Yixing tea pots are also called zisha hu in Chinese, which translates to &#;purple sand pot.&#; Approximately five to six thousand years ago ceramic activity first emerged in the city of Yixing which is located in the southern Jiangsu Province. At that time, Yixing city was one of the famous production areas of ceramic pottery in the east, but in the Tang Dynasty potters started to teem with zisha ni or purple sand clay. By the early Ming Dynasty, the popularity of this specialized form of pottery increased, and replaced other ceramic ware to become the preferred tea accessory. Commonly, yixing tea pots are used for wulong, puer and black teas. In some cases green tea can be infused in a pot, but you have to be careful not to over brew the tea leaves since these pots maintain a very high temperature of water for a sustained period of time.
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Zisha Hu, or Purple Sand Tea Pot, is a unique Chinese art form that developed during the Song dynasty (960-), but reached the height of its fame during the early Ming Dynasty (960-) through the Qing Dynasty (-). This very elegant, but simple style of earthenware became increasingly popular as tea preparation itself moved towards simplicity. The process of preparing tea during the earlier Tang Dynasty (618-907) involved grinding of leaves and the addition of incense. As this complex method began to fall out of favor it was replaced with the use of simple, but wonderful whole tea leaves and buds. The unglazed and uncolored purple sand clay teapot proved it could best capture the real color and fragrance of this new style of tea. In addition, its aesthetics reflected the cultural and philosophical ideas of the times. Transcending its purpose of brewing tea, zisha tea ware became a symbol of simplistic beauty.
Sometime between the late Song Dynasty to early Ming Dynasty, zisha clay was identified as an ideal material for brewing tea. The reason for this is its distinctive mineral content. The clay is rich in iron, quartz, mica, kaolin, hematite, isinglass, in addition to many other trace minerals. The iron contained in the clay helps sustain the temperature of the heated water, allowing for a very rich and complex infusion of tea. The quartz and other components leave mineral remains after the clay is fired at - degrees Celsius. This creates a distinctive double pore surface. This highly porous structure is the key element that makes Yixing ware indispensable for fine tea drinking. These many microscopic holes not only allow the pot to adapt to drastic changes in temperature, but also allow the tea to breathe which in turn brings out the fragrance, color and taste of the original tea leaf. The tea&#;s delicate oils are absorbed into the walls of the pot, creating yet another enhancement of flavor. Therefore, brewing one type of tea will give a distinctive character to your zisha ware.
&#;I love purple clay for it has no color of glaze, just like that you can see one&#;s mind directly. One doesn&#;t rely on the appearance to show his nobility, and only that which is true in nature is most valuable and pleasing.&#;
Gao Zhuang
The making of zisha tea ware begins within the mountains of Yixing where 350 million year old mineral deposits rest. These minerals have formed a material the Chinese call &#;purple sand clay&#; or &#;zisha&#;. Once the unprocessed zisha, which resembles a piece of rock with a flaky outer surface, is mined and extracted the clay must be selected and worked by hand. Separated by color, the pieces are laid out and allowed to be weathered naturally by the sun, the wind, and the rain until the clay reaches approximately the size of a soybean. Higher quality clay is weathered for several years before being processed, but due to increased popularity and the faster pace of modern times this action is often sped up by machines that crush the clay into finer pieces. Once weathered, the clay is ground into a fine powder and magnets are held over the material in order to extract excess iron content. This will help create a finer, smoother end product. Finally, it is sifted many times and tempered by water creating the mature clay that will eventually be molded into various pieces of pottery.
There are three kinds of zisha clay: purple clay, red clay, and green clay. Each material can be made into pottery on its own or mixed with the other two kinds of clay. In , potters began to add oxidized metal to the fine clay powder in order to achieve a variety of colors like, dark purple, pear brown, copper, or dark green. However, the most cherished pots are still the natural untouched zisha clay. Purple clay is the most common type of Yi Xing tea ware and usually resembled a dark brown once fired. Green clay is only found in small quantities and therefore it is rare to see an entire pot made of this material. It is usually used for accents and decoration and resembles the color of a dark egg shell once fired. Red, or Zhuni pots, are not as common as the purple clay, but can still be found in larger amounts than the green clay. This material is located deep within the mountain layers towards the bottom of the mineral deposits making it more difficult to find and therefore more sought after.
