Gong Fu Tea|chA - Episode 6 - Teapots and the Clay They're Made Of (famous types of 紫砂 / zǐshā)

[@joaopin]

I've come back to this video for information multiple times. Hopefully these timestamps will be useful for other viewers as well :) 00:34 Introduction 01:30 Teapots and Gaiwans 02:55 Clay 05:03 Yixing Zisha, Jiangsu Province 05:52 Yixing Zhu Ni, Jiangsu Province 08:35 Chaozhou, Guangdong Province 10:27 Eastern and western clays 11:23 Nixing, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region 13:17 Jianshui, Yunnan Province 15:05 Dai, Yunnan Province 16:57 How to use teapots

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Thank you for the timestamp tags!

[@tommerenator]

​@@TeaHouseGhostadd them to the description, so they show up automatically as dividers on KZbin!

[@donotseemecricket]

I've been told that steeping red and green teas and perhaps some white teas as well in a teapot it is actually good to leave the lid off in between steeps so as to allow the tea to breathe and not lose those nice bright notes.

[@qhodave]

This Video is as excellent as the 5 Episodes before, plus my wife instantly started to sing with you ^^ Please let there be many more episodes. You got me hooked! cheers from Austria

[@TeaHouseGhost]

qhodave thanks so much!! We're so glad you are loving the show! We will for sure keep putting out episodes!

[@yubinbai]

Oh man, I can't believe it you are singing the song so beautifully.

[@donnakawana]

I teach ceramic's an your a very wise young fello an I so love this episode!! For the talk of kilns an cones.but most of all the clay ..I have clay buried rite now aging! As my home is too dry!! Plus it needs to age for what im doing with it!! Im amazed at how you have helped me with figuring things out!! Thanks for sharing your life and wisdom with us grateful for your time!!✌🏼💗😊🙇🏼‍♀️🍵

[@Robutnikon]

YES!!! Soooo informative. Thank you for sharing your knowledge in such a gentle and easy-to-absorb fashion!

[@amaturearcadia]

your knowledge on tea is so extensive and i really enjoyed this video. thank you

[@marcofernandez3041]

Please, have to drink it at the end!!!! i was so eagering to wait for that sweet response for the tea to kick in!!! Great video !

[@TaijiMassage]

Just subscribed!!! Thank you for the wounderful videos!! One suggestion I might make is to make the close ups slightly more in focus so we can see whatever it is you are close-upping on clearly and more readable. Thanks and keep the videos coming!

[@southwest6099]

Thank you for discussing Nixing, Jianshui and Chaozhou. I have been brewing tea in the first two for a couple of years and recently bought a Chaozhou for Dan Cong.

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Chao Zhou pots are so cool! Awesome that you have one! I also got a Mary Cotterman pot like the one shown in the video for Phoenix oolong and I love it!

[@trusarshah7851]

can i use chao zho for tie guan yin oolong?

[@20thcenturyboy85]

AWESOME INFO in this video! Thank You!

[@nick3795]

Hi, and thanks for the informative video. I have just received my first Gong Fu teapot from an artisan in Dong Guan Shi, called Yuan Hua, it is beautiful, a Dragon Egg, very textured with complex clay colours. I love it and i am a little scared of breaking it so I haven't brewed tea in it yet! I will be coming back to you soon☺

[@fromtheflightdeck252]

Very relaxing but amazingly scholarly. You know the stuff.

[@codrin1862]

非常感謝您❤

[@moldveien1515]

Really interesting thing about Jian shui is the fact that the brown and black silvery are just the same clay, after its fired they grind it down and the diffrent layers are diffrent colours, so the fades and so in is just the potter grinding diffrent amounts around the pot to make the shading, its a pretty unique feature that i havent seen much in pottery.

[@NhiTran-dw8ij]

So Han you are so great!! I wish to meet you in person to receive your training on tea.

[@saniarao7250]

Favorite channel

[@jiajiaemily618]

Hi, good job. I am from Kunming Yunnan. I love Jianshui Tofu and tea pot as well.

[@kellyfarrell4971]

great series, thank you so much for this.

[@mickaelliparimayer]

Just discovered your channel (I already knew your store though) and absolutely love the craft and content of your videos. Love it!!!

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Thanks so much for watching! Glad you dig the show!

[@jrobb229]

Wow. This is true find. Excellent, more please...

