It's All About Tea — zisha

In today's blog post, we'll talk about one of the most classic teapot designs - the Shui Ping pot. This teapot design has become an integral part of China's prevailing Gong Fu Cha tea culture, while also establishing itself as one of the classic designs in Yixing's ceramic industry. 

Shui Ping is hailed as one of the most proportionate and functional designs in the tea-world, so much so that its design largely remained unchanged in the next half-millennium after its invention. Let's find out the secrets behind this achievement! (Read more)

If you are on the path of brewing loose-leaf teas and learning Gong Fu Cha, you have undoubtedly heard of yixing clay teapots. You start browsing the subject and find bits and pieces of information full of marketing hype, often conflicting, leaving you even more confused. 

We hope this article will help you better understand yixing clay, figure out which type of yixing teapot you need, why you need it, and what to pay attention to when shopping for one. (Read more)

When choosing the right teaware for our tea ceremony, we may face a common dilemma. Porcelain or glazed stoneware? Or perhaps a non-glazed ceramic material like Yixing clay? Ultimately, there are many types of clay, and on top of that, glazes can influence the final look of the teaware and even the taste of tea. 

This post will discuss all ceramic teaware and how its unique composition can alter the final tea drinking experience. You can use this guide to choose the right teaware for yourself or friends, or simply get acquainted with the different pottery styles. (Read more)

If you are getting into Gong Fu Cha, you have probably heard people suggesting using yixing teaware for brewing tea. This is because Yixing Zisha clay is micro-porous and unglazed, so it interacts with the tea liquor and can slightly soften bitterness and change how aroma presents. But there are so many different yixing teapots! They come in many shapes and different types of ZiSha clay. So, which Yixing Teapot should you choose for your tea? (Read more)

A common mistake people make is thinking they can use their teapot right away. We often get questions from people who are curious or taken aback by the smell they notice after receiving a piece of teaware. It can be described as “earthy”, “muddy”, “moldy”, and even “fishy”.

While a strong fishy or moldy smell is usually not a good sign, a new Yixing teapot may have a mild earthy or clay scent from the firing and storage. To lighten the earthy smell of clay and prepare the teapot for tea brewing, we should season it before use. (Read more)