Purple clay teapot is a unique hand-made clay handicraft in China,its raw material is Zisha clay, produced in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, also known as Yixing clay teapot,Brewing tea in a Yixing clay teapot can keep the color, fragrance and taste of the tea for a long time,yixing tea set is also popular with its simple and unique shape and excellent appearance.
Are yixing teapots safe？
Safety. Zisha clay was used to make tea sets, and yixing tea sets are the best of tea sets in China. According to study,the teapot can keep the original taste of tea,absorbing tea soup, and cold and heat resistance.
Raw material clay of yixing teapot
The raw material for making yixing clay teapot is a kind of hydrated aluminosilicate mineral clay, which is produced by long-term weathering and geological action of feldspar-containing rocks in the earth’s crust.Its main ingredients are silicon dioxide, aluminum oxide, iron oxide, manganese dioxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, potassium oxide, sodium oxide, titanium oxide and crystal water, due to high temperature firing (Usually above 1100 degrees) Therefore, it is non-toxic and harmless to the human body.
Size of the yixing clay teapot
- Small pot refers to 200ml or less(one people)
- Medium pot refers to 200ml-400ml(2~4 people)
- Large pot series above 400ml(above 4 people)
The capacity is preferably 200-350 ml, and its capacity is just about four cups. It takes only one hand to touch and carry, so it is called a pot with one hand. The different height of the purple clay teapot has various uses. The high teapot with small spout is suitable for making black tea; the short teapot with large spout is suitable for making green tea, but it must be moderate. If the teapot is too tall, the tea tends to lose its taste. If the teapot is too short, the tea will easily overflow from the spout, all of which belong to beauty handicraft standard.
Types of yixing clay teapots
According to the shape of yixing clay pots can be divided into three series: “natural shape” ,”geometric shape” and “ribbed shape”:
Natural shape: The teapot is made by sculptural techniques or embossed and semicircular carving decorative techniques, and the shapes of various natural images and objects seen in life are designed into teapot shapes with artistic techniques, such as pine tree pot, bamboo pot, plum pots, watermelon pots, etc.,
Geometric shape: Geometric shape of the teapot body, such as round pot, beam pot, imitation drum pot, ball pot, etc.;
Rib-shaped: the cross-section of the teapot is square, hexagonal,octagonal, etc., such as: miksha pot, furnace pot, scoop pot, etc. This kind of teapot will make spout, cover,bottom, and handle into a ribbed shape to match the texture of teapot body.
Benefits of yixing clay teapot to brew tea
Good taste preservation:The original taste of tea is not lost, no peculiar smell of the tea set itself. It perfectly keeps tea soup color, fragrance and taste .
Inhibit bacteria: Generally, ceramic tea sets have smooth walls and poor permeability. The condensed water droplets drip down, causing frequent agitation of the tea, which easily accelerates the reproduction of bacteria and causes the tea to ferment. Yixing clay teapot can absorb water vapor and avoid it
Fragrant: “tea rust” accumulates on the wall of the pot after Yixing clay teapot is used for a long time, so that when the empty teapot is filled with boiling water, the tea will also be fragrant.
Safety: the good performance of rapid changes in cold and heat, and it will not crack due to fire.
Exquisite: the body will become more beautiful and lovely due to rubbing after the Yixing clay teapot is used for a long time.
How to make yixing teapot
The technique of making yixing teapot mainly refers to clay covering process/clay adjustment process/clay laying process/Separation clay process
Price factors of Yixing clay teapot
Clay
Purple clay is the most important part of a yixing clay teapot,it directly affects the quality of yixing clay pot and its value.
Design
Good beautiful design can catch people’ eyes will make people satisfied, therefore, there are more buyers, more high price.
Craftsmanship
Excellent and skilled craftsmanship will make yixing clay pot even better,It is very rare for the teapot with the best craftsmanship.
Fame
The price of the yixing teapot also depends on the reputation. The greater reputation, the higher price.
Yixing clay teapot price
The price of ordinary yixing clay teapots is generally between 60~150 USD, while the more exquisite more than 200 USD; if it is a master-level yixing clay teapot, the price is above 2000 USD. It is recommended who love yixing teapots to choose middle-grade yixing clay teapots. Not only they are safe, but also it will become more and more beautiful,and higher prices after years or even decades.
Guide when buying a yixing clay teapot
There are many different shapes and qualities of Yixing clay teapot in the market,how to choose a yixing teapot?we can focus on three aspects of practicality, craftsmanship and artistry.
Practicability
Yixing clay teapot is a vessel for brewing tea,considering its practical when you buy it.it refers to the proper capacity,the easy handle of the pot,and the convenient water outflow from the spout to easily brew tea based on personal tea drinking habits.
Craftsmanship
The craftsmanship of a yixing clay teapot refers to the technical level of production, and it is also the criterion for judging the quality of the teapot,The flow, handle, button, cover, shoulder and belly of a good yixing clay teapot should be in coordination with the overall body, and the transitions of points, lines and surfaces should be clearly and smoothly present.
Artistry
A good yixing clay teapot need to achieve a combination of form,spirit, and state,vivid and show to create a strong artistic appeal.
Other essential
Appearance: The texture of the real yixing clay teapot is clear and round,with a light visual effect, and there are many fine particles similar to metal luster.
Touch:the real yixing clay teapot feels fine but not slippery when you touch, the fake yixing clay teapot feels rough or slippery
Turns: turning the cover, the cover of the real yixing clay teapot will flexibly and smoothly turn, and generating a slight “silk” or “shasha” sweet sound, while the fake “yixing teapot” will produce a dull “chuck chick” sound.
