Yixing clay is usually referred to as purple clay, also known as Zisha in Chinese.. Zisha usually refers to pottery made of purple clay produced in Yixing, Jiangsu, China, also known as purple clay teapot (zisha teapot).
Chinese Yixing purple clay teapot
The meaning and characteristics of Yixing purple clay
Yixing clay is a composite clay rich in minerals such as kaolin, mica, and quartz, and has a high iron oxide content. Yixing clay is almost exclusively used to make Yixing ware teapots and plays an important role in Gongfu tea culture.
Yixing clay is a porous material with a double-pore structure. The pores are very dense and have strong adsorption capacity. It can absorb the fragrance of tea and keep the fragrance for a long time.
What are the different types of clay used to make Yixing teapots?
Yixing clay is collectively called purple clay (zisha). It is hidden in the interlayer of rock and ordinary clay. It is called "mud in the rock" and "five-color soil". Five-color soil refers to purple clay, not that purple clay has only five colors, because the location and depth of purple clay material are different, and the appearance of the clay, the characteristics of the clay and the effect of firing will be different.
Main clay materials: red clay, purple clay, green clay, Duan clay, Tianqing clay and other synthetic symbiotic mineral materials.
Potters can create a variety of earth tones by mixing these clays, adding mineral pigments, and changing the firing temperature and the amount of kiln reduction. The clay colors used for various teapots are different.
Chinese Yixing green clay teapot
What kind of tea is suitable for Yixing teapots?
Yixing ware teapots have the function of "enhancing fragrance and retaining fragrance". Generally, a Yixing zisha teapot is recommended to brew a single type of tea. We usually recommend using Yixing teapots to brew Pu-erh tea.
Here, we will take our shop's 2012 11-Years Shou Puerh Tea Brick as an example to show you how to brew it.
some key points you may need to pay attention
tea-to-water ratio of 1:30
water temperature: boiled water
teaware: Yixing teapot
water: spring water
First, please preheat the Yixing teapot and then rinse the tea for 10s.
Steeping time: first infusion 20-25s, second infusion 10-15s, third infusion 10-15s, fourth infusion 15-20s, fifth 20s. After the fifth infusion, it can be extended or shortened according to personal taste.
