As someone finally entering into an appreciation of the PREPARATION of fine teas (after 10 years of drinking pretty good tea without preparing it with Yixing or otherwise), I've found this post extremely helpful. It's very exciting to share in your collection, and you've got an amazing energy. Stellar video sir.
I have ten pots that are awesome and I spent a lot of time trying different teas in a gaiwan before christining the pots. I loved your ten myths and agree wholeheartedly. I am excited that I used my covid isolation time to learn as much as I could and found an awesome dealer of authentic Yixing teapots who helped me as well. I sampled many puehrs and have over 75 cakes of raw and ripe that are at different stages of either ready now or can mature over the years. I also have purchased thirty or so different teas and have a better understanding of my likes, loves and dislikes. This has been an amazing fun hobby and I am excited to learn even more here. The one thing I learned that I was not expecting is that for tea brewing on my own, I really do like the smaller pots. Seven of my pots are 400 to 450 millimeters. Three are 140 up to 250. I love the smaller pots more than I ever dreamed I would and thought there was no way the little pots would work for me. Lol. Always more to learn. Thank you for you video.
thanks for the tutorial. i use a gaiwan, but am learning about teapots for gong fu cha. it seems pairing of teas with a pot is the most challenging aspect.
Like your video very much. Good information presented in a simpatico way but the very best is the end: "You need passion and a lot of practice and a lot of love for it." Totaly agree. Love it. Thank you.
Great video that I think does a good job of explaining why a lot of those myths aren't based in reality. One slight correction, though - I think towards the end you mentioned Chuzhou (滁州) when I think you meant Chaozhou (潮州) as the birthplace of gongfu cha and home of the particular red clay pot.
Thank you so much for this video! I am newly back to Gong Fu Cha after a 10 year hiatus. I have a few pots that I can’t remember where I got that are probably fake. I’m now wanting to find an authentic pot and am not sure where to find reputable venders. Any suggestions?
GREAT video! Loved it and I'm a beginner. I have a nice little glazed 145ml that I have been starting out with. I haven't received it but did decide to invest in a silver teapot since I'm still really exploring all the teas. It's overkill for my understanding but it's beautiful nonetheless. So question, I was curious if you've played with silver teapots in comparison to your clay pots since you probably can notice more details at this point?
I noticed some pots are slightly attracted by magnets... it's barely visible, but it's there. Easier to notice with those thin flat refrigerator magnets. Do you have any idea if real Yixing pots have this behavior? Hope you see this after all these years.
Have you ever bought a Yi Xing pot from Yin Chen Studios? If so, what is your opinion of the clay quality? There isn’t too much about them on the web, but the few comments that I’ve seen have been mostly positive. I’d like your opinion since you seem to have gained a decent amount of experience over the course of your collecting addiction……..I mean hobby 😊 thanks!
Agree with everything except leaving leaves in the pot overnight. Never had an issue with that, just do a quick flush and restart the session on the next day. In fact with some teas I get more enjoyable, richer taste with sessions restarted on the next day.
Hi there ,im new to tea world,and im trying to choose 1 teapot for many types of tea,for now anyways ,and im pondering between Yixing and Chaozhou. Any thoughts on that?
Hey mike, I've watched all your videos and would like to purchase a teapot. However, so many fakes are out there I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of where I can purchase an authentic pot. Wondering if you've heard of realzisha on youtube and how you feel on their "how to spot a fake yixing pot" video. There is so much fraud I'm afraid of purchasing a fake...
Realzisha’s vid is really reasonable when you look closely at “making clay pots” yet vids.Firstly, you can see in a the vid the guy pads the clay into a thick strip and then pads it in the middle body shape.Then they attach the based plate via another clay made into shape.With that, you can see Ian said to look out for the dipian “bottom seam” and that’s where the base plate is attached.You can check for the man pain “top seam”.You can see in the vids that the guy attaches a strip on top of the middle body.Which is where the manpian is.You can also see that Ian said that the inside’s base plate and middle plate is attached together, therefore it’s common sense to see a seam wherein the 2 parts are welded together.You can just compare videos of masters making pots to Ian’s points.
Realzisha is one of the reliable sites imo, they let you see every nook of a pot, and you can check it out.They also organize calls with the maker, the only 2 sites which do so (other is yannartgallery).
I noticed some pots are slightly attracted by magnets... do you have any idea if real Yixing pots have this behavior? it's barely visible, very subtle, but it's there in some pots! Don't know if they are fake or not though... @@SDArgo_FoC
Are you on Instagram?! Looking forward to watching the rest of your videos. Any chance you’ve got a Top 5 or 10 😬 Tea Books you’d recommend? I’m a beginner. Either way, THANKS for the above!!
