Imperfect Teapots
 

I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.
The rule is balance of spout-mouth-handle and perfect occlusion of the
vent/ spout. If you block the vent-hole and the spout keeps pouring,
what kind of an effect does this have on the tea? What about an
imbalanced spout-mouth-handle? If you've got one of these imperfect
teapots, what do you do with it--do you keep it? Get rid of it? I'd
love to know other people's thoughts/ experiences.

Imperfect Teapots
 

Danica wrote:
> I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.
> The rule is balance of spout-mouth-handle and perfect occlusion of the
> vent/ spout. If you block the vent-hole and the spout keeps pouring,
> what kind of an effect does this have on the tea? What about an
> imbalanced spout-mouth-handle? If you've got one of these imperfect
> teapots, what do you do with it--do you keep it? Get rid of it? I'd
> love to know other people's thoughts/ experiences.

Well.... I tend not to buy such things in the first place. I suppose
this is not possible if you mail order pots (which is why I don't do
it). I think the less-than-perfect-fit is not a big problem. A bigger
problem is if it drips or pours poorly, or if the spout is easily and
often blocked, or some such.

If you have one of these.... are there teas that you don't normally
drink but wouldn't mind using a pot for that once-in-a-while brew?
Or.... give it away as gifts to people who can't care less (and will
most likely end up as a wall ornament)?

MarshalN
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

Imperfect Teapots
 

Imperfect Teapots
 

Michael Plant wrote:
> It's a great question, and my answer is this: You
> develop a relationship with a teapot, most of
> which are imperfect in some way, as you would
> develop a relationship with other bits of this
> imperfect world. The specific answer to the
> spout question: You need to decide if you
> like the pot, and if you do, what tea this pot
> would like to make. The flaw is not serious
> with all teas. A painfully slow pour is a far
> more serious flaw since it ruins the steep
> time, but you can compensate even for that
> by shortening the steep time. In other words,
> the flaws and you work together to produce
> the brew. Anyway, that's my personal
> opinion on the matter. Cut the pot some
> slack. That's the spirit. Most likely you can
> learn more about brewing tea from a flawed
> than from a perfect pot, if such a thing ever
> should be.
>
> Michael

Couldn't possibly agree more. The reality is that the majority of
teapots are "imperfect" in some way, and that is the character of a
hand made product. To only use and buy "perfect" teapots is a bit
pretentious and against the true nature of tea in my opinion. Good tea
is not made from only the best equipment and the best leaf, good tea is
much more than that.

Sure some basic, time-tested, design standards make sense and help, but
beyond that it just doesn't matter.

- Dominic

Imperfect Teapots
 

The hole in the lid helps with smoother pours. You block it and you
get gushing. You want a teapot that 'disappears' in daily use. You
put up with the quirks in the beginning but that is the bottom line. I
think in general commercial pots have the ergonometrics worked out
versus the holiday one of a kind gift. I have a mexican lidded clay
pitcher I use as a pot once in a while. It's festive. When the tea
goes over that edge get out the mop. I've never thrown away a pot I
didn't like. When people complain of messy pours it is most like they
are overfilling the pot which should be 3/4 at max and I prefer 2/3
with English style pots.

Jim

Danica wrote:
> I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.
> The rule is balance of spout-mouth-handle and perfect occlusion of the
> vent/ spout. If you block the vent-hole and the spout keeps pouring,
> what kind of an effect does this have on the tea? What about an
> imbalanced spout-mouth-handle? If you've got one of these imperfect
> teapots, what do you do with it--do you keep it? Get rid of it? I'd
> love to know other people's thoughts/ experiences.

Imperfect Teapots
 

> Well.... I tend not to buy such things in the first place. I suppose
> this is not possible if you mail order pots (which is why I don't do
> it).

It's really hard to find a good yixing pot in Los Angeles, outside of
Chinatown, but even there they don't have the really good stuff half
the time. Mostly cheap commercial-made pots, etc. So I am relegated
to vendors I trust on the Internet. I made a lot of mistakes before I
found good people.

I think the less-than-perfect-fit is not a big problem. A bigger
> problem is if it drips or pours poorly, or if the spout is easily and
> often blocked, or some such.

My first biggest pot problem is ones where you block the vent and the
spout continues to pour. I guess that means it's not air-tight. Then
drips, then bad clay. I don't buy bad clay anymore but I recently
bought a studio copy of a Jiang Rong peach and it pours continually
even when I block the vent. And the pot wasn't cheap!

> If you have one of these.... are there teas that you don't normally
> drink but wouldn't mind using a pot for that once-in-a-while brew?
> Or.... give it away as gifts to people who can't care less (and will
> most likely end up as a wall ornament)?

Funny you say that, the other bad-vent pot is a lovely dense zisha clay
that makes really good puer tea. It holds the aromas well. The third
is made of a zhuni type clay (it has a high pitched ring) and makes
good oolongs and green tea.

But I wonder if they had better air-tight quality if the tea would be
better? Any thoughts?


> MarshalN
> http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

Imperfect Teapots
 

>
> It's a great question, and my answer is this: You
> develop a relationship with a teapot, most of
> which are imperfect in some way, as you would
> develop a relationship with other bits of this
> imperfect world. The specific answer to the
> spout question: You need to decide if you
> like the pot, and if you do, what tea this pot
> would like to make.

