Fully Handmade Benshan Lüni Gongchun Yixing Teapot by Gong Jiachun 龚家春, 全手工本山绿泥供春壶, 200ml No.2

Capacity: Approximately 200ml

This teapot is fully handmade by the Yixing clay artist Gong Jiachun 龚家春。

This pot is known as fully handmade as unlike most Yixing teapots that are half handmade, the potter does not use a molding tool to shape the body, but instead shapes everything, including the body, by hand. Fully handmade teapots require more labor and more skill to construct, especially in the case of more complex shapes. Each one is entirely unique, reflecting the style of the artist.

You can read more about fully handmade teapots in our blog entry here.

This is an yixing teapot made from benshan lüni 本山绿泥, a rarer kind of Yixing clay (zisha) with a pale yellow tone. This clay is favoured for rounding out the harsher notes of some teas. It is very porous compared to other zisha and is better at retaining heat.

You can read more about benshan lüni clay, and other varieties of duanni clay, in our blog entry here.

Preparation Before Use

Yixing Teapots should be prepared before using the first time. This is called "opening the pot". It removes the dust from firing the teapot.

We recommend rinsing the teapot under warm water two or three times, then filling the teapot with boiling water and emptying it out two to three times. After this the teapot is ready for use.