[@TeaHouseGhost]

J Robb Wilson more on the way soon!!

[@kukasmog]

You rock dude

[@emmalouie1663]

These videos are great. Some of these tea pots are so small!

[@TeaHouseGhost]

This is the way in Chao Zhou. Tiny tea pots made from very nice, special clay.

[@17tzujan]

Love the tea, Chinese and ya'll mixed in. :)

[@onesendzeroes4800]

Tea people ? Hey but that's me ! (Us?) Hiding between the leaves ~

[@moldveien1515]

Dai tao is so loveley some of the patterns and as a chinese student and linguistics minority languages are my jam, I have only seen dai tao for sale in two online stores, and yunnan sourcing who were sold out, and yunnan crafts who only sold a damaged one. There was also a singapore web shop but aswell sold out. I know I have been leaving comments about this all over your page now, but they really are beautifull no?

[@bobbyport]

Great video, very interesting. Many thanks!

[@derekb1585]

bobbyport ii

[@NeuronSoup]

You da man, thank you King

[@chillcooking3119]

So han mentioned that hes only seen good chaozhou and yixing can be held upside down but My jianshui can do the lid trick as well😁

[@TeaHouseGhost]

That's rad!

[@onixxx1984]

I have a dedivated dhp clay teapot which I got in the early days of the yunnansourcing, and I only brewed tgy oolong in it, I tried to boil the teapot in watet and it made tgy fragrant dark water with small droplets of tea oil, it works, at first I was skeptical but its true, you should dedicate a pot for each type of tea like jade, roasted, hong cha, sheng and shu.

[@علیاکبرزارعی-ز4ض]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@nicolemcginley4183]

Hi! Curious if you have thoughts on Jian Zhan Teaware? I actually have a Jian Zhan teapot but it seems as if its a more popular style of teacup. Love this video series, thanks so much for posting these!

[@TeaHouseGhost]

So Zhan means "cup," which may be why your searches return cups more than teapots. Your teapot is likely referred to as Jian Yao in Chinese, which means "Jian Kiln" and refers to a distinctive place and glaze. Is your teapot glazed on the inside? There is a good likelihood that this teapot is made from clay that is not optimized for yanging, and so does not necessarily need to be dedicated to one type of tea. Thanks so much for watching and for reaching out!

[@Javier-jl4st]

Hi! Firstly i must say that your videos are really clear and informative for everyone interested in gongfu cha, thank you very much for that. Secondly, i wanted to ask you about the yang process, that means that you can only use one type of tea for that teapot or one variety? I mean, one teapot only for Green teas or one teapot only for X green tea?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

That level of specificity with regard to dedicating your teapot is really up to you! I have one teapot dedicated to Shu Pu'er broadly and another that I have dedicated only to Thunderstruck Phoenix Oolong.

[@Javier-jl4st]

@@TeaHouseGhost Thanks a lot!!

[@abbig5602]

I had this same question! Commenting to hopefully push this thread up.

[@MrAqr2598]

I've been wondering, you said that teapots are dedicated to a single type of tea, but to what extent is that? Is it to the genre of tea, like "This teapot is for Shu Pu'er", or to the brand, like "This teapot is dedicated exclusively for this tea made from the highest patch on that mountain"?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

You may select at your discretion anywhere along this gradient! For example, I have a pot that is for Nannuo Mountain Shu Pu'er and another pot that is just for Thunderstruck Phoenix Oolong.

[@bettyesperanzabelalcazarco9537]

E gusto mucho el video e informacion

[@TeaHouseGhost]

gracias mi amiga!

[@annielee6249]

good, I like this video

[@nagikokiyohara]

Thank you for the video So Han - this one taught me so much! Do you have any favorite vendors for yixing teapots?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

So glad you like the show! As for vendors of yixing teapots, all of the vendors So Han gets his wares from are in China. I don't have a personal favorite website or somewhere you could find one online that I know of, but many people have posted thoughts on this on various forums and places (reddit, fb, etc.). If you're specifically interested in wares So Han gets, you can email him at teamaster(at)westchinateacompany(dot)com

[@nagikokiyohara]

@@TeaHouseGhost Thank you very much!

