Yixing Teapot Guide
The benefits of using Yixing teapots
In the realm of teaware, Yixing teapots are fairly unknown, even to many regular tea drinkers. Here are the benefits of using such pots for tea preparation:
- Appreciating art: handmade Yixing teapots are unique works of art. When you steep your tea with a Yixing teapot you love, it's like appreciating art and enjoying tea at the same time! We find this aspect particularly important to mention, because many first time teapot buyers tend to focus too much on the technical aspects. So whenever you plan to buy a teapot, make sure to imagine whether you'll truly enjoy using it.
- Heat retention: Yixing teapots have the best heat retention capability compared to all other kinds of teaware, which makes them a great choice for steeping oolong, pu erh, and aged white tea.
- Improving flavour: As we said above, Yixing teapots are unglazed. This feature allows the teapot to gradually absorb the fragrance of tea over time. If you dedicate a Yixing teapot to one kind of tea (which is recommended) it will at one point start to improve the aroma of the tea you steep in it!
Yixing teapot marks & artists
Yixing teapots are made by a ceramic artist. Some artist craft pots as a hobby, while others are professionally certified and make a living by making and selling teapots. All teapots sold on Teasenz.com and Teasenz.eu are made by certified artists, who's name can be found in the national database of zisha artists.
Like painters who sign their painting, Yixing artists chop their mark on one of more areas of their teapots.
Most Yixing teapots have at least one a mark. These marks are chopped on the bottom of the teapot and other areas as a way of signing their work. Artist chops generally consist of 4 characters, 3 consisting of the name of the artist, and the 4th meaning 'made by'. A smaller version of the marks are also chopped sometimes on the handle, the inside of the lid, and inside the teapot. When you buy a teapot at Teasenz, they're always accompanied with an artist certificate of authenticity with are chopped with the same mark as you can find on the teapot.
How to brew tea in a yixing teapot
- Place the Yixing teapot on a tea tray.
- Rinse and heat the teapot with hot water.
- Add tea leaves into the teapot.
- Pour hot water into the teapot and cover with the lid.
- Pour hot water over the outside of the teapot to further improve heat retention.
- Pour out in a pitcher.
- Pour the tea from the pitcher into small cups.
- Repeat until the last steep.
Caring for a Yixing teapot: how to clean a zisha teapot
It's important to care for your Yixing teapot in other to enjoy its benefits to the fullest.
- Seasoning: you often read online and in forums that one needs to season a Yixing teapot before use. This isn't necessary with our teapots. For teapots purchased from other places, rub the inside with your finger to remove any loose parts of clay. Afterwards, boil the teapot in hot water for 15 minutes and let it air-dry completely.
- Dedication: Dedicate your teapot always to one kind of tea, so that consistently absorbs the same kind of aroma.
- Clean: Always rinse your zisha teapot with hot water and let it air dry completely. Never use soap or detergents to clean your pot. To increase the speed of drying you may also polish the teapot with a soft, microfiber cloth.
With proper care, your teapot will slowly develop a glossy patina and it will start to improve taste of your tea.
Where to buy Yixing teapots
When it comes to teaware, buying a proper Yixing teapot is probably the hardest of all. No, you won't find a good teapot on eBay or other kinds of platforms, which are focused on low prices and high volume. Moreover, to sell teapots, a merchants need in-house experts curate the best works of art and avoid fake and low quality pots.
We highly recommend you to browse our selection of Yixing teapots on Teasenz.com and Teasenz.eu. All our teapots are made by certified artists and curated by our in-house experts. A certificate of authenticity is included in the box.