Once ready to construct a piece of pottery the clay is re-hydrated and pounded to remove any excess air bubbles. High quality clay is pounded for weeks achieving a very even and consistent surface. The worked zisha clay possesses many unique qualities. It has a near perfect plasticity making it possible to create many different sizes and shapes coupled with sharp, distinct designs. Its cohesive force is also strong, but not sticky when worked with either hands or tools. This is an important factor since these pots are rolled and pressed, not thrown like some other forms of ceramic ware. Yixing tea ware is often made in various pieces such as the spout, lid, handle and base; which are created separately and later gently molded together. Also, the shrinking force is very small only reducing in size about ten percent from molding to firing. This allows for precise fitting and closely matched lids helping the teapot sustain the correct water temperature for a complete tea infusion. Lastly, there exists an appropriate quantity of ferric oxide and many other micro-metallic elements making the color of a zisha teapot plain and graceful. Since the simplistic beauty is much sought after, it is rare that a potter will enhance its natural form with glazes. If you&#;d like to see the construction of something similar in action, check out our video on Chaozhou and Zhuni teaware.
Zisha teapots are very popular among collectors, but although a respected art form these fine ceramic pieces are not just for decoration. The pot exists as a partner to the tea and should be used and enjoyed. In general there are five styles of zisha tea ware and through experience and time you will slowly begin to discover what pot best suits your personal style and needs.
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There are two ways to prepare a zisha tea pot for use. One requires boiling the entire pot in water, but unless you are experienced with this process it is easy to damage the delicate structure of your pot. We recommend the method described below because it is both safe and effective.
absence wrote:I'm sorry I don't have sources, it feels like I've been browsing the entire web for information about this. Some web site here, a forum post there, you know how it is.Yes. You will find a lot of contradictory information online, sometimes people have different views, sometimes people write about tea but haven't necessarily explored it much yet. We are all learning and sharing along the way. In this case as in many others I suggest that you experiment with different temperatures and materials yourself and observe the differences.I'm sorry I don't have sources, it feels like I've been browsing the entire web for information about this.Some web site here, a forum post there, you know how it is.
Note that I didn't say is something clueless Brits do. I said that it is what people do when they make tea in a particular style, which is known as British style - regardless of what is their nationality. Brewing strong black tea with boiling water in that case is not clueless, because the tea needs to be strong enough to rise above the milk, and the milk will reduce its bitterness.absence wrote: Anyway, the thing about needing hot water to extract all the flavours from black tea is something I've read several places, and there's no reason to shrug it off as something clueless Brits do to add taste to their milk.
absence wrote: There are plenty of good quality black teas from both assamica and sinensis that are deliciously full-bodied and sweet on their own after four minutes with near-boiling water in a pre-heated vessel. But of course don't do that to a first flush Darjeeling or Nepal.When you drink high-quality red tea alone it is quite common to use a lower temperature: red tea is not roasted, and it is quite delicate. See for example these notes published on Cha Dao:There are plenty of good quality black teas from both assamica and sinensis that are deliciously full-bodied and sweet on their own after four minutes with near-boiling water in a pre-heated vessel. But of course don't do that to a first flush Darjeeling or Nepal.
Yes. In my opinion that is the best answer, and not only for red tea. There isn't only one right way to make a certain tea: depending on the day and the moment, you may want something different. Perhaps if it's cold and rainy you may want a stronger cup, if its a warm summer day a lighter one, or you may want different things depending on your mood. So I think the best advice I can give you is don't follow rigid rules, listen to how you feel, and learn to brew tea that speaks to that.absence wrote: Sounds like the answer is that it depends on the tea and what you want out of it.
Yes. You will find a lot of contradictory information online, sometimes people have different views, sometimes people write about tea but haven't necessarily explored it much yet. We are all learning and sharing along the way. In this case as in many others I suggest that you experiment with different temperatures and materials yourself and observe the differences.Note that I didn't say is something clueless Brits do. I said that it is what people do when they make tea in a particular style, which is known as British style - regardless of what is their nationality. Brewing strong black tea with boiling water in that case is not clueless, because the tea needs to be strong enough to rise above the milk, and the milk will reduce its bitterness.When you drink high-quality red tea alone it is quite common to use a lower temperature: red tea is not roasted, and it is quite delicate. See for example these notes published on Cha Dao: http://www.academia.edu//Notes_o ... 5%E8%8C%B6 _ Since you asked, I replied that red tea does not strike me as a tea for which high heat retention is particularly important. However, you should not believe that just because I or the article I linked say so: as above, experiment yourself and decide what you prefer. There is so much misinformation on tea on the internet that you should only trust your observations, and maybe a little bit some people whom you have learned to trust.Yes. In my opinion that is the best answer, and not only for red tea. There isn't only one right way to make a certain tea: depending on the day and the moment, you may want something different. Perhaps if it's cold and rainy you may want a stronger cup, if its a warm summer day a lighter one, or you may want different things depending on your mood. So I think the best advice I can give you is don't follow rigid rules, listen to how you feel, and learn to brew tea that speaks to that.
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