Traditional Yixing gongfu teapots are small by design — you brew a little, steep it many times, and read how the tea changes. Smaller pots are the connoisseur's choice, and often the finer, pricier ones.
Mini
80–120 ml
Solo drinking / savouring aroma
Smallthis pot
120–160 ml
1–2 people
Medium
160–200 ml
2–3 people
Large / Sharing
200 ml +
Sharing with several people
This teapot's clay: Jiang Po Ni (Slope Clay)
An easy-going slope clay with a colourful, grainy body that seasons quickly and takes on character with use — a friendly, forgiving pot to brew with. Best for Black tea and Oolong. Because zisha takes on a tea's character over time, the tradition is one pot, one tea.
About the Han Wa shape
Han Wa — modelled on the curved roof tiles of the Han dynasty — is a low, straight-sided Yixing zisha teapot shape of understated, ancient character, here inscribed with the calligraphy "Cheng Lu" (catching the dew). This one is semi-handmade in Yixing by artist Fan Qing Jun. Also known as a purple sand teapot.
Best tea for a Jiang Po Ni Slope Clay Teapot
As a Jiang Po Ni slope-clay pot, it is easy-going and quick to season. Pair it with a full Black tea or a roasted Oolong for a warm, rounded brew. Following the one-pot-one-tea tradition, keep it for a single type once you choose.
Hand-made vs semi-handmade Yixing Zisha Teapots
Fully hand-made Zisha Teapots involve a long, complex craft, so their prices are naturally very high. Fully machine-made pots sit at the other extreme — mass-produced and, to our eye, without soul.
To find teapots that are a genuine pleasure to use, finely detailed, yet not overly costly, we chose semi-handmade Yixing Zisha Teapots — the body is shaped with the help of a mould, then the details are carved and finished entirely by hand. You keep the refined craftsmanship while the price stays fair. We do not sell fully machine-made teapots.
Whether semi-handmade or fully hand-made, every teapot we carry is made from genuine, natural Yixing Zisha ore clay — nothing artificial in the material.
