Volume: Approximately 160ml
The clay will develop a shine or patina with use. The last photo shows a new pot (left) beside one that has seen a month's daily use (right)
Zhuni Dahongpao is a special grade of zhuni named for its deep red-orange hue. The small amount of zhuni dahongpao ore (unprocessed clay) was handpicked by Lin Hanpeng from zhuni mined from Xiaomeiyao in Yixing. After a few years in storage, Lin’s supply of zhuni dahongpao clay is finally ready.
This is an yixing teapot made from a rare type of zhuni clay known as Zhuni Dahongpao. The ratio of dahongpao ore to regular zhuni ore is said to be 1:100, or 1kg of zhuni dahongpao ore for every 100kg of zhuni ore. Dahongpao zhuni has a greater amount of Fe2O3 iron oxide than regular zhuni giving it a deeper red-orange hue. It also contains a lower percentage of Al2O3 aluminum oxide than regular zhuni, making it more difficult to fire without breaking. The range of temperature for firing dahongpao zhuni successfully is very narrow. It also has a higher shrink rate than regular zhuni, sometimes shrinking as much as 40%.
You can read more about Zhuni Dahongpao here, and more about zhuni clay here.
This pot is known as "half-handmade" as the sculptor uses a molding tool to shape the body, and uses his hands for the handle, spout, holes, and smoothing out the body. In fact, no machine was used in it's shaping as the use of the tool is entirely manual.
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.