The quality of the jet matters when the force of its pressure should be able to "pierce" the tea leaves, extracting the taste from them. A jet that breaks and thereby loses pressure cannot accomplish such a task. Antique teapots have a history (verifiable or not) and have been infused with tea oils over many years. They can produce a decided "thunk" rather than a clear ring because of the accumulation of oils in the clay but can still be of the finest quality. But remember, you are in the antique game now so buyer beware! Getting a teapot made by an established artist usually ensures that it is made of good clay. Due to the relative scarcity of good yixing clay, it is naturally distributed among teapot makers based on their ranks. A well-established artist (or an established studio) has better connections and means to source better quality clay than a no-name that doesn't even want to work with expensive high-quality material.

Raw Zisha ore has to be weathered, processed and then aged for some time to reach the necessary viscosity and plasticity. This time is different for each Zisha ore, but usually the longer the clay has been aged, the better it is for making a teapot (Easier to form into shapes and smaller chance of breaking during firing).

Over the years, I have collected over hundreds of Yixing teapots (majority of them are fine artwork and quite many are masterpieces with a few "Peerless treasures" ). Based on my experience, Yixing teapots can be divided into the following 6 categories: Most deliverieswill be made within the usual time-frame, but some areas and services may experience delays. One of many Asian teapots on this list, the Yixing Zisha teapot was crafted with purple clay in 1948. Created by widely-regarded master craftsman, Gu Jingzhou, the teapot takes a traditional shape, being low-sitting and typically elegant. Zisha clay’s sandy quality makes it porous enough to allow the pot to breathe, pulling the tea fragrance into the walls of the pot. This enhances the tea drinking experience over time. The porosity also reduces the likelihood of mold formation and disburses excess heat in brewing.

First, the clay is molded into the desired shape using a mold or by hand. Then, it is dried and fired in a kiln to harden the clay and remove any moisture. After firing, the teapot may be glazed to create a smooth surface and enhance its appearance. Finally, it is fired again to set the glaze. Making a Yixing teapot requires skill, experience, and patience, as it involves several stages. How to tell the age of Yixing teapot But when we pour from a teapot, we decant the already-made tea. The water that should be able to penetrate tea leaves should be coming not from a teapot but a kettle. And even then, often, we prefer to be more gentle with leaves and not to pour water on them directly. Because of the wide Firing range of Dicaoqing it can have a large variety of colors after firing. Brownish Orange, Brown, Dark Brown, Dark Grey Brown. The teapot 風卷葵壺 made by Yang FengNian in the Qing dynasty was made from Tianqing clay. The teapot is now owned by the Yixing Ceramic Museum.Different coloured clays are used for all styles of teapots. However, the miniature teapots made for gongfu tea are usually of orange-red or cinnabar zhusha. 5. Who are some of the most prominent Yixing pottery artists? One of the most common questions that we see is, " what tea should I use with such and such yixing teapot? ". The question itself is flawed. Fifth, the inner side of the teapot can absorb the fluid of tea. Although you never clean the stain of tea on it, it never smells odd and even release the aroma of tea. The stain of tea on the inner side of the teapot has been proved to have the ability to kill bacteria by biological experiments, because it contains flavomycin. Authenticity Certificates: Some authentic Yixing teapots come with authenticity certificates from the potter or workshop, which can be used to verify their authenticity. Zi Ni is purple mud, one of the most famous and popular Zi Sha variety. This clay is the most porous one and has very good heat-retaining qualities. High porosity and mineral composition mutes tea's high/bright notes and makes the taste more rounded. Therefore, this clay usually pairs well with darker teas, such as Yancha and Pu-erh.