Not many tea books in English that don't have a ton of misinformation. The Spirit of Tea by Matthew London is due out sometime, and should be great. BUT, lots of good Chinese tea channels here on UA-cam: Tea House Ghost, Knjitea, Floating Leaves, Farmer Leaf, Bitterleaf Teas, Global Tea Hut. I think those will provide a great way to learn more, as well as future videos here of course! Just getting started.
Thanks! Depends on what you're looking for (modern vs vintage). Essence of Tea, Yinchen Studio, and Mud & Leaves would all get my recommendation these days. Lot's of people like Chanting Pines, but their prices are rather steep for my taste.
@@thewanderingteahouse5259 Yeah, for vintage (f1) I would prefer Emmett’s, moodyguy, etc.For more of the “artsy fully handmade part” is realzisha and yann
Factory 1 is the original state controlled zisha teapot (and other items) factory in China. It was in operation making teapots from the 1950's up until 1997 (?).
@@YukonTschai Yeah, f1 are one of the best yixing pots in terms of clay.It’s better to buy some now, than later.Prices are increasing quickly of a finite resource of a finite resource lol
I really appreciate this info. I'm afraid I must disagree about lid fit & spout pour importance however because those things might not affect the taste but they can ruin the moment if there isn't enough gracefulness in the pour.
do you think a f1 white lable hongni (xiao ming jia) would work well with wuyi yancha? had the teapot a while but havent used it, i like wuyi in a gaiwan so im thinking with time and use the clay teapot would make the tea better.
When i was on the train in China, I nearly threw away tainted water bottles from the table I was on with old folks😂 those old folks must have used those water bottles for a very long time and i misunderstood them as junk😂😅
Question: How do I know if I’m purchasing a true safe clay tea pot? I see a lot online for sale. But, I’m concerned I might buy a tea pot that is not made with food safe clay.
interesting but too fancy for me, if I get a teapot in the next couple years it's going to be porcelain or glass I just can't DO this luxury procurement stuff, I'm a renter not a collector
O, you forgot one really strange myth that I've come across, manly in the pop culture wold. For the love of god I really don't know where this came from cuz it makes zero sens but basically it's that a yixing pot should be used every day that the clay dousn't dry out. A good friend of my actually believed this and ruend a pot this way. Luckily for her, it wasn't a real yixing so no harm there. But still, maybe you know where this myth came from.
There is a tea centric episode of Sherlock Holmes (the one with Benedict Cumberbatch) where an old clay pot is used, and it is mentioned many times about it having to be used frequently. So this type of myth could’ve been picked up very recently from examples like this.
As someone finally entering into an appreciation of the PREPARATION of fine teas (after 10 years of drinking pretty good tea without preparing it with Yixing or otherwise), I've found this post extremely helpful. It's very exciting to share in your collection, and you've got an amazing energy. Stellar video sir.
I have ten pots that are awesome and I spent a lot of time trying different teas in a gaiwan before christining the pots. I loved your ten myths and agree wholeheartedly. I am excited that I used my covid isolation time to learn as much as I could and found an awesome dealer of authentic Yixing teapots who helped me as well. I sampled many puehrs and have over 75 cakes of raw and ripe that are at different stages of either ready now or can mature over the years. I also have purchased thirty or so different teas and have a better understanding of my likes, loves and dislikes. This has been an amazing fun hobby and I am excited to learn even more here. The one thing I learned that I was not expecting is that for tea brewing on my own, I really do like the smaller pots. Seven of my pots are 400 to 450 millimeters. Three are 140 up to 250. I love the smaller pots more than I ever dreamed I would and thought there was no way the little pots would work for me. Lol. Always more to learn. Thank you for you video.
Thanks for the great video! And I’d love to see that video you were planning to make on pairing Yixing pots with tea types 🤩
Excellent post! A great grounding in Yixing teapots! Congratulations!
Thank you!
Excellent video! Your thoughts are spot on and I’m looking at my tea pots in a whole new light. Glad I found your channel! 😃
really hope you'll come back to youtube! loved this video.
Collecting Yixing teapots is a passion of mine as well, and I've basically come to the same conclusions. Nice work!
I'm being gifted a golden duanni clay pot this Christmas & I'm so excited. Never used this type of clay. Your collection is beautiful
thanks for the tutorial. i use a gaiwan, but am learning about teapots for gong fu cha. it seems pairing of teas with a pot is the most challenging aspect.