I like your way of thinking. Thank you.

Imperfect Teapots
 

Danica wrote:
> I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.

Mostly I drink tea from them.

Imperfect Teapots
 

"Andy Dingley >" > writes:

> Danica wrote:
> > I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.
>
> Mostly I drink tea from them.

Drinking straight from the spout, you probably prefer what most people
around here would consider an imperfect teapot: one that pours slowly.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html
recently updated: Ying Pan Shan

Imperfect Teapots
 

> It's really hard to find a good yixing pot in Los Angeles, outside of
> Chinatown, but even there they don't have the really good stuff half
> the time.

Danica, you seem to imply that there are good Yixing pots to be found
in Los Angeles in the Chinatown. If so, please whisper the places to
me. Thanks.

Phyll


Danica wrote:
> > Well.... I tend not to buy such things in the first place. I suppose
> > this is not possible if you mail order pots (which is why I don't do
> > it).
>
> It's really hard to find a good yixing pot in Los Angeles, outside of
> Chinatown, but even there they don't have the really good stuff half
> the time. Mostly cheap commercial-made pots, etc. So I am relegated
> to vendors I trust on the Internet. I made a lot of mistakes before I
> found good people.
>
> I think the less-than-perfect-fit is not a big problem. A bigger
> > problem is if it drips or pours poorly, or if the spout is easily and
> > often blocked, or some such.
>
> My first biggest pot problem is ones where you block the vent and the
> spout continues to pour. I guess that means it's not air-tight. Then
> drips, then bad clay. I don't buy bad clay anymore but I recently
> bought a studio copy of a Jiang Rong peach and it pours continually
> even when I block the vent. And the pot wasn't cheap!
>
> > If you have one of these.... are there teas that you don't normally
> > drink but wouldn't mind using a pot for that once-in-a-while brew?
> > Or.... give it away as gifts to people who can't care less (and will
> > most likely end up as a wall ornament)?
>
> Funny you say that, the other bad-vent pot is a lovely dense zisha clay
> that makes really good puer tea. It holds the aromas well. The third
> is made of a zhuni type clay (it has a high pitched ring) and makes
> good oolongs and green tea.
>
> But I wonder if they had better air-tight quality if the tea would be
> better? Any thoughts?
>
>
> > MarshalN
> > http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

Imperfect Teapots
 

Just thinking of the function of the vessel for a moment (i.e., a
container for brewing tea!), what difference does it make if the pot
pours or not when one stops the air-hole?

I can understand that it would be a general indicator of quality, but,
in and of itself, it surely can't be seen as a major defect. At worst,
there is a small place between lid and pot where air can pass, in
addition to the air-hole. I cannot imagine that such a "defect" would
ever change the characteristic of the tea, nor can I imagine how a tiny
additional air-hole would alter the pour of the pot. Do please
enlighten!

It has never happened to me, but if I received a pot that "dribbled"
when I blocked up the air-hole, I can't imagine myself discarding it.
Just as a poster above mentioned, it is a little "character" for the
pot, more than anything else.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

Imperfect Teapots
 

HobbesOxon wrote:
> Just thinking of the function of the vessel for a moment (i.e., a
> container for brewing tea!), what difference does it make if the pot
> pours or not when one stops the air-hole?
>
> I can understand that it would be a general indicator of quality, but,
> in and of itself, it surely can't be seen as a major defect. At worst,
> there is a small place between lid and pot where air can pass, in
> addition to the air-hole. I cannot imagine that such a "defect" would
> ever change the characteristic of the tea, nor can I imagine how a tiny
> additional air-hole would alter the pour of the pot. Do please
> enlighten!
>
> It has never happened to me, but if I received a pot that "dribbled"
> when I blocked up the air-hole, I can't imagine myself discarding it.
> Just as a poster above mentioned, it is a little "character" for the
> pot, more than anything else.
>
>
> Toodlepip,
>
> Hobbes

I agree, in so far as the original seller not making any promise as to
the worksmanship of the pot, and also the price paid for said pot.

In and of itself, the pot pouring while pressing on the hole is not a
huge issue, IMO. If the pot leaks from the lid while pouring, even
carefully, then we've got a problem. Or if the spout pours poorly and
water dribbles, or some such.

MarshalN
http://www.xanga.com/MarshalN

Imperfect Teapots
 

So why all the hoop-la then regarding the vent hole in the lids? Does
anyone know?

> I can understand that it would be a general indicator of quality, but,
> in and of itself, it surely can't be seen as a major defect. At worst,
> there is a small place between lid and pot where air can pass, in
> addition to the air-hole. I cannot imagine that such a "defect" would
> ever change the characteristic of the tea, nor can I imagine how a tiny
> additional air-hole would alter the pour of the pot. Do please
> enlighten!

Imperfect Teapots
 

Lewis Perin > wrote:
>"Andy Dingley >" > writes:
>> Danica wrote:
>> > I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.
>>
>> Mostly I drink tea from them.
>
>Drinking straight from the spout, you probably prefer what most people
>around here would consider an imperfect teapot: one that pours slowly.

