Are yixing teapots an overrated commodity?
I know a lot of people love their yixing teapots, as well as the culture and history that is associated with yixing teapots, however…
I was just thinking, yixing teapots are usually recommended because they are porous hold on to the aroma and flavor of tea and becoming more and more seasoned the longer the teapot is being used. But is this really that much more superior to other types of teapots? I recently learned that in England they never clean their teapots either for similar reasons as one wouldn’t clean a yixing teapot, BUT their teapots are usually made from porcelain which has close to no porousness at all so you wouldn’t think of it as being seasonable, but it evidently is.
And if porcelain teapots can be seasoned, would that not mean that even very cheap yixing teapots could be worth buying as they presumable absorb the aroma and flavor better due to their porousness?
Would there really be a noticeable difference?
I mean, I have a yixing teapot of my own that I use exclusively for ripe puerh. I like it a lot, because it only holds about 180ml which is ideal when brewing for yourself, and it retains heat really well. But other than this, is there really a good practical reason to buy yixing?
Please let me know what you think.
A good yixing teapot is definitely not over rated. Many of the teapots that call themselves yixing actually aren’t. To really be yixing it has to be made from a certain type of clay. They are in my opinion a superior type of pot. This however does not really mean there will be a major difference in the tea brewed in a yixing pot or porcelain tea pot. Also, it takes years of regular use for a yixing teapot to begin to “give back” to the brew of the tea. But there is little doubt that the clay of a real yixing teapot is superior clay. However, many teapots sold as yixing are not made from this clay.
I believe for ceramic teapots it isn’t seasoned the same way as a yixing but rather the ceramic builds a tea patina on the surface. Not 100% sure that’s what the English don’t clean there pots (as I’ve never heard that), but it’s a guess.
I’m not really interested in getting a yixing pot since a good one costs so much because of the demand, and good tea will still taste good out of a ceramic pot. I’m not saying that a porous pot can’t add to the tea experience especially if you drink a lot of puer, but I personally find the thought that the perfect clay for tea just happens to be in one area in China with a history of tea pot making a bit…unlikely. Maybe there’s clay in Australia that’s even better at heat retention and mineral flavors and so on? Or a non-traditional firing method that really sweetens up green tea? I think that focusing on yixing, especially for beginners, keeps their prices high, allows for a lot of fakes and scams to proliferate, and keeps new teapot innovators down.
As with anything that commands desirability, the higher the price, the more it is copied. Hence, buyers need to be informed and wary, but really, if you love what you found and are willing to pay the price and willing to use it as intended, then go for it.
I honestly believe anything tea can be brewed in will form a patina and add to the flavor… over time. It makes sense that the perfection of Yixing clay and tea in China would have made a perfect marriage. The Chinese have always been so creative with the making of every day items into things of fantasy, beauty and even humor. The figural shapes of their teapots and centuries of loving tea have developed into items of desire.
Perhaps, just as the English ‘borrowed’ the bone china recipe for the more delicate teacups to enjoy their tea in, they also took note of how well the clay of Yixing worked with the brewing of tea and found a compatible clay.
Just putting two and two together, since the British have their own version of Yixing. Known as the Brown Betty, with the signature manganese brown glaze known as Rockingham glaze. (copy and paste follows) * The original teapots came from a red clay that was discovered in the Stoke-on-Trent area of Britain, in 1695. This clay resulted in a ceramic which seemed to retain heat better and so found use as the material for the teapot as early as the seventeenth century.*
I’ve discovered that British Tea aficionados have a similar desirability of these tea pots, which can often be found for a bargain in thrifts. So, I enjoy hunting for them. People who don’t know tea ignore them, thinking them ugly. Yay for me.
Another advantage of clay teapots is they remove some of the inherent bitterness in tea. Some people insist on authentic yixing but there are high quality clay pots that perform just as well and cost a lot less. I’m quite satisfied with the purple clay Taiwanese teapot I recently bought.
Some good information on Yixing teapots for beginners:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-I9oGLslOo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmM3G1lO7I8
I’ve seen some of this guy’s video before. I will definitely watch these videos. Thanks.
Yeah on this guys website he sells tea he claims is from 1600 year old tree. Sad, because on his video about Yixing teapots he seems to know what he’s talking about.
I believe the western vendors who make these claims are getting absolutely fleeced in China. Some (most?) vendors at tea markets in China will talk up their teas in all kinds of ways—whatever it takes to make a sale. I’ve seen chemically flavored tieguanyin and overpriced pu that had been stored so poorly in Guangdong that it was pretty much undrinkable, and they asked for top dollar for it.
