Favorite yixing shape

[ouch]

So many from which to choose. Which ones float your boat?


I like most of the traditional styles, the ones that look ancient, but my favorite shape is the dragon egg.

[Hobbesoxon]

Eggs good! Shi piao bad (the flat "cannon" pot).

I like them low and chubby. Zidu:

...and my mother calls this one "Little Boy's Willy" when she visits:

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[expatCanuck]

...and my mother calls this one "Little Boy's Willy" when she visits:

Precisely why I could never use that one.



But, yeah, a slightly flattened egg shape is my favourite.


- Richard

[Hobbesoxon]

This is where personal taste comes in, because the (very pretty) image that you show above has a few things I always try to avoid: calligraphy, and baroque twiddles. It's a classic look, just one that doesn't sit well with me. Different pots for different folks.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[blade08]

What is the best online place to buy one of those pots? The Dragon Tea House over on ebay sells a few and seems reliable. Any more options?

[Hobbesoxon]

Be very, very careful with Internet pots - and definitely don't spend more than $50-60, as the results can differ significantly from the screenshots.

My favourite Internet pot is the "Xishi" from Stephane, of Teamasters. Its quality is really superb, and the whole affair is very delicate and, how can I put this, nipple-like. It is named after the famous Chinese beauty.

Other good pots can be had from Scott of Yunnan Sourcing - these are inexpensive and serviceable. The "Little Boy's Willy" pot from above was bought from Scott. I've bought many pots from him, and while never being thrilled by any of them, you never get the feeling you're being exploited in terms of cost.

Rule number 1 of Internet teapot purchasing: never believe the vendor description. It's not from the Tang Dynasty. It was not recovered from a shipwreck. It was not hand-thrown by Grandmaster Bigwuns for the Emperor of Qing. It's not made of priceless, rare clay.

Rule number 2 of Internet teapot purchasing: see rule number 1.

Best of luck.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[ouch]

I like them low and chubby.

Ah, the luxury of having one's custom title set in stone.

Anybody else.......

...and my mother calls this one "Little Boy's Willy" when she visits:

Toodlepip,

Hobbes

See above.



+1 on taking internet descriptions verbatim. Yixing pot provenance ranks right up there with sports memorabilia.

Anyone want to buy my rare white clay yixing signed by the '27 Yankees?

[Hobbesoxon]

[expatCanuck]

This is where personal taste comes in, because the (very pretty) image that you show above has a few things I always try to avoid: calligraphy, and baroque twiddles. It's a classic look, just one that doesn't sit well with me. Different pots for different folks. ...

Agreed. I tend to eschew ornamentation, and actually prefer plain, functional pots. But that image was quickly found and showed the pot shape that I prefer.

It's not from the Tang Dynasty.
It was not recovered from a shipwreck.
It was not hand-thrown by Grandmaster Bigwuns for the Emperor of Qing.
It's not made of priceless, rare clay.

Is too.
Was so.
Was so.
Is too.


- Richard

[Hobbesoxon]

Agreed. I tend to eschew ornamentation, and actually prefer plain, functional pots. But that image was quickly found and showed the pot shape that I prefer.

The shape is a lot like "shuipin" [water line], where a single horizontal plane can be drawn from the top of the spout, over the body, and then to the top of the handle. Very elegant.

That said, I don't usually favour them because of the long spout - I like the rapid-ejection spouts that are wide-calibre and short. A fat, fast stream of brewed tea.


Toodlepip,

Hobbes

[Spacegeezer]

I like the pot to have a rounded bottom to encourage swirling of the leaves as the water enters, and wide-ish so that the heavy elements distribute somewhat evenly throughout all the water, though I will often swirl it again before pouring when using a large pot. I'm not particularly fond of the very short pots.

[Doc4]

Ah, the luxury of having one's custom title set in stone.

Anybody else.......






See above.



+1 on taking internet descriptions verbatim. Yixing pot provenance ranks right up there with sports memorabilia.

Anyone want to buy my rare white clay yixing signed by the '27 Yankees?

Man, he must really dislike being called "Earl Toodlepip of Grey"

[TacoBell]

Just bought this at a local tea house called Seven Cups.

It is actually a lovely store and a large variety of Chinese and Taiwanese teas. They are in Tucson, Denver and online, and if anyone is interested, they apparently franchise.

Well here is my Yixing:

[ouch]

That one looks perfect to me.