No, no, you need it as fast as possible, so you can get the maximum health
benefits from your green tea. Just pour it down and don't try to taste it...

Hey... we could market this. The teabong.... I see a great need...
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Imperfect Teapots
 

Danica > wrote:
>So why all the hoop-la then regarding the vent hole in the lids? Does
>anyone know?

In part because it's handy to be able to block the vent hole in order to
control the flow of tea.

And in part because folks do actually care about craftsmanship that goes
beyond the minimum required to produce a workable product.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Imperfect Teapots
 

"HobbesOxon" > writes:

> Just thinking of the function of the vessel for a moment (i.e., a
> container for brewing tea!), what difference does it make if the pot
> pours or not when one stops the air-hole?
> [...]

No teapot expert I, so please take this as a guess: If stopping the
air-hole halts the pour completely, then you're *completely* sure
there's no leak from around the lid. Overkill, maybe, but certainty.

/Lew
---
Lew Perin /
http://www.panix.com/~perin/babelcarp.html
recent addition: Hong Shui

Imperfect Teapots
 

Perfection seems like a lot to ask of a teapot. Functionality seems
more realistic. I test the vacuum of Yixing teapots and if the vent
hole is accessible, I check whether blocking it stops the flow, I
don't regard either of those tests as crucial though. The main thing
is how the pot handles and pours. I have tossed pots in the trash or
deposited them at Goddwill for irremediable dribbling down the front or
one burnt finger too many.

There are teapots with historical, scholarly, or sentimental value
quite separate from their ability to hold a proper amount of heat for
their respective types of tea and deliver that tea reliably to cup or
serving vessel. I don't own any of those. Having said that, I try to
give any teapot a fair chance. I just bought a rather pricy (for me)
new Yixing teapot--black zini clay and a cool square shape--intending
to use it for puerh. The built in strainer tends to clog up with the
fine broken bits that flake off cakes or bricks. I'm going to try a
piece of stainless mesh in front of the strainer, and if that doesn't
work, I'll give it a shot with darker oolongs.
BW

Danica wrote:
> I'm curious about people's experience with less-than-perfect teapots.
> The rule is balance of spout-mouth-handle and perfect occlusion of the
> vent/ spout. If you block the vent-hole and the spout keeps pouring,
> what kind of an effect does this have on the tea? What about an
> imbalanced spout-mouth-handle? If you've got one of these imperfect
> teapots, what do you do with it--do you keep it? Get rid of it? I'd
> love to know other people's thoughts/ experiences.

Imperfect Teapots
 

Blocking the venting hole may be the most popular method of testing a
zisha teapot, however, the airtightness of a teapot may not be the most
important factor in selecting our teapot.

In the art of preparing Chinese tea, we do not purposefully block the
flow of water by covering the air vent. The blocking of the vent and
the halt of the flow would create a sudden and disruptive impact to the
whole process. The entire process of preparing tea should be smooth
and display a feeling of serenity. Timing should not be controlled
this way.

Then why do we use this test? It tries to measure the level of
craftsmanship--particularily the tightness and tolerance of the teapot.
However, in todays production environment where machinery can be used
to aid in manufacture of teapots, the tolerances can easily be very
high, but without much craftsmanship at all. The most important impact
is that the clay used in wholly machine-manufactured teapots are
inferior.

So what should we look for in a teapot? Well, as long as our tea does
not pour out from under the lid before it even comes out of the spout,
we should consider a few other things.

As many people have mentioned, ergonomics are definitely at the top of
the list. Balance in an instrument creates comfort and useability.
Front, or spout heavy teapots cause strain on the wrist. Other issues
of alignment and basic design help with ergonomics and are generally
common sense, so I won't drag on here.

The most important factor is the quality of the clay. The pureness of
the zisha clay and the proper firing of the clay at adequate
temperatures is what directly affects the flavor of your infusion. The
airtightness and ergonomics can affect your brewing technique, and
subsequently affect your tea. The clay's direct contact with tea,
directly affects the outcome of your brew.

How do you look for good clay? That's another article. Let me know if
you want to read more.

Bill
www.chinaflairtea.com

Imperfect Teapots
 

11/
22/06

> Blocking the venting hole may be the most popular method of testing a
> zisha teapot, however, the airtightness of a teapot may not be the most
> important factor in selecting our teapot.
>
> In the art of preparing Chinese tea, we do not purposefully block the
> flow of water by covering the air vent. The blocking of the vent and
> the halt of the flow would create a sudden and disruptive impact to the
> whole process. The entire process of preparing tea should be smooth
> and display a feeling of serenity. Timing should not be controlled
> this way.
>
> Then why do we use this test? It tries to measure the level of
> craftsmanship--particularily the tightness and tolerance of the teapot.
> However, in todays production environment where machinery can be used
> to aid in manufacture of teapots, the tolerances can easily be very
> high, but without much craftsmanship at all. The most important impact
> is that the clay used in wholly machine-manufactured teapots are
> inferior.
>
> So what should we look for in a teapot? Well, as long as our tea does
> not pour out from under the lid before it even comes out of the spout,
> we should consider a few other things.
>
> As many people have mentioned, ergonomics are definitely at the top of
> the list. Balance in an instrument creates comfort and useability.
> Front, or spout heavy teapots cause strain on the wrist. Other issues
> of alignment and basic design help with ergonomics and are generally
> common sense, so I won't drag on here.
>
> The most important factor is the quality of the clay. The pureness of
> the zisha clay and the proper firing of the clay at adequate
> temperatures is what directly affects the flavor of your infusion. The
> airtightness and ergonomics can affect your brewing technique, and
> subsequently affect your tea. The clay's direct contact with tea,
> directly affects the outcome of your brew.
>
> How do you look for good clay? That's another article. Let me know if
> you want to read more.
>
> Bill
> www.chinaflairtea.com