Please keep making videos. This video is so entertaining and informative.
Like your video very much. Good information presented in a simpatico way but the very best is the end:
"You need passion and a lot of practice and a lot of love for it."
Totaly agree. Love it. Thank you.
Very good.. I am a Chinese from Singapore and you got the facts right... I collect teapots too
Great video that I think does a good job of explaining why a lot of those myths aren't based in reality. One slight correction, though - I think towards the end you mentioned Chuzhou (滁州) when I think you meant Chaozhou (潮州) as the birthplace of gongfu cha and home of the particular red clay pot.
Sorry, yes, just sloppy pronunciation on my part. I did mean Chaozhou. :)
Very informative and enjoyable video! Thank you for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed!
will def be on the look out for these. thanks for the info
Awesome information thanks
Thank you. Good eye-openers for a relative beginner.
Thanks for watching. Glad you get some good info from it!
I just discovered the tea world recently. This was useful. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video! I am newly back to Gong Fu Cha after a 10 year hiatus. I have a few pots that I can’t remember where I got that are probably fake. I’m now wanting to find an authentic pot and am not sure where to find reputable venders. Any suggestions?
I love roof rooms. So cozy!
Excellent!
I learned so much. Thank you!
Great videos man !
this is so wholesome. and informative. I love your shirt!
GREAT video! Loved it and I'm a beginner. I have a nice little glazed 145ml that I have been starting out with. I haven't received it but did decide to invest in a silver teapot since I'm still really exploring all the teas. It's overkill for my understanding but it's beautiful nonetheless. So question, I was curious if you've played with silver teapots in comparison to your clay pots since you probably can notice more details at this point?
Thanks! Great video!
Thank you!
I noticed some pots are slightly attracted by magnets... it's barely visible, but it's there. Easier to notice with those thin flat refrigerator magnets. Do you have any idea if real Yixing pots have this behavior? Hope you see this after all these years.
Honestly i'm beginner in the worl of tea, gongfu cha, etc. But this is really help for me, thanks for your video sir. Have nice day :)
I'd love to know where you can get such an amazing shelf/closet you've shown at 1:11
I repurposed my parent’s old liquor cabinet/bar from the 70’s. So... family heirloom? 😆
@@thewanderingteahouse5259 Thanks for the reply, you've certainly gave me a good inspiration for a new tea ware cabinet :)
cool
small collection btw
Compared to some. 😅
What is your opinion on Yixing Clay Gaiwans? Would they be worth it and how do they compare to Yixing Clay Teapots?
Late reply, but it’s really not worth, clay used are pretty low quality.clay has higher heat retention, therefore hard to use
23:17 Hey Mike!
Great video man. Would you be up for joining us on a video?
@thewanderingteahouse Great video! Can you post some links from where you get your tea pots?
Have you ever bought a Yi Xing pot from Yin Chen Studios? If so, what is your opinion of the clay quality? There isn’t too much about them on the web, but the few comments that I’ve seen have been mostly positive. I’d like your opinion since you seem to have gained a decent amount of experience over the course of your collecting addiction……..I mean hobby 😊 thanks!
Don’t like them that much, very vague, unprofessional descriptions, claims of machined pots, I don’t like taking risks like that.
Agree with everything except leaving leaves in the pot overnight. Never had an issue with that, just do a quick flush and restart the session on the next day. In fact with some teas I get more enjoyable, richer taste with sessions restarted on the next day.
Likewise, my experience too! Excellent and informative presentation, thanks Mike.
Hi there ,im new to tea world,and im trying to choose 1 teapot for many types of tea,for now anyways ,and im pondering between Yixing and Chaozhou. Any thoughts on that?
Chaozhou is just for oolongs, especially dancong. If you drink mainly that, get chaozhou.
Hey mike, I've watched all your videos and would like to purchase a teapot. However, so many fakes are out there I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of where I can purchase an authentic pot. Wondering if you've heard of realzisha on youtube and how you feel on their "how to spot a fake yixing pot" video. There is so much fraud I'm afraid of purchasing a fake...
Realzisha’s vid is really reasonable when you look closely at “making clay pots” yet vids.Firstly, you can see in a the vid the guy pads the clay into a thick strip and then pads it in the middle body shape.Then they attach the based plate via another clay made into shape.With that, you can see Ian said to look out for the dipian “bottom seam” and that’s where the base plate is attached.You can check for the man pain “top seam”.You can see in the vids that the guy attaches a strip on top of the middle body.Which is where the manpian is.You can also see that Ian said that the inside’s base plate and middle plate is attached together, therefore it’s common sense to see a seam wherein the 2 parts are welded together.You can just compare videos of masters making pots to Ian’s points.
