We all say that water is the mother of tea and vessel is the father of tea. Indeed, choosing a good teapot is a key point to brew a good tea. Many tea lovers choose Yixing teapots to brew aged dark teas such as Pu-erh tea, Fu Cha, aged white tea, Oolong, etc. Please let me explain the details to you.
First of all, the purple clay teapot is unglazed inside and out, maintaining tiny pores, and has good air permeability, but is not water-permeable, and has strong adsorption force, which is unmatched by ordinary teapots. It can keep the aromatic oil in the tea leaves from evaporating when heated to form a fragrant aroma, increase the late acidity of the tea soup, and play a role in astringency and sterilization. Therefore, it can slightly delay the mildew and rancidity of tea. This is the so-called "it will not go rancid if you stay overnight in the hot summer".
Secondly, it has heat resistance and good "sudden changes" in hot and cold. Even if boiling water is poured into it in the cold winter, it will not easily burst due to sudden temperature changes. Purple sand conducts heat slowly, is not easy to burn your hands, and is resistant to cooking. It can be stewed on a warm fire.
In addition, because of its slow heat transfer, purple sand can retain heat for a longer period, which is a good feature for semi-fermented tea.
Last but the least, the purple clay teapot is shaped using the unique mud hidden deep in the mountains and then fired into pottery at a high temperature of 1100℃-1200℃ (2012 °F- 2192 °F). Since the Yixing clay contains various chemical components such as silicon oxide, sodium, potassium, manganese, and magnesium, the burned finished product is as red as apple, as purple as grapes, and as yellow as tangerine, orange, colorful and unpredictable.