Hi Bill,

Based on your cogent, intelligent, and thoughtful
prose above, I look forward to more about clay.
Be as specific as you feel you can be without
causing our eyes to lose focus. Thanks.

Michael

Imperfect Teapots
 

> Hi Bill,
>
> Based on your cogent, intelligent, and thoughtful
> prose above, I look forward to more about clay.
> Be as specific as you feel you can be without
> causing our eyes to lose focus. Thanks.
>
> Michael

Thanks for your encouragement Michael. Here we go...

How To Select Quality Zisha Teapots continued:

After a teapot meets ergonomic needs, and our aesthetic standards, the
most important factor is the quality of the clay.

I will assume readers know what is zisha (purple clay). Basic
information on zisha teapots can be read at this article: "Introduction
to Zisha Teapots" at http://www.chinaflairtea.com/introteapots.html.

The best teapots are made from pure zisha clays, that are highly
porous, and fired at approximate temperatures of 1,200°C.

How do we look for such teapots?
Many people like to test the tone/ring that is made from tapping the
teapot. A popular method is to use the lid to gently tap the side of
the teapot. (I will mention more about tapping a teapot later). The
conventional idea is that the high-pitched rings are produced from
clays that are dense. Since high porosity is desired in zisha clay, we
may frown on high-pitched rings, which mimic the sound of striking hard
metal.

The most common types of zisha clay that produce these sounds are
vibrant red. These clays have very high iron content that produce red
colored teapots which are popular in the Chinese market. When extra
iron is added to the clay, the teapot will not only become very red, it
will also become very dense and produce the metallic ringing.

On the other hand, a low dull pitch does not indicate highly porous
clay. If the sound is a low, dull thud, it often indicates a teapot
that was made at temperatures too low. When teapots are fired at low
temperatures, they will emit the odor and taste of clay. Just rinsing
the teapot with boiling water will release the pungent odor of dirt.
Using such teapots to make tea will produce bitter, clay-tasting brews
with scattered and course textures.

There are no styles of tea that can benefit or endure the effects of
low temperature clays. Ugly black spots and stains will also develop
throughout the teapot after some use. The more you try to nurture and
develop the teapot's patina, the worse it gets.

Clays suffering from insufficient temperatures are worse than dense
clays. The high-pitched teapots mentioned earlier may not be ideal,
but they do maximize aroma. For example, Taiwanese teapots, which are
not made of zisha clay, are not porous. They are very dense and make
very high-pitched rings. There is absolutely no problem using these
teapots to make high mountain Taiwanese oolongs to enjoy their light,
fresh character. High-pitched and dense zisha teapots are the same.
They work well with light Taiwan and Tiegaunyin oolongs. However,
avoid heavy roasted oolong teas or traditional Chao Zhou gungfu brewing
techniques with dense teapots. The density of the clay will overly
concentrate the astringency and bitterness of even the most well
roasted oolongs.

So far:
Tap a teapot with the lid and listen to the sound.
Low dull pitch = bad
Very high pitch = good for light oolongs only (no medium/heavy roasted
oolongs)
Simple right? Well...not really.

We still haven't considered the thickness of a teapot or its shape.
Square shaped, hexagonal shaped, rosettes, etc., do not ring when they
are struck. Thick-walled teapots don't ring the same as thin-walled
teapots. Cylindrical shapes don't sound the same as round teapots.
This means really good zisha clays can ring low and dull if they are
made very thick, or if they have shapes with many corners and
edges-good zisha teapots can be mistaken for bad clay.

OK, so we can't trust the sound test. Now what? Well, now I gotta
go take a break.

Before I go I would like to mention the etiquette of sound testing
teapots. Please ask the owner if you may tap the teapot before doing
so. The owner may prefer to demonstrate the sound for you. Never use
the thin flange under the lid to strike the teapot, because it is the
most fragile section of the entire teapot. Rather, use the knob on top
of the lid to gently tap the side of the teapot. Better yet, only drag
the knob along the side of the teapot and listen to the vibration.
Please avoid partially lifting and dropping the lid back onto the body
to test the vibration, as the lid can be damaged, and the sound will
not be accurate anyway.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Tapping is a very common test
and every week people tap my teapots in ways that make my heart jump to
my throat. Even tea aficionados frequently commit the acts above. A
teapot collector struck my antique teapot that is over 100 years old
with the thin flange of the lid. I had a heart attack.

