Yixing teapots

Last weekend saw the purchase of my second Yixing teapot. It might seem a small event but I was quite excited about it because there are so many different teapots to choose from and they are all so exquisite and I like/love them all! The thing about them is they are hand made and are so simple and yet so aesthetically pleasing in their designs. Generally they are unpainted, so your eye is fixed purely on the shape and form, rather like the naked form. They are also so petite and this gives them another appeal all of their own.

They are made from a special clay found only in the region of Yixing which is called zisha clay and generally they are a deep red colour but the one I chose as you will see by the picture is a soft natural green. I could have pondered for ages over which one to choose but for some reason, the green one was my choice.

‘Highly prized for its porous nature, which is excellent at absorbing the flavor of tea, Yixing clay occurs naturally in three characteristic colors: light buff, cinnabar red and purplish brown. Other colors are created by mixing these three or adding mineral pigments; for example, the dusty black color is obtained by mixing in cobalt oxide and the blue color is made by mixing in magnesium oxide. A principal factor in determining the depth of the color is the concentration of iron in the clay.’ ‘It is said that if you use a Yixing teapot for many years, you can brew tea just by pouring boiling water into the empty pot.

This is just one of the many wonderful properties of these poetic little teapots. For hundreds of years, aficionados of the many varieties of tea found in China have extolled Yixing (pronounced yeeshing) teapots as superior to all other types for brewing it. The special zisha clay (containing iron, quartz and mica, and found only in Yixing) from which they are made absorbs the delicate flavors of the tea and the teapot becomes more seasoned with each use.’ Holy Mountain Trading Company

Here are a couple of other sites which show the many designs available. Note: I have no connection with any of these companies.
Deeho.com

Yixing.com

One of the special features of these teapots, is the porous quality of the fired clay and so they absorb the flavour of the tea; therefore you will require a different teapot for different teas, notably Oolong (Wulong) and Pu-erh tea (black tea). White tea (for reasons I have yet to discover) is made in a non porous pot.