Yixing Clay Teapot - Chinese Design 300ml

A Chinese tradition

Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, this artisanally crafted 300ml teapot is steeped in history. Made to a design virtually unchanged since the Ming dynasty, the Yixing Clay Teapot is the ultimate way to brew your speciality Chinese teas. Black, oolong and aged Pu-erh – all will infuse perfectly in this authentic little vessel.

Decorated with elegant Chinese calligraphy, this teapot is made of a porous clay that shrinks minimally during firing. Its tight-fitting lid holds the tea’s flavour, while the porous nature of the clay absorbs it, so you may like to use it for just one style of your favourite strong-flavoured tea.

Materials

Zisha / purple sand from Yixing

What are Yixing clay teapots?

Yixing clay teapots are made from ‘zisha’ purple sand found in Yixing, a small town on the banks of Lake Tai in Jiangsu province, west of Shanghai. While this special clay has been known since the 10th century, production of Yixing teapots only took off as tea drinking became fashionable in the late Ming dynasty.

In Yixing, you have to dig 10 meters down to find the clay, then sift and purify it and let it settle in a hole before you can mix it with other materials. Tradition has it that no family would ever share its clay recipe with another. But one quality the teapots have always had in common is their small size – by creating them to hold just a little liquid, the artisans ensure that the teas can be drunk and appreciated like a fine liqueur.