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  • Taiwan Oolong's Long Harvest

    by Patrick Gorman
    Spring Taiwanese oolongs begin to arrive in the market in early April, but the last of the Taiwanese oolongs arrive only in late May/early June. Why do some oolongs arrive relatively early while others arrive at the beginning of summer? Why is the oolong season so long in Taiwan? The answer is elevation.  
    Posted in taiwan, tea

  • Frost in DaYuLing

    by Patrick Gorman
    The photos above show the tea fields at the 100K Tea Garden in DaYuLing a day apart. Frost struck early this week, reducing the number of leaves that can be harvested from an already small number.
    Posted in taiwan, tea

  • 4 Famous Clays of China

    by Patrick Gorman

    In 1953, The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Chinese government classified Four Major Clays, they are Yixing Zisha, Qinzhou Nixing Clay, Jianshui Zitao, and Chongqing Rongchang Clay.

    Some of these clays, such as zisha (Yixing Clay), have enjoyed more attention. Each has its own history and uses. Below is a very brief description outlining the basic history, differences between these four famous clays, and what they are most often used for in China. 

    Posted in history, nixing, teaware, yixing teapots

  • What is Heini? Wuhui and Black Yixing Teapots

    by Patrick Gorman
    (Originally published March 26, 2020) If you’re looking at a “Heini” 黑泥 (Black Clay) Yixing Teapot, chances are you’re looking at a teapot that h...
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • West Lake Longjing Green Tea: Authentication, Tracing and Origin

    by Patrick Gorman

    Because of the enormous demand for Longjing from the West Lake Longjing Tea Gardens, much more "West Lake Longjing" is sold each year than is actually grown in the West Lake District of Hangzhou. To combat this fraud, the West Lake District Tea Industry Committee started to issue authentication stickers beginning in 2001.

    Posted in tea

  • Tian Qing Ni Part 2: From Clay to Teapot

    by Patrick Gorman
    After being shaped by the potter, Tian Qing Ni teapots go through the same final steps in production as other Yixing Teapots. They are first left to dry out thoroughly before being fired in the kiln. "Tian Qing Ni" can be translated as azure or sky-blue clay. It might seem like a strange name for a clay that is perhaps best described as being “dark liver" in appearance in finished teapots. The name makes more sense when you see the raw ore and unfired clay.
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • Tian Qing Ni: From Raw Ore to Clay

    by Patrick Gorman
    Now that the first batch of Tian Qing Ni Yixing Teapots has emerged from the kiln, we decided to write a short follow up to last October’s article, this time discussing the steps in the process for turning raw Tian Qing Ni ore into usable clay for teapots. Tian Qing Ni is a rare subcategory of purple Yixing clay (zini), prized for its beauty, ease of shaping and firing, and for improving the flavour and aroma of tea. 
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • Small Shuipings are Coming!

    by Patrick Gorman
    This year will be the first time we order a custom mould for our own line of Yixing Teapots. In recognition that many of our customers prefer smaller Yixing Teapots, we have ordered a mould for dicaoqing shuipings in a sub-100ml capacity. The design will recreate the classic shuiping silhouette in the studio's excellent original ore dicaoqing, a versatile zini (purple clay). 
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • New Year, New Clay

    by Patrick Gorman
    Anticipating the end of his supply of dicaoqing clay, Lin Hanpeng had purchased a large amount of raw dicaoqing ore mined from Mine No. 5 in Huanglongshan. The raw ore was processed into clay and then stored for ageing in late 2018.
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • Benshan Duanni or Benshan Lüni?

    by Patrick Gorman
    Within the category "duanni," there is also the clay called “Benshan Duanni” 本山段泥. Another well-known clay within the “duanni” category is Benshan Lüni 本山绿泥. Although both are yellow clays mined from the same mountain, they differ in origin, composition and character.
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • Some Notes on Yixing Clay Scarcity and Pricing

    by Patrick Gorman

    “If clay x is so rare, it should cost $1000s for a teapot made of this clay.”

    No, usually not. While you will not be able to buy an authentic zhuni teapot for $25, you also do not need to pay $1000 for one either. The price difference between more common and less common clays can usually vary between  $10-100 or so between teapots (all other things being equal). The rarity of clay is not the biggest influence on price in the zisha market, labour and the skill/reputation of the potter usually are. Fully handmade teapots are more expensive than half handmade teapots, and a fully handmade teapot by a master, even more so.

    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots

  • Lipini, the Pear Skin Clay

    by Patrick Gorman
    1 ½ tons of rock sat in the yard behind Lin Hanpeng’s studio in Yixing while men smashed it into pieces with hammers. This rock, after crushing, separating and processing, yielded mostly tianqingni, but also some lipini. While tianqingni is seen as one of the most precious varieties of zini (purple clay), lipini is rarer still, appearing only in thin layers between tianqingni deposits.
    Posted in teaware, yixing teapots