I began this morning looking to purchase my first piece of Yixing teaware. Initially, I began my search looking for a pretty teapot. Yes, I know that is the girl in me. Needless to say, my search led me to various websites where many advised purchasing Yixing teaware. Some of the reasons cited centered around the craftsmanship, the history, the beauty.
If you are not familiar with Yixing teaware (also called Purple Sand), it is a traditional pot made from Yixing clay used to brew tea. Originating in China, Yixing clay is made from clay produced in the region of the town of Yixing, in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu.
With great anticipation, I set out to find a Yixing teaware set. And was almost set on buying this particular set from Mrs. Lins Kitchen. That is until I began seeing warnings about fake Yixings coated with shoe polish to appear authentic and low quality clay imposters. On the opposite end of the spectrum, I found retail sellers with authentic Yixing teapots ranging from $200 to $1000 not including matching cups. Now I sit in front of my Mac in a quandry…
How do I discern an original from a fake? Do I have to tap into my inheritance in order to obtain a quality Yixing? Is a Yixing truly worth the hype? Especially when the experts recommend that you designate brewing one type of tea per Yixing pot due to the porous nature of the clay.
Consider this post a call to the Yixing experts. What advice would you give to a Yixing novice?
And to make it even trickier, you should “dedicate” a Yixing to a tea because the clay absorbs some of the tea, and it will affect the taste of each pot. So when you do drop $100-$200 on a pot you can only use it for one thing…
I’d love to see yours when you get one. I don’t own one, and many of the tea people I know only have one or two (a local colleague has his dedicated to pu’erh).
I use a simple white tea pot (i have two of the same actually) and I love it because it makes 3-4 cups, keeps tea warm and makes it super easy to see the tea’s color. I got mine over at Adagio actually - the personaliTea pot. A steal for $9 plus shipping.
Good luck - but if you’re looking for a pot to make/keep all your tea in - I’d go with something classic and ceramic.
Summer,
Thanks for the advice. If you click on the link above for Mrs. Lins Kitchen, you see the one Yixing tea set I considered purchasing. Because I thought it was pretty I may go ahead and purchase and hope for the best.
Summer, Nikki,
Yixing pots do not have to be that expensive! For a first pot, I would recommend to spend between $20 and $40 on a pot (cups NOT included).
Fakes become mainly a problem when you are trying to buy antique teapots. As with many antiques, if you don’t know what you are looking for you might end up buying a fake. But you certainly don’t need an antique teapot as your first one.
The set you linked to has a few flaws IMHO. Firstly, and most important, it is WAY too big. Its capacity is 24oz. (close to 700ml) while you’d be much better off with something like 5-8oz. (less than 250ml). That is, if you plan on gong fu brewing. If you’re doing gong fu tea, you usually fill the teapot to about 1/3 to 3/4 with dry leaves and do many short steepings. Filling a large pot with this much leaf would on one hand cost you a fortune (for a high quality tea) and would produce far too much tea.
An 8oz. pot is good for at least 4 people, you have to remember that the cups are barely bigger than a thimble. Using Yixing teaware usually means adjusting your drinking style to the teaware and gong fu is radically different from the “English style” most people are used to.
I’ll send you a private email with some pictures of affordable Yixing pots that we are offering.
Jo
Jo,
Thank you so much! When looking for Yixing teaware, you are right, I was thinking about brewing and drinking according to the “English” style (larger vs. smaller portions). I decided against many pots because they were “only” 8 - 10 oz.
Thank you so much for providing your expertise on the subject. I had become concerned about the whole imposter vs. authentic concept. If I can spend $20 - $40 on a pot and add 4 cups for an additional $10 - $15 that’s fantastic!
Thanks again!