Yixing show off thread

I’m not sure how many people on steepster have yixing teapots, but I thought it might be fun to get a chance to show them off. I’d recommend putting the
-Size ml
-Clay
-Firing level
-Pairing
-wall thickness
-Anything else you might want to add

23 Replies

First pot I got
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87738073@N05/8407208892/in/photostream
-120ml
-Generic Zisha
-Probably medium firing
-Thick walls
-Shu puerh
-The clay is real and the crafting is good so I’d say it’s worth it for the price, however it’s definitely not a top of the line pot.

Secong pot I got
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87738073@N05/8407206740/in/photostream
-150ml
-Huangni
-Probably medium-high fired
-Thick walls
-Young sheng
-Good clay and craftsmanship. I only use this when drinking sheng with others due to the huge size. The price was probably a tad on the high side but still a nice pot.

Third pot I purchase
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87738073@N05/8407206030/in/photostream
-60ml
-Hongni
-Medium fire
-Thin walls
-Wuyi Yancha
-From the 90’s
-This teapot was a steal for the price. There were only a few available and I got one along with some others on another forum. They are very experienced and said it was the best hongni have seen. After the first brew the flavor and aroma was immediately trapped in the teapot and it gains color and patina very quickly. By far the best teapot I own by leaps and bounds. Also the smaller size is good, now that I am realizing how large the first two pots really were.

Fourth pot that I just received today
http://www.flickr.com/photos/87738073@N05/8406113465/in/photostream
-85ml
-Zini
-High fired
-medium-thin walls
-Young sheng
-A very good teapot with good craftsmanship. Once I realized that my tuition pots were too large I decided to buy this to dedicate to sheng puerh. Definitely the second best of these pots.

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mrmopar said

nice, nice, nice!!! a good pot is always a plus…. i usually have a 10 oz. cup!

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I used to brew larger amounts of tea but once you start brewing chaozhou or gonfu style there is nothing that compares. Especially with yixing. Yixing makes the experience not just about the tea, but brewing in a way to enhance the performance and appearance of the pot. It becomes a little battle of how much tea you want to drink vs. how much to pour over the pot. Sometimes I’ll brew tea in a yixing even if I don’t feel like that particular tea to keep up the aroma and patina :) haha

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I don’t have a lot of detailed information about my pots as they were all fairly inexpensive purchases made years ago.

This pot was purchased from Seven Cups and it is the highest quality one that I have
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103097147251455801975/albums/5770466859525395569/5770466879943375538

This pot was purchased from a now out of business local retailer. It’s not the best pot out there but it does its job
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103097147251455801975/albums/5770466859525395569/5770466926138714882

This is my utilitarian, basic pot that I use for tie guan yin
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103097147251455801975/albums/5770466859525395569/5770466925298805602

This is a rather awful novelty pot that I was given. It’s relegated to lapsang souchong
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103097147251455801975/albums/5770466859525395569/5770467065064394434

And just for fun, my yixing frog that spits water :)
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/103097147251455801975/albums/5770466859525395569/5770466971110525634

I love your yixing frog! So cute! I want one :) hehe

This is where I got him, in case you wanted to pick one up

http://www.dragonteahouse.biz/accessories/squirting-frog-zisha-clay-desk-ornament.html

Thanks! I also found a turtle on there that looks adorable, don’t think it’s yixing, but I love turtles :D

You’re first pot is very interesting. I haven’t seen a yixing with that kind of additive used as a design before.

Neither have I. The design is entirely made with yixing clay of different colors.

I actually really want that horse pot, just because it’s a pony! haha!

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mrmopar said

the first one is really nice. love the color mix on it. the one for lapsang is very cool too!

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pizza4lyfe said

The pots I’m gonna show here aren’t mine, they are my mother’s. Her home town is Yi Xing and she loves collecting Yi Xing tea pots. At last count she has about 50 pots. I’m not too sure of the details of the pots.Just gonna introduce her favourite pot. Which I also happen to like a lot. =D
Here it is!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8620717869/in/photostream/lightbox/
It’s been in use for some years (bought in 2004). Usually used when my family’s hosting guests since its fairly large (about 500ml)
There’s a design of chinese children playing carved onto the sides of the pot. It’s handles are metal.

A look at the patina inside.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8621816492/in/photostream/lightbox/

The base
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8621814498/in/photostream/lightbox/

Thats about it.

Here’s 1 cupboard of teapots and the denizens they share their space with.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8620712791/in/photostream/lightbox/

Any wonder why I became the tea addict I am today lol.

