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by Patrick
“What kind of filter is best?” “What kind of filter do fully handmade teapots have?” “Should teapots with ball filters be avoided?” We have been asked about filter options for Yixing Teapots and hope to address some of the more common questions here. In particular the question of whether ball filters are a desirable feature or not. Teapots with ball filters have a somewhat dubious reputation in China. For many, having a ball filter is a sign that a teapot is cheap or low-quality. To understand where this reputation comes from and how fair it is, it helps to look at where this design came from and how it has been applied.
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by Patrick  Mr. Chen Feng-Ji in his studio in Dehua. We were very happy to talk with Mr. Chen Feng-Ji this week. A promising young sculptor working in the medium of porcelain, Mr. Chen has devoted the last decade to improving his craft, first under an apprenticeship and then as a contract sculptor. Since 2016 he has been running his own studio, producing sculptures and tea ware for the Chinese market, and since 2019, for the international market. by Patrick  We admit to a bias when it comes to tea. Although we sample widely, there are a few varieties we always seek out and that we just enjoy more than others. When it comes to oolong, we just can’t seem to get enough of Taiwanese high mountain tea. It was only a matter of time before we made our selection to bring you some of our favourite Taiwanese tea.*
We are very happy to introduce our tea partner in Taiwan, Hsieh Jiang Lin Tea: http://hjlteahouse.com/ by Patrick
This week is a follow-up to last week’s post (and a much belated follow-up to our tour of Shan Kiln and Interview with Lee Shanming). After last week’s post, we received a few questions about the use of agate in Song Dynasty Ruyao. by Patrick A beautiful sky blue glaze that is both shiny and cloudy gives ruyao its defining characteristic that is best described as “jade-like.” True ruyao or fanggu ruyao can be distinguished from cheap mass-produced factory “ruyao” by this characteristic, as well as by its composition and the steps in its manufacture.  The jade-like glaze of ruyao. by Patrick Unlike clays such as zini or hongni, the use of jiangponi for teapots does not have a long history stretching back hundreds of years. In fact, jiangponi is a very young addition to the family of clays used for Yixing teapots, only having been discovered several decades ago.  Jiangponi teapot. by Patrick This week we look at another kind of Yixing clay, and a subtype of zini (purple clay), called original ore Qinghuini 原矿青灰泥.  Qinghuini clay is dark greyish purple with golden flecks. Much has been said about the legendary "Dahongpao" clay from Yixing. Some say it's rare, others that it's extinct, others that it's still available, and others that dahongpao teapots are fake. There is some truth in each of these claims.
When people say a teapot is made of Yixing Dahongpao clay, they may be referring to any one of three distinct kinds of clay; two of which are authentic original ore and one of which is not. |
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