I haven't fully explained how to look for quality, but I hope that I
have so far provided some interesting and helpful information. I can
share more about clay if anyone is interested in reading such long
explanations. This is really a very advanced topic and there's just
so much to the art of tea.

Bill Lee
www.chinaflairtea.com

Imperfect Teapots
 

Hi Bill,

I personally am very interested in reading more about clay--as are, I
am sure, many readers of this blog. I have struggled with identifying
which of my teapots are better than others, and choosing the right clay
for different teas. And in Los Angeles there aren't many yixing teapot
vendors (Wing Hop the chinese dept store has pots, but so many of them
are over-designed I can't make heads nor tails of what might be useful
for me) so I am left with buying over the internet. Being able to ask
a vendor intelligent and informed questions about their product would
be incredibly helpful.

Here is what I know: zhuni clay/ red clay for light teas with aroma or
wild puer, purple clay for oolong an sheng puer, and duanni for
high-fired or cooked puer tea. Regarding purple clay, there are so many
classifications, it is impossible to determine what is what. There is
zini, heizini, mingshuoluni, etc. I don't know if I got the spelling
right but I am making choices based on color and style these days and
would rather be doing so based on clay quality. In particular there is
little information out there about luni and duanni clays, and what
kinds of teas they service the best. Anything you could say to
enlighten us on the subject would be wonderful.

Thanks for your willingness to share, and hope you had a happy
Thanksgiving!

Danica

wrote:

> I haven't fully explained how to look for quality, but I hope that I
> have so far provided some interesting and helpful information. I can
> share more about clay if anyone is interested in reading such long
> explanations. This is really a very advanced topic and there's just
> so much to the art of tea.
>
> Bill Lee
> www.chinaflairtea.com

Imperfect Teapots
 

Hi Danica,

You mentioned about selecting teapots by the color of clay. That's
probably a good place to continue.

Since we can't completely rely on the sound, we must also use our
eyes. What we see begins with color. Zisha is directly translated as
purple sand. The "purple" part comes from the fact it is the most
common raw material color that is harvested. The raw purple color will
typically turn to shades of brown after firing. In addition to purple,
the other common colors are red (zhuni), green (luni), yellow (duanni),
and turquoise (qingni).

There are many common conceptions passed around about the character of
each of the colors-and then there is more. Let's begin with some
common ideas.

Red clay:
Red is an auspicious color in Chinese culture and therefore many
artworks and products are made in red-including teapots. Since tea
is the national drink of China, the market for teapots has always been
huge. However, not everyone is sophisticated enough or willing to pay
for zisha teapots; nor can Yixing meet the demands of the entire
country. So, teapots have been manufactured in many provinces of
China, with many regional types of clay.

What has this got to do with the red color? Well, every province will
make a lot of teapots in red color, because red is popular with the
people. However, many red teapots will not be made of porous zisha
clay. These non-porous teapots will maximize the aroma and brightness
of tea, but will over emphasize the astringency and bitterness as well.
Therefore, the idea about red colored teapots being suitable only for
particular tea styles developed and became a generalization.

This concept about red clay was compounded by the fact that from the
early 1980's iron was frequently blended in zisha clays to create a
rich and attractive red color. The extra iron made the zisha very
dense, and was mostly suitable for light aromatic teas.

The truth about red clay:
Red clays of pure zisha are suitable for many tea styles. The natural
red color of zisha ranges between burnt sienna or red ocher, and
displays tones of orange and brown.
Red clays can be either dense or porous, without significant
correlation to its color. Naturally vivid red teapots of cinnabar and
scarlet--though highly demanded--are very rare. These clays were
mainly harvested during the Qing dynasty and are very scarce today. If
you see a bright scarlet red teapot, it is either a rare find, or it
has been created artificially. (I have only ever seen one example, and
it was a broken--but treasured--antique).

Yellow Clay:
Zisha translates to purple sand-meaning it is sandy and granular.
Yellow clays typically have the most large and coarse granules amongst
the different clay colors. This has led many to believe that all
yellow clays are hard and not very porous-good mainly for gentle
aromatic teas, or mellow teas like cooked pu'er.

This is not entirely false. The majority of yellow clays on the market
is very dense, and will lead people to believe that this logic is true.
However, fine quality yellow clays will enhance the aroma, while
pleasantly lighten a teas weight, smooth its body, and concentrate its
flavor. It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Even though
yellow clays are often composed of very coarse granules, the granules
themselves can be very porous. So, yellow clays can infact be used for
many different tea styles.
Watch out for yellow clays that are not fired at adequate temperatures.
Yellow clays are most prone to developing black spots and stains from
use when they are produced from low temperatures.

Purple, Green, Turquoise and other colors:
There are fewer generalizations about the effects of other clay colors.
Interestingly, because purple is common, and because other colors are
rare. Purple is the original and most common color of zisha, so people
do not need to replicate its color, and automatically consider it to
possess the standard qualities of zisha--even without testing. Green
and turquoise are not as common, but there is little demand for these
colors to be replicated, and equally little attention paid to them.
When rare colors such as black clay (heini), are artificially
replicated, they are made in such small quantities that they cannot
create any generalizations in the market.