Realzisha is one of the reliable sites imo, they let you see every nook of a pot, and you can check it out.They also organize calls with the maker, the only 2 sites which do so (other is yannartgallery).
I noticed some pots are slightly attracted by magnets... do you have any idea if real Yixing pots have this behavior? it's barely visible, very subtle, but it's there in some pots! Don't know if they are fake or not though... @@SDArgo_FoC
Are you on Instagram?! Looking forward to watching the rest of your videos. Any chance you’ve got a Top 5 or 10 😬 Tea Books you’d recommend? I’m a beginner. Either way, THANKS for the above!!
Not many tea books in English that don't have a ton of misinformation. The Spirit of Tea by Matthew London is due out sometime, and should be great. BUT, lots of good Chinese tea channels here on UA-cam: Tea House Ghost, Knjitea, Floating Leaves, Farmer Leaf, Bitterleaf Teas, Global Tea Hut. I think those will provide a great way to learn more, as well as future videos here of course! Just getting started.
Great video!
Thanks!
Nice video!! Are there any western facing vendors you can recommend for yixing pots?
Thanks! Depends on what you're looking for (modern vs vintage). Essence of Tea, Yinchen Studio, and Mud & Leaves would all get my recommendation these days. Lot's of people like Chanting Pines, but their prices are rather steep for my taste.
@@thewanderingteahouse5259 I second all those recommendations.
@@thewanderingteahouse5259 Yeah, for vintage (f1) I would prefer Emmett’s, moodyguy, etc.For more of the “artsy fully handmade part” is realzisha and yann
You'd better use the same pot for Lapsang exclusively unless you want smoke in everything.
Can you explain wtaht´s about "Factory#1"? I read this a view times.
Nice Video! :)))
Factory 1 is the original state controlled zisha teapot (and other items) factory in China. It was in operation making teapots from the 1950's up until 1997 (?).
@@thewanderingteahouse5259 very interesting! Thank you! :)
did not know that
@@YukonTschai Yeah, f1 are one of the best yixing pots in terms of clay.It’s better to buy some now, than later.Prices are increasing quickly of a finite resource of a finite resource lol
I really appreciate this info. I'm afraid I must disagree about lid fit & spout pour importance however because those things might not affect the taste but they can ruin the moment if there isn't enough gracefulness in the pour.
great vids man. subscribed for more
do you think a f1 white lable hongni (xiao ming jia) would work well with wuyi yancha?
had the teapot a while but havent used it, i like wuyi in a gaiwan so im thinking with time and use the clay teapot would make the tea better.
Use it
When i was on the train in China, I nearly threw away tainted water bottles from the table I was on with old folks😂 those old folks must have used those water bottles for a very long time and i misunderstood them as junk😂😅
Question: How do I know if I’m purchasing a true safe clay tea pot? I see a lot online for sale. But, I’m concerned I might buy a tea pot that is not made with food safe clay.
Research on reputable sites with reviews. I can recommend some staples where I get mine
interesting but too fancy for me, if I get a teapot in the next couple years it's going to be porcelain or glass I just can't DO this luxury procurement stuff, I'm a renter not a collector
Hope your decision is final, zisha will get more expensive in the future
there are many "fakes" out there. "Half Machined handmades" , but they are ok :) don't forget to boil it before using.
O ma gosh💕
The lid-fit is a bit loose! And then some, buddy! Titter. It takes one to know one = get a life! And help mitigate the dripping ha-ha comedy shriek!
My grandmother has like 25 of them
O, you forgot one really strange myth that I've come across, manly in the pop culture wold. For the love of god I really don't know where this came from cuz it makes zero sens but basically it's that a yixing pot should be used every day that the clay dousn't dry out. A good friend of my actually believed this and ruend a pot this way. Luckily for her, it wasn't a real yixing so no harm there. But still, maybe you know where this myth came from.
There is a tea centric episode of Sherlock Holmes (the one with Benedict Cumberbatch) where an old clay pot is used, and it is mentioned many times about it having to be used frequently. So this type of myth could’ve been picked up very recently from examples like this.
Suzanne Grove
Gaiwans are for loosers and teapots are for champions
Clay teapots rob the aroma from tea, glass is better