[@Mr_Lee_Watermelon]

Thank you for sharing .. really enjoyed watching this video .. \:D/ Xx

[@vespeur]

I have a 200ml yixing teapot but I'm not sure if I can use it for steeping red tea or not, because I thought the steeping time for 1st-2nd...infusion is very short (quite instantly) and my teapot needs around 10-15 second to pour out all the tea fluid. Which tea is better to use with yixing teapot may I ask? Correct me if I was wrong somewhere

[@TeaHouseGhost]

If you're finding it difficult to do quick pours with this teapot, maybe consider using it to make something like Shu Pu'er or Aged White Tea, which don't require such short steeps

[@DNS-FRANK09]

Have you ever used a wooden gaiwan? I've seen a couple and want to get one to see how it makes tea but I'm not sure if anyone else has ever used them

[@TeaHouseGhost]

I have not!

[@DNS-FRANK09]

@@TeaHouseGhost I've seen some but the only question I have is how good they'll retain heat

[@scottm2553]

How many steeps does it take to season a yixing tea pot?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Each time you use it, it seasons a little more. I don't know if I would say there's a threshold where "it's seasoned now" - though there is a legend about Yixing clay pots that if you steep the same tea in one every day for 1000 days, that on the 1001st day you can pour just water into the pot and out will come tea.

[@scottm2553]

@@TeaHouseGhost Oooooo 😮

[@J.Leistikow]

Hello, thank your for your whole wisdom. I‘m looking for a good tea brush and saw yours. I can only find some cheap stuff where little hairs will losen up and remain on my tea pet. That‘s annoying. Can you recommend any good tea brushes, if not can I use soft brushes from the „art sector“ of painting?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

I don't really use the teabrushes much myself, and neither does So Han, so we don't really have a great recommendation for you, but I imagine art brushes are fine 🤷

[@ferdinandludo8851]

hi, enjoyed your series of videos.. Very informative sir! just want to know, does Mary Potterman (is spelling right) still sell those Chao Zhou tea pots in the United States ? Does she have a website sir ? Thanks!

[@TeaHouseGhost]

So glad you like the show! Mary Cotterman is not currently selling or making Chao Zhou pots, I'm afraid! After several years living and working in China, she's back stateside these days working on other stuff.

[@ferdinandludo8851]

Tea House Ghost茶館鬼 thanks For the reply - looking forward to more videos from you in the near future...

[@halomegabloks97]

Where can I find a authentic Yixing tea pot and what are the average costs ? If I may ask

[@leolam2445]

Im curious where you get your type of cloth.

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Unsure exactly where So-Han got this cloth. Somewhere in China. He picks up lots of fun stuff on his travels.

[@Dangoboi]

When you get a new teapot do you need to do anything with it before you start to use it? I have seen some talk about seasoning it but it doesn't seem conclusive. What is your go to?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

No you do not need to do anything before using it. Some people like to preseason it, which you can do by simmering it in tea, but also seasoning is something that happens over time by making a similar type of tea in the same teapot over and over and over again.

[@gardnerwebb3749]

Have you sampled eight immortals? Dong Fang Hong my favorite oolong.

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Oh yeah 8 Immortals is great!! I think my favorite is Lei Gong Da, or what we call Thunderstruck.

[@billylav5254]

Thank you for the education! May I also ask where you got that lovely shirt?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

I believe So Han got this shirt from a purveyor of hemp clothing in Dali in Yunnan, China.

[@billylav5254]

Thanks! All the more reason for me to visit the mother country!

[@ehhnikola93]

where is a good place to buy pots online?

[@qhodave]

I recently got a Nixing Teapot and since you said it does not yang very quickly, if it even does at all, do you have an update on that? I intend to use it for several wulongs, either for Yan Chas other than Da Hong Pao (I have a DaHongNi pot for that) or, if it really doesn't yang significantly, for Yan Chas and Phoenixes. Any advice on that would be greatly appreciated. Cheers from 茶ustria

[@TeaHouseGhost]

The specificity of dedication is, of course, up to you! Though Nixing will yang slowly, it will yang, so mixing Yan Cha and Dancong Cha in one teapot may muddle the flavor, but it also might make for a cool combo! I've never tried it! Let us know what you choose! Love the 茶 pun, my friend! Cheers from 茶-ustin, Texas!