So, sound testing is not reliable. Colors do not provide a good
guideline. What are we supposed to look for? What kinds of teapots
are suitable for which teas?

Before we get to that, let us consider why these generalizations are so
popular. Many Chinese tea enthusiasts will have heard of at least one
or two of the generalizations that I have mentioned in the last couple
of posts. These ideas are prevalent not because tea lovers popularize
them, but because they are easy to explain--and sell--by the vendors.
Just look at how much I have written to dispel only a few popular
concepts-and I still haven't told you how to look for a good
teapot. Isn't it so much easier to say "A+B=C. Will that be cash
or charge?"

I am not trying to knock the vendors. Running a business is a
difficult challenge. Everyone needs to find a way to pay the rent and
put food on the table. However, vendors have a higher level of
responsibility than the well-intentioned tea enthusiast who is trying
to share his passion. Customers rely on vendors and professionals for
accurate information and quality products. By sharing information on
forums like this, I hope we can encourage the industry to raise the
bar. Customers should be given a chance to select higher quality
products with more professional service.

Most vendors feel that the demand for high quality teas is small, and
that customers can't tell the difference. There is little incentive
to carry expensive products when few people are willing to buy them.
But if vendors don't educate more consumers (and themselves), and
never offer them more choice, the tea industry will never improve and
be taken seriously. Tea will always be a coffee alternative. Wine
will always be more alluring. The true art of tea will never be
understood.

Oops. I am getting off topic. Maybe I should go calm down. Be back
later.

Bill Lee
www.chinaflairtea.com

Imperfect Teapots
 

Hi Bill,

Ok you have hooked me. I am dying to hear how to choose a good teapot.
I just went on your website and saw that you have a very nice
selection and you recommend teas to teapots. This is exactly the style
that I favor (there are a few other vendors whom I respect for exactly
the same reason). So how DO you choose a good teapot?

And how many teapots do you need to start out with !!! ?? !!!

Danica


wrote:
> These ideas are prevalent not because tea lovers popularize
> them, but because they are easy to explain--and sell--by the vendors.
> Just look at how much I have written to dispel only a few popular
> concepts-and I still haven't told you how to look for a good
> teapot. Isn't it so much easier to say "A+B=C. Will that be cash
> or charge?"
>

Imperfect Teapots
 

[Bill]
Since we can't completely rely on the sound, we must also use our eyes.


[Jing]
Allow me to add some comment about choosing teapots if I may. Eyes are
important but so is the nose. I will develop the idea of nose a bit
later although I am sure that a lot of readers know about it already.

[Bill]
What we see begins with color. Zisha is directly translated as purple
sand. The "purple" part comes from the fact it is the most
common raw material color that is harvested. The raw purple color will
typically turn to shades of brown after firing. In addition to purple,
the other common colors are red (zhuni), green (luni), yellow (duanni),
and turquoise (qingni).

[Jing]
Zi Sha is the general name of the high quality clay from Yixing, which
contains a big part of quartz inside. That is part of the reason why
the Yixing Zi sha is more porous than other type of clay/earth. Zi sha
is also called €œWu Se Tu€� (five color clay) because it includes
purple (zi ni), red (hong ni), green (lu ni), yellow (duan ni), and
black (hei ni) five colors.

[Bill]
Red clay:
What has this got to do with the red color? Well, every province will
make a lot of teapots in red color, because red is popular with the
people. However, many red teapots will not be made of porous zisha
clay. These non-porous teapots will maximize the aroma and brightness
of tea, but will over emphasize the astringency and bitterness as well.


[Jing]
I have to say, not all type of non-porous teapot would over emphasize
the astringency and bitterness. The best example would be the local red
clay/earth from Chao Zhou, a very native and rough type of red clay. It
is used wildly to make teapots but also traditional oven or even tiles.
Amazingly, this red clay wont over emphasize the astringency and
bitterness of teas but make it purer. (We could provide picture of this
type of teapot for people who are interested in it.)

On the other hand, a well-porous Yixing red clay teapot that was over
fired at high temperature wont brew any good tea , the liquor will
be harsh.

[Bill]
Therefore, the idea about red colored teapots being suitable only for
particular tea styles developed and became a generalization.
This concept about red clay was compounded by the fact that from the
early 1980's iron was frequently blended in zisha clays to create a
rich and attractive red color. The extra iron made the zisha very
dense, and was mostly suitable for light aromatic teas.

The truth about red clay:
Red clays of pure zisha are suitable for many tea styles. The natural
red color of zisha ranges between burnt sienna or red ocher, and
displays tones of orange and brown.

[Jing]
Originally, why red clay appears in red color is because it contains
bigger amount of iron, and that is why generally red clay is naturally
denser (and carry a higher ring tone) than other type of Zi Sha. Also,
due to the bigger amount of iron, red clay naturally has thinner pores
than other types. That is why it is considered as best type of clay to
brew high fragrance tea as it can keep the aroma inside better.

[Bill]
Red clays can be either dense or porous, without significant
correlation to its color. Naturally vivid red teapots of cinnabar and
scarlet--though highly demanded--are very rare. These clays were
mainly harvested during the Qing dynasty and are very scarce today. If
you see a bright scarlet red teapot, it is either a rare find, or it
has been created artificially. (I have only ever seen one example, and
it was a broken--but treasured--antique).