That blue pot is gorgeous! I think I would’ve become a tea addict much sooner if I had all of those around :)

pizza4lyfe said

Haha thank you. I myself didn’t become a tea addict until about 2 years ago. But once I got hooked, it was unstoppable. :)

tperez said

Soo cool!
Haha I wish my mom had an awesome collection of Yixing pots:)

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Javan said

Here are my 2 yixing teapots purchased from Yunnan Sourcing (US) a few years ago. They came with the pictures of the pot makers. I use the brown one primarily for sheng puerh, but haven’t dedicated (or seasoned) the gray one yet. They are lovely.
[IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a275/biglagoon/P1080140_zps516323d9.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a275/biglagoon/P1080139_zps100d831f.jpg[/IMG]

Ellen said

I have the second one too :D

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pizza4lyfe said

The brown pot is adorable. Your grey pot’s color is interesting. It’s my first time seeing a yi xing pot of this texture and colour. Kinda interesting seeing how the artisans are coming up with new designs.

Javan said

honeyviper, I asked the daughter in law of my neighbor who is from China if she could translate the little card that came with the pot and the picture of the maker. Her translation said that the artist Yuan Mingzhi used Hong Ma Zi Ni clay, and that she “made innovation in the art. The art is filled with contemporary taste, making her art unique. Since her art is unique and modern, her art work becomes popular.”

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tperez said

I have a small but growing herd. They’re all decent quality, but not collectors pieces.

-First pot: 140mL from Teavivre, non-specific zisha clay, I’ve had it about six months and use it for shu pu’erh, same as Insence&tea’s. The pour is fast. I’ve used it quite a lot, so its built up a really gorgeous shine.
http://tinyurl.com/dy82f5b
http://tinyurl.com/brvaxnh

-2nd pot: 90mL Quing Shui Ni from Wisdom China ebay, I’ve had it for a little over a month and use it for young sheng. Claims to be fully handmade, but seems to be part machined. (spout especially) Quality is ok, but not as nice as my other two.
http://tinyurl.com/cvhj2mg
http://tinyurl.com/ctbobn9

-3rd pot: 160mL Quing Hui Ni from Yunnan Sourcing, I just got it about a week ago and plan to use it for Yunnan blacks, or maybe Taiwanese oolongs. Looks a bit shinier than it is, probably from the lighting.
http://tinyurl.com/c6wz7gs
http://tinyurl.com/cnkksqm

I use a water filter, but my area has pretty hard water, so white/tan minerals tend to build up on the Yixings with use. I brush them with a toothbrush (sounds silly, but it works quite well) which I only use for scrubbing my pots after every few uses, and it seems to bring out the shine quite nicely. :)

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pizza4lyfe said

After I posted a reply about the blue tea pot, the other yi xing pots in my mum’s collection came to me demanding an explanation why they weren’t featured in that post. As I couldn’t give them a good reason why, collectively, they forced me to whip out my camera and laptop to write a post about them. (Pots are such bullies sometimes ;D)
So here are a few other noteworthy tea pots. As always, they belong to my mother’s yi xing collection.

Rhinoceros pot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624184458/in/photostream/lightbox/
It’s mainly for display due to its shape. It’s really well made, like a sculpture. There is a poem carved on one side and a landscape in relief on the other. The back has a carving of a grazing rhino.
Back and landscape relief : http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624188632/in/photostream/lightbox/
Base: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624188016/in/photostream/lightbox/
Close up of lid: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624189288/in/photostream/lightbox/

Next is the hexagonal pot. http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624190690/in/photostream/lightbox/
The shape is unusual in an yi xing as most pots are round. Good quality pot, bought by mum from a visit to her sister-in-law’s yi xing tea pot shop for 800 Yuan (129 USD). Decent sized around (175-200ml). Has a clear metallic sound when struck indicating high iron content. No specific pairing, as my mum just brews whatever tea we have at home in her pots. Used when family is hosting a few guests.
Topview: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624190016/in/photostream/lightbox/

Melon tea pot: http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8623082375/in/photostream/lightbox/
No specific pairing. Volume estimated to be about 150-200ml. Has the classic poem 静夜诗 (Quiet Night) by Tang dynasty poet 李白(Li Bai) carved on one side.

This pot’s name is 飞狐 (Flying Fox) , with maker’s photo.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8623083543/in/photostream/lightbox/
Hardly used, no specific pairing.

This pot is an old retainer, having been around for many years. I remember seeing this pot around the house as far back as 2001. Medium sized. No specific pairing. Has the classic poem 枫桥夜 (Night Mooring at Maple Bridge) by Tang dynasty poet 张继 (Zhang Ji) carved around the sides of the pot. Was used to entertain guests until mum bought the blue and hexagonal pot. http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8623084623/in/photostream/lightbox/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/94693293@N04/8624186792/in/photostream/lightbox/

Javan said

Fantastic collection. Thanks to you and your mom for sharing them.

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