「ZhengShanTang」Yixing宜兴 Zisha Pot Purple Clay Teapot-大彬圈钮

Raw material: Downhill mud from Huanglong Mountain, Yixing City
Craft: Handmade
Capacity: 170ml
Size: Length 105mm, diameter 75mm, height 78mm, there are errors in hand-made and measurement, please refer to the actual product.

To brew good tea, three factors are inseparable: water temperature, amount of tea, and brewing time. In addition to the key "water" that affects the taste of tea, there are also "utensils". There are thousands of utensils for brewing tea, including glass, porcelain and pottery. For most people, porcelain and glass are the most convenient tea utensils. They have small pores and do not absorb water. They can restore the most original taste of tea soup, which is very helpful for knowing a tea. Of course, the most important thing is that the price is cheap, you can buy it for hundreds or even tens of dollars.

When you first started to brew tea, the tea set would be broken because of the hot water, and if there was a slight bump in the precious tea set, it would inevitably make people feel distressed.

But why do people like to use expensive purple clay pots?

Because "pottery" has large pores and high water absorption, it has the effect of softening water quality. Even the taste of the tea soup brewed by a good pot and a bad pot is very different.

The purple clay pots in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, China is the most famous. Different clay materials, different grades, and different shapes all affect the price of a teapot. The price of purple clay pots ranges from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Most of the pots with a few hundred dollars on the market are not pure in mud material, pot-making process, and pot-making process, while teapots with tens of thousands of yuan are so-called "famous masters make", as well as its exquisite paintings painted on the pot, which advertise the works of masters and are extremely artistic.

Interestingly, masters generally do not like to use vermilion pots as pots. Because the vermilion mud will shrink by 30% after being fired in the kiln, it is prone to wrinkles, cracks and even deformation, and the failure rate of pot making is very high.

However, we still recommend that you start with a red clay pot (the body is red) when buying a pot, because the red clay pot can stimulate the aroma of tea and make the tea soup have a dense and smooth taste.

In 2021, we got 10 purple clay teapots from our friends and put them on the website, and unexpectedly many people liked them.

So we decided to go to Yixing to find a pot maker for customization, hoping to make a teapot exclusively for lapsangstore. After trying many kinds of pots, I finally decided to use this pot with the words "正山堂" printed on the bottom. Although it is not a work of art, we agree that it is very comfortable (not hot and light), the spout is wide (easy to pour tea), the craftsmanship is good (the shape of the pot is smooth, and the water flows smoothly), and the spout has a mesh, and the tea leaves are not easy to use. It will block the mouth, which is very suitable for beginners.

It took over three months to receive and we have been using it ourselves everyday. The body of the pot gradually becomes oily, smooth and shiny from the frosted feeling. If you also want to own a purple clay pot, but don't know how to choose and where to buy it, you might as well try this pot. Pair with our oolong tea and experience a wonderful tea journey.

Note: The teapot is made of downhill mud, and it is made of precious old mud that has not been pickled. If the teapot has iron black spots, it is a normal phenomenon.

Why does the purple clay teapot become moister with use?

The surface of the mud is oily, just like good jade itself is very moisturizing, but poor jade will not have this effect for many years. The same is true of purple clay. Other characteristics of purple sand ore can be artificially adjusted, but the oiliness is not easy to change. If the oiliness itself is good, the oiliness of the pot made will also be good. It is specifically reflected in the maintenance, when there is too much tea brewed, the tea oil in the tea leaves seeps out of the pot surface, which will form a natural pulp, while the oily pot can only rely on the tea oil on the surface and the oil on the hands to absorb it. The fake pulp will come off after a wash.

What is Aged/Old Mud?

The mined clay is tumbled, pulverized, weathered, ground, sieved, mixed with water, and made into wet clay lumps of suitable size, which are stored in a dark and damp place (such as a cellar) to improve the properties of the clay. This process is known as the aging of purple sand mud.

Why does the clay of the purple clay teapot need to be aged?

The aging of purple sand mud is conducive to the oxidation and hydrolysis of the mud, and the organic matter will gradually decompose, which is conducive to the molding and firing of purple sand products.
The longer the aging time, the better the quality of the pottery produced. Under the same firing atmosphere and temperature, the aged clay will make a smoother pot, which is why the longer the clay is aged, the better.

This Article can help better know the Black Tea Brewing. Hope you could like it.

Any questions, please email me: lapsangstore@gamil.com or message lapsangstore on instgram.

Black Tea:  

Tea Amount: 3-5 Grams. Can be added/decreased by your taste.

Tea Set: Gaiwan(盖碗) Better. Or any cups (better with infuser lid)

Water Temperature: 98-100°C

Steps:

1^st: Boil the water, use the boiling water to warm the empty tea cup and Gaiwan(盖碗).