[Jing]
Color is one thing important to real treasure €“ aged - antique red
clay teapot, Other more important things that can be faked easily are
the weight and the texture. Although the color of real red clay teapot
wont appear vivid red anymore but deeper with a more profound
brownish-red or reddish-orangish-brown color due to its long term using
or even naturally aging.

[Bill]
Yellow Clay:
Zisha translates to purple sand-meaning it is sandy and granular.
Yellow clays typically have the most large and coarse granules amongst
the different clay colors. This has led many to believe that all
yellow clays are hard and not very porous-good mainly for gentle
aromatic teas, or mellow teas like cooked pu'er. This is not entirely
false. The majority of yellow clays on the market
is very dense, and will lead people to believe that this logic is true.
However, fine quality yellow clays will enhance the aroma, while
pleasantly lighten a teas weight, smooth its body, and concentrate its
flavor. It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Even though
yellow clays are often composed of very coarse granules, the granules
themselves can be very porous. So, yellow clays can in fact be used
for many different tea styles.

[Jing]
Yellow clay contains the softest texture among the five color clays.
And, it is the most porous one that is also required the lowest firing
temperature among the five types. Because of its natural
characteristic, yellow clay is considered as the best type of clay for
high (temperature vs. time) roasted teas and puerh teas, which we say
it is a clay that can €œCun Qi Liu Xiang€� (accumulating the Qi and
retaining the fragrance).
The most common way of using yellow clay nowadays is to mix it with
other type of Zi Sha to increase their sandy texture due to the reason
that Bill has mentioned above €œYellow clays typically have the most
large and coarse granules€�.

[Bill]
Watch out for yellow clays that are not fired at adequate temperatures.
Yellow clays are most prone to developing black spots and stains from
use when they are produced from low temperatures.

[Jing]
Yes, and it appears super quickly, only a couple of times of using, the
black stains would totally show out and there is no way to retrieval!

[Bill]
Purple, Green, Turquoise and other colors: There are fewer
generalizations about the effects of other clay colors.
Interestingly, because purple is common, and because other colors are
rare. Purple is the original and most common color of zisha, so people
do not need to replicate its color, and automatically consider it to
possess the standard qualities of zisha--even without testing.

[Jing]
However, the purple is the most common one, but there is still very few
teapots are made by using only one type of pure Zi Ni. Because the
finishing color of pure Zi Ni teapot is very hard to master, the color
range could be totally different even if the teapots come out from the
same firing. That is the reason why most of the purple (Zi Ni) teapots
are in fact made with Pin Zi Ni (mixed purple clay €“ several types of
different Zi Ni mixed together to get a more consistent finishing
color).

[Bill]
Green and turquoise are not as common, but there is little demand for
these colors to be replicated, and equally little attention paid to
them. When rare colors such as black clay (heini), are artificially
replicated, they are made in such small quantities that they cannot
create any generalizations in the market.

[Jing]
Pure or even purer green and black clay are really rare to get. They
are either way a Tiao Sha one (mixed with yellow clay in most of the
case) or artificially replicated. Personally, I tend to prefer the
first choice. Anyway, if one would like to choose a green or black
teapot might want to go with some that carry more natural color tone
ones. The more vivid the color is the more added color/ chemistry
element is could be. One more experience on the black clay, to choose
a better quality black clay teapot, one can go with the teapot that
appears the black color is more on the reddish-brownish tone. In most
of the case, they are mixed by more natural element and usually fired
at adequate temperature and time.

At this point, to choose a good quality teapot, it is important to use
our eyes and our nose. They are both as sensitive as each other. By
using our nose, we can always smell the clay by pouring boiling water
into the teapots. After cleaning the teapot, fill the teapot with
boiling water and also pouring the boiling water all over the surface.
And now smell. A high quality Yixing Zi Sha teapot should carry hot
sandy like smell, which we called it €œSha Xiang€� (Sand fragrance).
If one smell earthy/muddy then the clay is probably mixed with none
Yixing clay or not fired at adequate temperature. If one teapot smells
paint or chemical would most been mixed with any of those to increase
their color or texture. Another case, one teapot doesnt carry any
smell, well, it wont be worse than any that is mixed with paint or
chemistry element. It is safe to use �

If I may go further, there are some exceptional cases of smelling. The
most obvious case would be the aged clay from the Yixing Teapot Factory
2. Because of their special way of clay fermenting/aging, the clays
always carry an unpleasant smell when they are fresh out from the
firing - but it is a really typical smell. Once you have smelled it you
wont forget it. However, after 1 week of using/raising this typical
smell will be totally gone and the teapot starts to release a light
sandy smell. When it would have reached this point, believe or not, the
teapot starts to do its job and brew you a really good cup of tea.

Hope this helps,

Jing

Imperfect Teapots
 

Thanks for adding your insight Jing.

You are right about the Chao Zhou teapots. Interestingly, they don't
make heavy roasted oolongs overly bitter, even though the clay is not
porous. I have a small collection for historical and cultural value,
but I prefer zisha teapots. Chao Zhou teapots just don't have the same
capacity to improve texture and flavor as zisha.

