How can I purchase a handmade yixing teapot?
The advantage of Yixing teapots is that they are made from sand minerals rather than ordinary clay.Purple clay is a porous material with a dual-pore structure,which allows the tea to retain its original flavor.Teapots made from inferior chemical materials do not have these advantages and may even affect one's health.However,why should one purchase a handmade purple clay teapot?Machine-made purple clay teapots will not use true purple clay due to cost and manufacturing process issues.They prefer to use clay because it is easier to shape and can be mass-produced,Chemical additives are used to make it easier to shape.Therefore,if you can purchase a handmade yixing clay teapot,you can avoid the above issues and enjoy drinking tea without worrying about health problems.
To avoid purchasing chemical teapots,consider the following:
1.Price:
Do not buy any Yixing teapot that is priced below $200,It is difficult to find a true handcrafted purple clay pot below this price range.An average artisan can make two and a half handmade tea pots in a 12-hour per day.Their daily wage is around$100(higher for skilled artisans).The labor cost for each teapot is close to$50.During the High temperature firing process,the success rate is only 70%-80%,after the kiln firing is completed, there are still manual processes such as finishing the mouth and handling the teapot body..So,the cost of materials and production for an ordinary tea pot is at least$100.Additionally,there are packaging fees,shipping costs,company operating costs,etc.The cost of an ordinary teapot is close to $170,this cost not including the breakage rate of fragile items during transportation.This is the most common cost price for a yixing teapot.Therefore,it is difficult to buy a handmade yixing teapot for less than $200 on the market,yixing teapot is a handmade craft with artistic value exceeding its practical value. If it is only used for tea drinking, it is recommended to purchase a half handmade teapot priced between $200 and $400, as there is no difference in tea-drinking experience between fully handmade and half handmade.
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Fully handmade yixing teapots are generally sold for over $500, with no upper limit.
2.Avoid buying rare material teapots.
The clay materials used for Yixing teapots include Zi ni,Hong ni,Duan ni,and Lv ni.Currently,all mines in Yixing,China,are prohibited from being mined.The most common clay materials available on the market are ZI ni,Duan ni,and a small amount of Lv ni.All yixing teapots made from rare materials are added with chemical raw materials,such as green、blue teapots.
In addition,Zhu Ni is a type of red clay with a fine structure and low internal mineral content.The teapot made from it has a delicate surface,but it is not easy to show the porous and breathable characteristics of the purple teapot.It is only slightly more practical than an ordinary clay teapot and has greater artistic appreciation than practicality.Moreover,due to its characteristics,Zhu Ni is not easy to shape,so it is recommended to purchase Zhu Ni teapots with a samll capacity.
"We suggest you to be cautious when purchasing Zhu ni teapots as most of the fake products in the market are disguised as Zhu ni teapots. This is because the material of chemical teapot is very similar to that of Zhu ni teapot. Merchants often use chemical teapot as a substitute for Yixing teapot."
Recommended "Beginner" to buy mud includes:Zi ni and Dicaoqing,Duan ni and Jiangpo ni,These stocks of purple clay materials are abundant, it's not worth faking,there are more genuine teapots in the market.
Once you are able to distinguish between authentic and fake Zisha ni, you can purchase high-end materials such as Dicaoqing , Jiangpo ni ,Qingduan ni for top quality. As you become more skilled, you can also buy Zhu ni and Tianqing ni(Top of Zi ni,99% fake in market). However, be cautious when buying Lv ni, as most of it is actually fake Duan ni ，due to its low content，Please choose carefully.
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3.Check after buy.
After being fired at a temperature of over 1100 degrees,the purple clay teapot can be rinsed with boiling water for the first use.Then pour out the water and smell the inside of the teapot.A hand-made teapot should have no pungent odor.On the other hand,an inferior purple clay teapot typically contains chemical additives and smells pungent.
By achieving these 3 points, as a beginner, you can avoid more than 90% of counterfeit products.
All of our Yixing teapots are handmade,please feel free to make your purchase with confidence.
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