as zisha and real zhuni and other reds, from my experience, it is not going to give you the kind of flavor and aroma that enhance a tea. Clay matters. Side by side testing is the only convincing proof.

Then, there is the matter of how well do people really taste things? I don't believe we are all equal in tasting flavors. I think it varies wildly because of body chemistry and even imagination. Maybe I've been brainwashed by my teachers to think duanni is not as good with green oolongs as zhuni. I'm also not trying to set myself up as the authority as I realize the danger of making some of statements I make. I'm only talking about my own experience. If yours is different, how could I argue?

[Luthier]

man this clay type thingy really brought back memories. the time i was so into audiophile world arguing and thoughts about which is better tubes or transistors.

i think i would give the similar stand about this. i agree with

Then, there is the matter of how well do people really taste things? I don't believe we are all equal in tasting flavors. I think it varies wildly because of body chemistry and even imagination. Maybe I've been brainwashed by my teachers to think duanni is not as good with green oolongs as zhuni. I'm also not trying to set myself up as the authority as I realize the danger of making some of statements I make. I'm only talking about my own experience. If yours is different, how could I argue? Smile

people have gone through diff paths in life and this will affect how they think about things.

that pot to me puer seems great because its round.

[Oni]

Luthier , I am looking for a tea table, please post a picture of your tea table and where you have bought it, I like it a lot.

[Herb_Master]

Interesting Tead off, would you explain more about how Duanni clay is not known to enhance flavor and aroma like the other clay? And what doesn't it offer to your brew besides good looking. Thanks -T

Tead, In your response, you quote personal experience and views of tea masters - if their words and your experience are based on generally found and repeatable practice then none of us should be buying anything other than Zhuni and Zi Sha.

The problem is that so many good vendor sites, and erudite tea bloggers do express value to be found in some of the other clays.

A second problem that a short phrase that uses the adjective 'better' can perhaps be misleading.

I have seen the 2 following phrases quite often -
a) Zhuni (or Zi Sha) is better for Yan Cha (or Dan Cong)
b) Ben Shan (or Duanni) is better for Anxi or Taiwan oolongs.

better than what, for what, in which way is usually omitted.

would a) mean Zhuni is better for YanCha than other clays are, or better to be used with Yan Cha than with other Oolongs.

would b) mean that Ben Shan produces better results with Anxi than it does with Yan Cha or does it mean, Anxi is better with Ben Shan than it is with other clays.

Your advice suggests how I should be interpreting the statements.

Fortunately, I do not have a dilemma, my taste buds have yet to develop the level of appreciation where this would matter, as the other variables in play (water, humidity, atmospheric pressure, personal emotive state of mind) tend to show even larger differences in the end brew.

For now, I have allocated my :-
Zhuni (and reddish Zi Sha) to YanCha
Zi Sha that is purplish and dark brown to DanChong
Yellow Division Clay and similar (which will include Duanni when I buy) to Anxi
Ben Shan to Taiwan
Hei Ni to Pu Er

I have been very pleased with the results.

maybe 1 day when I am further along the path of tea I will want Zhuni (of great age) for all and every type of tea I drink, but for now I am content to allocate accordingly.

[Tead Off]

Herb Master, everyone has to come to their own conclusion. Ultimately, it is all subjective and I really don't want anyone to believe what I say but to test it out for themselves. If their experience is different, so be it. We will still enjoy the teas and the gear and continue to play toy soldiers like rich grownups that we are.