2^nd: Pour the boiling water out.

3^rd: Putting the tea leaves in Gaiwan(盖碗), shake it, smell the fragrance of dried tea in warm place.

Putting the tea leaves in cup (if you don’t have the Gaiwan).

After the above steps, if cost time, water may lower the 90°C, boil the water again.

4^th: Pour boiling water along the wall of the Gaiwan(盖碗). 80 percent full at most.

The more brewing times, the more steeping time. It depends on the quality of the tea and tea lover’s taste.

5^th: After steeping, pouring the tea water into tasting cup(品茗). Pour the boil water into the Gaiwan for next brewing…

Tips: Without Gaiwan(盖碗). Please attention to the steeping time in water, too long will not excite the full taste value of black tea:-）

Frequent Asked Questions.

Q: What is Gaiwan?

A: Tradition China Tea Set, can easily control the tea sitting time in boiling water.

Q: Why Gaiwan is better? If use normal cups, what difference?

Porcelain Gaiwan(瓷盖碗), dissipate the heat faster, shorter the brewing time, can maximize release the fragrance and taste of the tea. Most suitable for brew Black Tea, White tea and Oolong Tea.

Glass Cup(玻璃杯), suitable for viewing the tea leaves, normal brewing time between Porcelain Gaiwan and Purple Clay Teapot. Most suitable for brew the Green Tea.

Purple Clay Teapot, longer brewing time than above two. Most suitable for brew Pu’er.

You might wonder, why Purple Clay Teapot can make tea more mellow and smooth.

Answer is:

Because purple sand is a porous material with good air permeability, it will absorb tea juice, so brewing the same tea tea soup multiple times will make it richer and softer.

In addition, for daily convenient drinking, black tea and green tea can be directly put in the cup and drink.

By your flavor, 2-3 Gram tea with boiling water its ok!

Q: Why Tea from Zheng Shan Tang should use 100°C water to brew?

A: First, pure water is suitable for brewing the tea leaves. Using 100-degree temperature, can make tea water more bright, fragrant, not sour. Also by using this way, can easily judge whether its high mountain tea.

Q: How to correctly brew the best taste of Jin Jun Mei?

Same as normal brewing, better using the Gaiwan.

From first to third brewing, when pouring the water, keep the tea leaves not to sit more than 5s in water.

From 4^th to 6^th brewing, sit 5-10s in water.

Afte 6^th, longer the time.

This Black Tea can brew for more than 12 times. View the gold brilliant tea soup, freshness taste. Sweety and fragrance:-)

Rock Tea:  

Tea set: 150ml Tea Tureen (Gaiwan) or Purple Clay

100℃ Hot Water for usage.

1^st Step：Warm the Cup-Raise the temperature, suitable for shake the cup and smell the dried tea fragrance.

2^nd Step: Put in 8-10 Gram Teas.

(Due to the different size tea set, the ratio of tea to water is controlled at about 1:20 its ok. Or add by one’s flavor)

Brewing: 100℃ mineral water is suitable. First four times brewing for short time. Gradually longer the time when after four times.

Pour the soup into the Sharing Cup, rock tea mainly red bright color with fragrant strong taste.

Taste: Pour the soup from sharing cup to each tasting cup. Suitable with seven points full.

Green Tea:  

Tea set：150ml Glass Cup or Tea Tureen (Gaiwan).

100℃ Hot Water.

1^st Step: Warm the Cup-Raise the temperature, suitable for shake the cup and smell the dried tea fragrance.

2^nd Step: Put in 3 Gram Teas.

(Due to the different size tea set, the ratio of tea to water is controlled at about 1:50 its ok. Or add by one’s flavor)

Brewing: 85-90℃ Pure water is suitable, adding hot water smoothly. Steeping tea leaves for about 30-60s.

Tasting: Drink when the temperature is right, green tea soup green and refreshing, add water after drinking, can be added for over 3 times.

White Tea:  

Tea set: 150ml Tea Tureen (Gaiwan) or Purple Clay.

100℃ Hot Water for usage.

1^st Step：Warm the Cup-Raise the temperature, suitable for shake the cup and smell the dried tea fragrance.

2^nd Step: Put in 5 Gram Teas.

(Due to the different size tea set, the ratio of tea to water is controlled at about 1:30 its ok. Or add by one’s flavor)

Brewing: 95℃ Pure water is suitable, adding hot water smoothly. Steeping tea leaves for about 10s, add 5 seconds for further times of brewing.

(If Taste Tea Cake, don’t drink the first-time brewing, make the first brewing as the washing)

First four times brewing for short time. Gradually longer the time when after four times.

Pour the soup into the Sharing Cup fast passing tea leak, white tea usually has light apricot yellow and translucent soup.

Taste: Pour the soup from sharing cup to each tasting cup. Suitable with seven points full.