In Part One of this series on Chinese Yixing clay teapots I discussed a some general information about Yixing clay ware and tried to nip some common misconceptions in the bud. As the series continues, I’d like to explore the sometimes difficult task of choosing and purchasing a good Yixing pot. To start, let’s talk about some good sources for quality Yixing ware.
The selection of good Yixing ware is one of those Catch-22 situations, in a couple of different ways. Firstly, it’s better to choose a teapot for purchase in person, where you can visually inspect the pot, hold it, and likely test out how well it pours and handles. However, the number of good quality in-person Yixing dealers in the US is quite low. More often, you’ll probably come across Chinatown vendors selling inauthentic and inferior examples with prices that either reflect their low quality or are extremely overblown. Without firsthand experience with quality and authentic Yixing ware, it can be pretty difficult to determine a pot’s quality, even if it’s right in front of you. Secondly, online teapot shopping is difficult because you can’t see or hold the pot in front of you and must rely on the vendor’s description. There are just as many (if not more) cheap and inauthentic Yixing pots available online as there are in Asian markets, and the fact that you can’t physically experience the piece only adds to the difficulty. And yet, one of the best ways (at least here in the US) to build up a Yixing knowledge base is by reading and purchasing from trusted online vendors.
Purchasing from a well-known online Yixing vendor is a mixture of trusting the opinions of other tea heads (such as myself) and the amount and quality of the information that’s provided by the vendors about the pots. Here are a few recommended vendors:
Teamasters: Stéphane lives in Taiwan and retails tea and teaware from his blog—his new teapots are reasonably priced for Yixing novices, they’re made from decent quality clay and have a reasonable standard of craftsmanship. You won’t find any antiques here, but if you’re just starting out then there’s no need for extremely expensive pots.
Jing Teashop: Jing and Sebastian live in Guangdong province and have recently begun improving their Yixing selection. The pots are available in a wide variety of sizes, clays and styles, they’re all hand-selected and authentic, and the site offers extremely helpful information about the pour speed and which types of tea might be well-suited to the pot. The only downside is that shipping from mainland China is variable and usually takes at least a couple of weeks on the faster end.
Hou De Asian Art: Guang and Irene are Taiwanese and have an impressive collection of antique teapots—most of the Yixing ware they stock is generally on the older side, which means the prices are usually high, though the product is quality, with good information and guaranteed authentic clay and craftsmanship. The other issue is that the teapot selection on this site is only occasionally updated and the new pots usually sell quite quickly—the stock that remains is generally larger pots that aren’t necessarily of ideal size for most gong fu brewing.
Essence of Tea: David and Kathy live in England and travel to Yunnan province, Taiwan and Fujian for their teas and tea wares. The pot selection ranges from quality new productions to antiques and the prices match the date range. The information provided is very helpful, including tea type recommendations and good info about pour speed and quality. The only downside to EoT is that the shop deals in British Pound Sterling, which is often punishingly strong in comparison with the US Dollar.
A couple of sites that act as examples of where not to buy quality Yixing ware are 5000Friend on eBay (pots are purported to be 100 years old yet often cost around $30) and Mrs. Lin’s Kitchen, which sells the types of novelty Yixing pots that are made from inferior clays and often end up being the first mistakes of many long-term Yixing collectors.
Join me for the next installment when I discuss what to look for when purchasing a Yixing pot.