It’s not just the tea markets, either—farmers can be just as shady. This is why some vendors camp out at the farms when their tea is being processed in the mountains. People in Yunnan know how to sell tea to outsiders and have been doing so for centuries. Some dealers even supervise picking to ensure they aren’t getting sold substandard tea, and I know of vendors who’ve bought tea at top dollar and discovered there were substandard leaves under the good stuff at the top of the bag!
I’m sure there are vendors who are buying new plantation tea as ancient tree tea and have no clue…I take anything I’m told by a vendor in China with a grain of salt and let the tea speak for itself.
I’ve seen guys up on the Mainland treating fake Yixings like they’re their most prized possessions…raising them with great care n all…it’s not just foreigners that get ripped off up there!
In my experience yes, definitely overrated. While there will often be a difference in brewing between porcelain and clay (and not necessarily a good one, depending on the tea), I don’t find having a specific “special” clay really makes much of a difference. Maybe the yixing teapots I’ve tried are not “special” enough, but I haven’t really noticed a difference when brewing in different clays.
That said, I’d be cautious about cheap clay pots, as they can sometimes be painted or tainted with certain chemicals or who knows what.
Yixing pots resteep better for later too. Yixing will dry out the leaf fast in an empty pot vs a ceramic or porcelain gaiwan. When you resteep hours later, you don’t have leaf that was steeping in as much residue.
But yeah, in a way I do think they are overrated and only certain drinkers should have them, the type who drink a lot of the same teas and willing to use the pot. I don’t use mine nearly enough. If you aren’t using them enough, you aren’t putting the time into seasoning it, thus what is the point?
good point about the drying out, I never paid attention to this until now but thinking about it, you’re absolutely right!
Some say the leaf doesn’t go bad as quickly when stored in Yixing…this could be part of the reason why. I leave my lid partially off between infusions to allow steam to escape, as I would with a gaiwan or porcelain pot.
Oolong Owl is right about seasoning—they need love to get where they need to go. I bought an estate Yixing earlier this year that had been used so much that nothing I did could get the aroma out of it. In the end I just used it and it seasoned up to shu pu erh very quickly.
I think this article is worth reading, as you continue your descent down the rabbit hole of yixing :)
I believe it depends on the drinker, and how much they care. Some like to just throw tea in a bottle and pour water over and drink; while other drinkers are equivalent to chemists in their brewing ritual. I see a proper and authentic yixing (or any other type of clay) as an investment. I am the type of drinker who cares and wants to go that extra mile no matter how excessive or expensive.
Sadly, most yixing and other clay teapots are just marketing schemes and are over rated. If you try hard enough you’ll find the good ones.
And then there’s purion… #rabbithole
Very hard to find purion in North America. And when you do find it it seems to be large size like 340ml or so.
I’ve seen a few 100ml-175ml; however, the stars have no aligned for me to be able to spend that much.
I have yet to find a small Purion teapot at either a US/North American Seller or Chinese seller who will ship here. Camellia Sinensis used to sell a large one but I don’t see it on their page now.
Seems there’s a gap in the market for smaller Purion pots. Good to know ;) Who’s selling Lin’s pots online? I handled some at one of their stores in Taipei and didn’t want one at the time (I only had five good Factory 1 Yixings at the time, and I’d used them for my pu and oolong needs for years)!
I was disappointed with mine. The main problem is that the strainer holes plug and are hard to clean out (5 minutes of poking with an un-bent paper clip every two sessions). I didn’t notice any taste benefit, so now it just gathers dust.
I had the same problem! However, I have a relatively easy solution now. I only brew puerh in my yixing. I now try to only put large pieces in my teapot. And if it still gets plugged, then I use this air blower/duster: http://img.dxcdn.com/productimages/sku_190173_1.jpg
I just put it in the spout, press it once or twice and its unclogged.
I put the teapot up to my mouth and blow through the spout if it gets that bad. :D Most of my pots are one hole pots, however.
I have one I got to use only for light oolongs. Problem is with the in between oolongs (light roast). I’ve accidentally brewed some of these in there when I didn’t know they were roasted (always with samples). Over time I just got fed up with it and mostly brew my oolongs in a porcelain tea pot or gaiwan. I’ve considered getting one for sheng but, like you, I don’t know if it’s worth it. I never noticed it improving the taste of my oolong and they are so expensive.
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