[@qhodave]

@@TeaHouseGhost thank you for the quick reply. Haha I'm too much a purist/noob get into combos haha. Maybe some day.. I'll dedicate this Nixing pot to yan Chas other than DHP then. Thanks again for everything 😊

[@joshuetortega3572]

Thank you for the vid 🙏!! Where can I get a good quality none glazed yxing clay teapot?? I’m looking for quality

[@TeaHouseGhost]

West China Tea sells some, periodically. Enthea Teahouse in Portland might have a few. Other than that I can't vouch - haven't been shopping around recently, myself 🤷

[@6122ula]

...Anyone have info for : Mary (K.or C.) the potter in Austin TX?...Thanks )

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Here is a link to her Etsy: www.etsy.com/shop/MaryECotterman Here is a link to her insta: instagram.com/m.e.cotterman?igshid=409ww8jnx8j9 Also Guan You sells her wares so you can contact them at contact(at)guanyinteahouse(dot)com

[@iBuzzinga]

So Han, I've bought a clay teapot on a flea market but the owner couldn't tell me anything about it. How would I go about determining its origin/clay/price/...?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Was it marketed as an Yixing clay teapot? Or what kind of clay is it?

[@iBuzzinga]

@@TeaHouseGhost unfortunately, the owner inherited it from her dad who passed away. She couldn't tell me anything about it. I Found someone who transleted the stamp as 'Zhou Guizhen' which makes me believe it's a fake. It looks like it was made on a spintable but the lid is a very tight fit. So I think it has some worth, but not a true Zhisha. Are there any other steps I could take?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

@@iBuzzinga Spun pottery with a tight lid is more common in Chao Zhou clay teaware and some other kinds. Let me talk with So-Han and see if there's anything that might be able to help you. In the meantime, if you want to send pictures to [e-mail] we can take a look.

[@iBuzzinga]

@@TeaHouseGhost Thanks, you guys are the best!

[@alphie333]

So, if you aren’t using an unglazed clay tea pot, if you’re using like a porcelain one or something like that, can you brew different teas in it without confusing the flavors?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

You certainly can! Go nuts! No yanging!

[@Creem16]

what about cast iron tea pots? are they bad?i feel like it also get seasoned with use

[@TeaHouseGhost]

They're not bad. My biggest gripe with iron is that they get hot to the touch. So hard to hold with boiling water in em

[@fredmakoto318]

Nice part !!! 😀 😀 😀 What is this song at the end and Words ? Find pretty good !!! Xie Xie

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Thanks!! The song at the end (and there beginning) is a song called Ever New by B. Glenn Copeland.

[@fredmakoto318]

@@TeaHouseGhost OK ' is that chinese Word you are singing about,?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

@@fredmakoto318 oh oh oh! Right - my bad. This episode has So Han singing a song at the end called 東方紅 (Dōngfāng Hóng | English: "The East Is Red") - you can read about it here: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_East_Is_Red_(song)

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Also, for clarity, we didn't include this song as an endorsement of Mao Zedong or his actions - mostly just trying to spur interest in Chinese history and culture.

[@fredmakoto318]

@@TeaHouseGhost m yes thank you so much , it was this song, i find it very interesting about chines culture content thats why i ask it , i saw wikipedia link , very great thank you so much for sharing, of course i inderstand your clarity very well , dont worry and i hope hear others from him ^^

[@JudithOpdebeeck]

do you have any tips to prevent the leaves from coming along when you pour? i keep getting bits of leaf in my cup. i tried using a pot i had as a gaiwan, but its not really suited for the job so i think i have to go with a teapot

[@TeaHouseGhost]

In many cases some amount of leaf particles making it into your gongdao bei is just part of the game, but if you're not one who likes having leaves in your cup, you can always pour through a strainer! Enthea Teahouse in Portland Oregon sells really nice ones I believe! Lots of folks do it this way

[@JudithOpdebeeck]

@@TeaHouseGhost thanks!

[@danielhusain7570]

I was going to ask you about the dai script in your Sheng Puerh video... It looks similar to Burmese scripture, which also looks a lot like Thamil to me

[@TeaHouseGhost]

I can't speak to the specifics of comparing/contrasting Dai script with Burmese or Thamil script, because my knowledge of each is very limited, but it would be interesting to know how much overlap is in that venn diagram!

