Are yixing teapots an overrated commodity?
A true yixing pot definitely has effect on tea when used correctly. How much value, in monetary sense, does one put on those qualities depends on the person’s own interest. From my limited experience, a nice yixing definites thickens the tea I brew, accentuates aroma of the tea.
Investing in an Yixing is definitely worth it if you want to take your tea experience to the next level. A good Yixing teapot doesn’t have to cost a lot. The very expensive ones are because they’re fully handmade with a lot of attention to detail by a well known artists. Functionally wise they aren’t necessarily better in brewing tea. They’re valued only by those who see teapot also as a piece of arts, besides just an effective steeper. If you don’t, then it’s indeed an overrated commodity.
Thanks for all the replies!
So many interesting opinions and points of view to take into account.
Based on all the replies I feel like I now have a clearer understanding on yixing teaware.
I think my 1 yixing teapot for puerh tea will be enough for me. I’ll keep using my lowly, cheap gaiwan for all my other teas and occasionally a tall glass for simplicity’s sake.
Thanks again, everyone!
I own over 30 Yixings, and that’s a relatively small collection compared to some. Yixings, when married to the right tea, make tea taste better than a porcelain pot right from the start. Good, older clay is extinct, although good modern clay can be found (but is only used on custom pots that cost more than the older ones, in some instances)! Older pots are only going to increase in value, so I look at my teapots as usable investments. Modern pots aren’t cheap, either, and are better made due to more refined production methods, but I find the older clays just make better tea. YMMV
Clay pots in general are really good at heat retention, which affects brew. The rest I am not sure on… but I did a comparison on heat retention the other day, and there was a big diff. The more fairly continuous brews there were, the longer the water stayed near the temp you poured it in at, which I am sure affects flavor (wouldn’t want to do that say with a shincha, but roasted and aged things it makes a huge difference).
That’s absolutely an important factor, but when used right, they dull the negative and emphasize the positive. For example, with HK shu, the storage taste (tastes like a Hong Kong basement) can be dulled down to nothing with the right kind of zini, and you get a smooth, thick mouthfeel from your pu, and it goes down super easy. In porcelain the tea has a strong storage taste that is unpleasant if you aren’t used to it (or even fond of it). The same is true for high fire oolong, which can be rough when fresh, but mouthfeel and flavor are both improved. Yixings are GREAT at smoothing things out. With my hongni pots, the unique flavor of the tea is brought out and one of my zini pots brings out aromas from Wuyicha that aren’t detectable in porcelain, for whatever reason.
What sold me on Yixing was my first ever F1 pin zini pot…it made wet storage shu SO SMOOTH and removed the musty odors of the tea (which had been poorly stored). That particular pot is just magic with tea with storage aroma and flavor, and it is extremely valuable to me for that reason.
I agree that Yixing teapots are overrated. There are many market reasons that pushed the price so high. Yixing teapots affect the flavour. But in early stage, it absorbs the aroma. The tea actually smells better when brewed in porcelain at that time, and the teapot doesn’t really improve the flavour till it’s fully nourished. And it takes time. Chinese love Yixing teapots mostly because it changes as you use it. It gains a unique luster through time that is noticeably different than polished by tools. It gets personal. It’s the same reason we love jade besides its precious, and some certain wood and walnuts. (I know it sounds a bit crazy.)
But don’t get me wrong, personally I love them a lot and I have quite a (growing) collection. Haha!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPnYCdHxYL/?taken-by=zhentea
Thank you for your very interesting reply. Also, nice collection of yixing teapots you got!
Could you maybe also give me your thoughts on quality differences in yixing? I mean, can you really taste a difference between a fully nourished cheap yixing and a fully nourished expensive yixing teapot? You gave a very clear answer, so I wonder what you think of this also.
Thank you for the compliment. The straight answer to your questions is no, I don’t taste the difference between cheap and expensive yixing teapots, fully nourished or not (I assume by quality you mean the quality of the zisha clay which lot of people think is what sets the price difference in zisha teapots, but it’s not). One thing with delightfully cheap yixing teapots is that they can be fake (aka the material is not zisha clay). It was exposed that some people used chemicals to fake zisha clay teapots and sell them for super low price. Then it comes to the question of safety… which is another topic.
Actually the cost of the material for zisha teapots is a really small part of the price. Handmade or molded or half-half will make a difference in price. What really makes those teapots expensive is the person who made it, does he has a provincial title or a national one or other awards.
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