Over the years I’ve collected some pretty odd looking teapots. This is one of them
I have no idea what this is. The thing is tiny – it measures 8cm from tip of spout to end of handle. It is unglazed, and construction is Yixing-like – it’s clearly slab built, and probably molded by hand/fingers instead of using many tools. The thing probably leaks a little – there are some tea stains on the exterior of the pot that looks like minor bleeding that happens when you use, say, a Hagi cup. It has that Yixing sandy smell when you wet it. I’m inclined to believe this is a Yixing pot, although I don’t know of its origins or anything.
Small pots like this always pose a problem. I know they have fans – people always ask me where to get these tiny pots, but I personally find that anything below about 80ml to be too small to be of practical use. First of all, leaves often don’t fit. Then the small size makes control quite difficult. I prefer things in the 100ml range, which puts this just below. I doubt I’ll be using this pot much, but it’s a lot of fun to look at and play with.
3 responses so far ↓
Jay // July 16, 2013 at 1:37 pm |
I have to chuckle. š You know more about Yixings than anyone I know and you started this post with “…I have no idea what this is.” There’s no hope for the rest of us!
Melanie Jarrett // June 22, 2014 at 9:33 pm |
Hi I want to buy a teapot ‘Zhuni’ I have to buy it online because I am in northern Canada and there are no shops to actually touch or feel a pot. I have found 2 websites…I will include the links can you tell me what you think? I really don’t care about where the clay is from, or if it is made by a master the only thing I am concerned with is chemicals or anything that might make me sick overtime. I want to use one for green tea, and I want 2-4 cups.
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/teapots/2878-zhu-ni-clay-broad-rong-tian-yixing-teapot-250ml.html
http://www.amazon.com/Yixing-Tea-Zhisha-Small-Bamboo/dp/B00HENUGUU/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A363H7L5K4TP1G
MarshalN // June 25, 2014 at 2:46 am |
While I can’t say for certain I doubt these pots will have the capacity to make you sick over time – and probably far less so, than, say a daily habit to drink alcohol or eating two donuts a day.
And as for “zhuni” let’s just say Scott of Yunnan Sourcing is using the widest possible definition for “zhuni” when describing this pot. The other seller isn’t even calling it that.