[@lorenrenee1]

What happens when you run out of that tea the pot is dedicated to?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Time to get more! 😝

[@zissimus8462]

Do you have any tip for the best clay for Dan Congs?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

An easy way to answer this would be "what grows together, goes together" - that is to say Chaozhou clay teapots, having been developed in the Phoenix Mountain area and thus cultivated as an art form around this kind of tea practice, are really good for Dan Cong Cha. That being said, any kind of clay can be used for any kind of tea of you like the matchup! For example I have an Yixing clay teapot, that was made in Chaozhou in a Chaozhou style that I use for Thunderstruck (a dan cong).

[@zissimus8462]

@@TeaHouseGhost thanks a lot. I had this clash in my head Yixing vs Chaozhou....

[@MrAqr2598]

I'm planning on buying a brand-new 80ml (2.7 fl. oz.) _Lóng Dàn Hú_ (Dragon Egg Teapot) made of _Yíxìng Zhū Ní_ (Not quite sure yet, but I do trust the online source) for ¥13,200 JPY ($108.24 USD as of the time I'm writing this), and using it for Qīng Xiāng (low oxidation) Dòng Dǐng Oolong. Is there any chance I'm getting ripped off (I know the price won't do much to determine this, but it's all the criteria I can offer), and is my tea choice good?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Really impossible to say without seeing/feeling/hearing the pot as far as the degree that it is genuine Yixing Zhu Ni. Typically they sell for twice that at baseline, or can definitely be more expensive, but it's not out of the question to find a seller offering them for that price. Choice of tea is yours my friend! If that's what you'll love making in it, then that's the right choice!

[@MrAqr2598]

@@TeaHouseGhost P.S. The _Zhū Ní_ (?) _Lóng Dàn Hú_ came in the mail, along with two _Piān Gǔ Hús_ made of _Yíxìng Zǐ Shā_ that I ordered afterwards. The _Lóng Dàn Hú_ came in a gorgeous red box and a certificate written in Chinese, which I *can't* read (I'm Japanese, and some of the Chinese is handwritten) . The teapot itself does look red and hand-crafted. The sound of removing the lid is high-pitched and resonant like the _Yíxìng Zhū Ní_ teapot in the vid. I also tested the upside-down trick on all three teapots, all of which pulled it off with flying colors. BTW I'd like to send you photos and vids as proof; do you have any mail addresses I can send them to?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

@@MrAqr2598 that's great to hear they all passed the tests! I'm not sure how much more assessment we could provide from checking out photos and vids, but you can feel free to send them to teahouseghost(at)gmail(dot)com

[@nathannosser944]

Can I use any tea after any other tea in a glass of glazed teapot?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

In glass or glazed tea pots, yes. You can use any tea after any other tea.

[@nathannosser944]

​@@TeaHouseGhost thank you!

[@tasjanayoung1522]

Gaiwan is for cooking; can add as you go A teapot is for baking; once it's in, it's in

[@TeaHouseGhost]

A useful analogy!

[@tasjanayoung1522]

@@TeaHouseGhost 😊

[@Mystikal69Khaos]

What tea kettle do you use?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

TimothyKaosuツ at the Teahouse it's like half Elementi kettles and half this other weird knockoff Bonavita lol

[@gusmic5759]

Hello! What do you think about duan ni clay, do you like it, is it good clay for my first yixing teapot? And what kind of tea is dedicated to it?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Hi! I haven't used a Duan Ni clay teapot yet myself, although they look beautiful! I'm sure it's a fine choice for your first teapot if you are drawn to it! As far as what tea is dedicated to it - that's entirely your choice! You can dedicate any teapot to any type of tea you want. What type of tea would you like to make in this teapot?

[@gusmic5759]

I was thinking about da Hong pao but i also heard opinions that this clay is better for light oolongs like Ti kyuan yin or something like that So im a little bit confused now.

[@TeaHouseGhost]

@@gusmic5759 Da Hong Pao is always a great one to make in a teapot! Really the choice of which tea to dedicate a pot to is all about you and your relationship with your teaware and the tea you like to make. I'd say for your first teapot, choose a tea that you like to make a lot, so you can start to yang the clay! What works for some won't work for others. There's no right or wrong way to go about it.

[@gusmic5759]

Thank you very much for answer and for your videos!❤️

[@MrAqr2598]

_Zhū Ní_ (朱泥) Teapot Sound Comparison 7:24~ _Yíxìng Zhū Ní_ (宜興朱泥) 9:36~ _Cháozhōu Zhū Ní_ (潮州朱泥)

[@Kwijiboi]

Curious, does the oil ever go rancid? Coffee oil goes rancid and negatively affects future brews, but here, the prev. tea oil is prized.