The nose is definitely a good instrument. I remember the first time I
smelled a bad teapot. I will never forget the biting and pungent aroma
that rushed up. It almost knocked me off my chair. It was fascinating
and cheap so I bought them anyway. I use those teapots as teaching
tools in classes now.

I find the sha xiang (sand fragrance) mainly in older teapots. I
haven't come across any new productions that emit this pleasant smell.
My antique zhuni's have the most pleasing aroma. As the age of my
teapots become younger, the smell becomes less tender. I think it has
to do with the change in fuels (from wood charcoal, to coal, to
electric kilns) rather than just the clays themselves. Any thoughts?

As for new teapots, the smell test definitely weeds out the bad from
the safe.

We've covered, sound, sight, and smell. Let's move on to touch next.
Anyone want to share?

Bill
www.chinaflairtea.com

Imperfect Teapots (this time on to touch)
 

snip snip snip of Bill's cogent remarks about the smell of old and new pots

> We've covered, sound, sight, and smell. Let's move on to touch next.
> Anyone want to share?

On what makes a good potfeel technically, I won't say,
but after a tea session I usually "polish" up my pot
with a soft cloth, and while I'm doing that I appreciate
the feel of the pot especially. Also, the balance of the
pot is so important, perhaps especially during the pour,
and that is a feeling thing. Like a knife, you want the
pot to lean into the pour without fighting you or
gravity in any way. This is complementary to the
visual effect of spout and handle and lid elements,
and very much related. I am bothered by a pot
that *looks* to be lighter or heavier than my hand
experiences it. That is an important kind of balance,
the balance between the weight and feel you expect
based on what you see with how it feels in the hand.

So, you first feel the pot with your eyes. I am
also bothered by the intensely granular look and
feel of some pot skins. While these granules might
contribute to the porocity of the pot and therefore
improve the tea, I think they are aesthetically
unpleasing. Form follows function, but in this
case....

A pot might feel unbalanced to the eye, even
to the point that it looks as though it might
fall over, but in fact it's quite secure because
there is an overly heavy layer of clay near the
base. This is ugly.

The most important element of all that I
can think of in this regard is the foot of the
pot. Try running your hands under the pot
without lookiing, and feel the surface lines
of the foot (bottom). What a nice experience.
When it comes to teabowls, always examine
the foot first, first with your hands, then
with your eye. You will see the foot with
your fingers. It's interesting how some pot
feet are nearly non-existent, being no more
than a round depression, while other feet
have pronounced rings, sometimes running
a little way up the side as design features.
All this is fine, but ought to complement
the rest of the pot, perhaps especially the
lid.

Enough from me. I speak solely and merely
from my own tastes, and others who find
this wacky should by all means ignore me.

Michael

Imperfect Teapots
 

My teochew I bought for $4 in 75. I still have a couple of extra.
This is an Internet picture so I assume this form hasn't changed much.
I used it in a corporate envirnoment for 20 years. I could rap the
infuser on a napkin to dump the leaves and it never cracked. It was
impervious to a microwave nuclear meltdown. The clay is hard and
smooth which oddly resisted patina buildup. The interior surface just
got dark but never something that would rub off with a finger. I used
two sizes. I used the smaller 250ml for work and the larger 500ml for
home. I haven't seen any since.

http://i10.tinypic.com/2ue1he0.jpg

Jim

wrote:
> Thanks for adding your insight Jing.
>
> You are right about the Chao Zhou teapots. Interestingly, they don't
> make heavy roasted oolongs overly bitter, even though the clay is not
> porous. I have a small collection for historical and cultural value,
> but I prefer zisha teapots. Chao Zhou teapots just don't have the same
> capacity to improve texture and flavor as zisha.

Imperfect Teapots
 

On Tue, 28 Nov 2006 00:29:01 -0500, > wrote:

>
> Thanks for adding your insight Jing.

excellent!

>
> You are right about the Chao Zhou teapots. Interestingly, they don't
> make heavy roasted oolongs overly bitter, even though the clay is not
> porous. I have a small collection for historical and cultural value,
> but I prefer zisha teapots. Chao Zhou teapots just don't have the same
> capacity to improve texture and flavor as zisha.
>
> The nose is definitely a good instrument. I remember the first time I
> smelled a bad teapot. I will never forget the biting and pungent aroma
> that rushed up. It almost knocked me off my chair. It was fascinating
> and cheap so I bought them anyway. I use those teapots as teaching
> tools in classes now.
>
> I find the sha xiang (sand fragrance) mainly in older teapots. I
> haven't come across any new productions that emit this pleasant smell.
> My antique zhuni's have the most pleasing aroma. As the age of my
> teapots become younger, the smell becomes less tender. I think it has
> to do with the change in fuels (from wood charcoal, to coal, to
> electric kilns) rather than just the clays themselves. Any thoughts?
>
> As for new teapots, the smell test definitely weeds out the bad from
> the safe.
>
> We've covered, sound, sight, and smell. Let's move on to touch next.
> Anyone want to share?
>
> Bill
> www.chinaflairtea.com
>