Thread: Any one else like Yixing tea pots?

Just like many people here I love my tea. For my taste there is nothing better than Chinese tea from Yixing pottery. Yixing is a province in China which produces, for my tastes, the best tea pottery. Some Yixing pottery is extremely ornate. But I prefer a more subtle style, like these.

These two are a small tea pot and a tea decanter.

Anyone else want to share your yixing pottery?

Anyone care to elaborate on the importance of this type of kettle/pottery? I love loose leaf tea especially yunnan silvertips but I simply boil water and let the leaves sit for a few minutes. Am i missing out?

Nice set!!

I love yixing pottery. I'm going to take a few photos of my teapots. How cool!!!

My most used teapot which is about 8 glasses size (I think it cane be classified as lixing hu (pear-shaped teapot) though it is a little different:



A very small 1 glass size wendan hu (pomelo teapot):



Classically shaped yixing teapot that I actually gave away as a gift:



I'll take photos of others as time goes on, just realized my camera is out of batteries. Would love to see people's teapots, great thread!

I really, really want several yixing pots, but I'm not sure where to get actual Yixing-clay ones... perhaps you fellows could enlighten me?

Yixing (pronounced eexing) teapots are made from a clay which although porus, can have a very shiny surface without being glazed. The clay is able to absorbe the flavour of the tea, which is believed to make each pot of tea taste better.
Also, yixing tea pots, being smaller, are able to individually develop each flavour of the tea in subsequent steepings.

All of this may be semantics but us being the type of people who are prepared to go to extremes to get the perfect shave (it is after all only shaving) I see no problem with the quest for the perfect pot of tea.

I personally dont have any yixing teapots as of right now, but I am a small time potter and I love making teapots. I would love to get a hold of some of the purple clay they use to make them and make my own, but thats been impossible so far.

Here is a link for you. They have a lot of sizes and styles. Mine are packed up right now but they certainly are nice and stay hot for a good while.

YiXing teapots from YiXing, China. On-line teapots shopping.

Bamboo

Green Dragon like mine

Coin which is a good size for a couple of cups of tea


Four cup set

I do not own a YiXing clay tea pot. I want too own one, though. I will own one soon. I know that Teavanna tea stores carry a small selection of them. Im mostly a coffee drinker, but I love lose leaf teas. I steep mine in a hand made Japanese Tetsubin. Its black with a gold Imperial Dragon ornating the tetsubin. I will post pictures of the pot, as soon as I take them.

I have two Yixing pots for my teas, one for a camamile based tea and another for a oolong style I like. I'm always told to stick to one tea per pot but I have mixed up the teas many times due to moves and not being able to get the exact tea I used before. I have not noticed much of a difference as long as the basic tea remains the same.

I can't find pics of my pots... looks like I need to get some pics up...