[@TeaHouseGhost]

To my knowledge, the patina left by making tea in a clay vessel like this will not go rancid as long as you take care of your vessel and clean up after each tea session.

[@timpuget]

Again thanks for all this . Know that i have learned a lot from this series ( i'm sure many others have too) I'm really intetested with the Dai gaiwan, do you know which teas match well with it? They look so awesome.

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Being that they come from Xishiangbanna down in southern Yunnan, I'd say my favorite tea to match it with is Sheng or Shu Pu'er. But really they're lovely pieces for any tea you want to dedicate it to ☺️

[@avriltbdt]

When you say that you use a teapot for only one type of tea you mean a generic type of tea or a single specific tea?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

Either one! Your choice! For example - I have a tea that is just for shu Pu'er and one that is just for Thunderstruck Phoenix Oolong specifically.

[@avriltbdt]

@@TeaHouseGhost thank you for the reply!

[@TeaHouseGhost]

@@avriltbdt of course!

[@mikedelgado8888]

I want

[@morganolfursson2560]

Nice to see a real 文人 on youtube who is a true well of science and culture and not some neo-beatnik flower child making things up as he (she) goes while serving the tea with a side of unnecessary Confucius doctrine and some background, equally unnecessary, 'chinky" (read irritating) music, when the whole point of their video is just to clearly show their collection of Yixing pots and tea pets all bought for 33,99 on ebay , but passing as Ming and Qing paraphernalia for the untrained eye . And heaven forbids they'd ever use a teapot made by a Yank. So, thanks a lot man . You're like a breeze of fresh air in this sometimes suffocating, chinese tea , mostly vain , youtube community . And to top it all you serve it with a side of humour . To my taste , i think it could do without the paper screen in the back, but if it helps conceal a panorama of Texan suburban infrastructure then it is completely worth it . And you definitely rock that shirt !

[@OysterPir8]

Daaaaaang! Bitter!

[@quity919]

are full hand made chao zhou clay pot really like 200 pounds? also some tea pots i saw have no ring at all. i'm willing to pay for good tea pot but i don't wanna get scammed

[@TeaHouseGhost]

My Mary Cotterman Chao Zhou dragon's egg pot cost $200USD. When last I was in China, I also found some extremely nice Jian Shui pots for around $150-$300. So yes, fine handmade pottery can be quite expensive, in some cases even more expensive than this (especially for ones with nice designs). But sometimes even good teaware can be found for relatively cheap...in China. Finding nice Chinese stoneware in the West for cheap is a little more difficult. I'd say for a legit Yixing or Chao Zhou clay teapot, expect to spend around $80 minimum. Dai pottery we found was quite a bit cheaper (and still v good quality!), and Nixing can sometimes be a bit cheaper than it's Yixing and Chao Zhou clay counterparts because of the relative lack of hype around Nixing clay. I will make an important note here that a nice clay teapot is not necessary to do Gong Fu Cha. Anyone can do Gong Fu Cha in a regular old glazed porcelain gaiwan and make amazing tea. A fine handmade clay teapot is inherently a luxury good. So if you're thinking of getting one, it's best to save up and get a good one. Ultimately, the price will be a product of two main factors: the quality of the clay, and the quality of the craftsmanship. A factory-line clay teapot made of good clay can still be a good pot. A handmade teapot made with less-than-amazing clay can also be good, but watch out with bad clay because some bad clays can be toxic. The best, though, is a pot made with good clay by a skilled craftsman.

[@quity919]

Tea House Ghost茶館鬼 thanks so much for the reply helps a lot! I just started out and enjoying tea so much. I live in Thailand might not get to go to china but I might go to Hong Kong maybe I can get some teaware while I’m there. On your point about bad quality clay is there a way to tell if the clay is bad quality or toxic?

[@TeaHouseGhost]

I'm not sure if I know of any specific ways to tell if a clay is bad/toxic so much as I know how to tell if a clay is good. One of the best layman ways to tell good clay is from the sound, as So Han demonstrates in the video (the sound of pulling the lid off, or tapping the lid, gently, against the side of the pot). Also knowing your suppliers and building a relationship with them helps, so that way you are buying teaware from friends instead of just someone trying to make fast money at market. But I will look into this for you and see if I can find some more info!