Listen:Lightly tap the body of teapot with the cover. Although some people don’t approve it, but it is very effective. The sound of the real yixing clay teapot is crisp,sweet and short,the sound of fake yixing clay teapot is dull, thick and long.
Test: There will be no obvious droplets,relatively uniform, and it will be gradually absorbed in a short time when water is poured on the real yixing teapot.
How to use yixing clay teapot
Step 1: Wiping teapot
Taking out the dry teapot and wiping the body with a clean and dry pot towel for 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 2: Warming teapot
1. Pouring in 1/3 teapot of cold water, slowly pouring the boiling water into teapot, so let teapot rise temperature for 1 to 2 minutes;
2. Slowly pouring boiling water into 1/2-2/3 of teapot, holding the cover with one hand and shaking the water in teapot for 30 seconds;
3. Filling teapot with boiling water and let it stand for 5 minutes,using hot water to pour the body of teapot once or twice to fully open the pores of teapot during which time.
Step 3: Washing tea, pouring teapot
Putting an appropriate amount of tea in teapot.
1. If brewing Tieguanyin, pouring in boiling water at high, let tieguanyin roll in the water to achieve the effect of washing tea.
2. If brewing Pu’er, slowly pouring hot water along the edge of teapot at a temperature slightly lower than the boiling water temperature.
Pouring out the washing water into a cup after a minute, and let it stand for a few minutes for later steps.
Putting the pot towel under teapot, and then using washing water just prepared to pour the tea soup on the surface of teapot. If possible, using the pot pen to brush it to make the tea soup more uniform, and then using hot water full washing body,then wiping body of teapot with a clean wet pot towel.
Step 4: Brewing tea
Using right boiling water to brew again. Green tea should be at 80℃, black tea, Pu’er tea, oolong tea, and Tuo tea should be at 90~100℃. The brewing time is affected by many factors such as tea leaves, tea volume, water temperature, and teapot body capacity according to your need.
Step 5: End of drinking
Cleaning it after end using, taking out the cover, and let the bottom of teapot face up and the mouth of teapot face down to air dry naturally.
Yixing teapot first use
How to use Yixing teapot at first, you can use the following step
Warm up: boiling the teapot with water
Thoroughly cleaning the stains of the yixing clay teapot with boiling water inside and outside, and then wiping teapot with clean and soft cloth,let teapot air dry,next, putting the teapot and cover in a pot without oil stains, add water over it and cooking for two hours, removing smell and anger of teapot.
Decrease fire: boiling the teapot with tofu
Waiting teapot and cover have cooled to room temperature naturally after taking out from a pot,, putting the tofu into the teapot to boil, and cook for about 1 hour until the kitchen is filled with tofu aroma, then waiting for about 5 to 10 minutes.
Moisturizing: boiling the teapot with sugar cane
Taking out the boiled tofu in a yixing clay teapot, cleaning it with water, and let it cool to room temperature naturally, putting slit sugar cane in a yixing teapot (no sugar cane,some sugar available), and then cook for 1 hour, until the air is filled with sugar cane aroma,then waiting for 5 to 10 minutes.
Rebirth: Teapot with final taste
Determining tea that you will use this teapot to brew in the future(One teapot is best to only brew one type of tea),putting the selected tea and teapot together into a pot to boil again,taking out until air is filled with the fragrance of tea,then waiting for 10 minutes, using the tea leaves in pot to wipe teapot body and cover for a few minutes, and finally wash teapot with warm water.
How to clean yixing teapot and maintenance
Direct cleaning
Every time you finish drinking tea, pouring out the tea leaves in the teapot, and then cleaning the tea set with water.
Cleaning teapot with toothpaste
If you would not clean the teapot in time after drinking the tea, maybe teapot has been colored,you can squeeze a small amount of toothpaste and spread the toothpaste on the surface of teapot with a cotton pad,trying a few more times.
Cleaning with heated rice vinegar or baking soda
If there is a thick dirt in the teapot, it is difficult to clean with toothpaste,trying soaking in baking soda or cleaning with heated rice vinegar. Shaking and soaking for a while,well done.
Cleaning with salt
Using a soft gauze or sponge to soak with water, then spreading salt on the gauze or sponge, and gently wipe the “tea rust” on the yixing teapot to remove the tea rust,the yixing teapot will be as bright as new after washing with clean water.
Maintenance
- When brewing tea, first pour the outer wall of teapot with boiling water, and then flush the water into teapot.
- Using cotton cloth to wipe the body of teapot. Do not leave the tea soup on the surface of teapot. Otherwise, the surface of teapot will be covered with tea dirt in some time, which will affect the appearance of yixing clay teapot.
- The teapot should not be soaked in water frequently, and the water should be flushed only when you brewing tea.
- Keeping the outside and inside of teapot dry after using.
- Don’t put it in place with a lot of oily smoke or dust.
- It is best to prepare several yixing clay teapots. one teapot using a certain type of tea. Do not use the same teapot for all teas.
- Do not soak the yixing clay teapot with detergent or any chemical, otherwise,it will be wiped off the taste of tea and beautiful appearance.
Conclusion
With the entire discussion, we have introduced to you on what/size/types/style/price/benefits/how to make/how to buy/how to use/how to clean and maintenance of yixing clay teapot,However, if you are still confused, you can take help from the experts.
