A textured (wrinkled) Zhuni pot with exemplary function and style. It suits all tea types and maintains high aromas.
Zhuni Yixing Zisha is Yixing's most sought-after type of Hongni (red clay). It is mined in relatively low quantities making up only a small fraction (less than 3%) of the Yizxing Zisha ore.
Zhuni is a hard clay to work with - it needs to be aged to build structure and plasticity and has a very high shrinkage rate (about 20%) which means that there are lots of failures in the kiln. The clay itself is less porous than other Zisha clays and it has a more dense structure with a faster heat conductivity.
I have tested many Zhuni pots over the years, yet this is the first one to make it to our shelves. I have often found most Zhuni to be too subtle in its effects and therefore, although it makes beautiful pots, I felt that I could not justify its costs. This Zhuni, with its more wrinkled and textured surface, was different - lifting and enhancing many tea types.
The dense and less porous nature of Zhuni makes it closer to porcelain - faster heat dissipation and more preservation of high notes in a tea. But, this clay (unlike many Zhuni pots) also softens, rounds and thickens tea and calms aggressive notes.
I like to use this Zhuni for Oolongs, from Taiwanese 'Greener' Oolongs to Dancong Phoenix Oolongs and deep-roasted Yancha. The clay rounds out some of the edges of these teas but allows the fragrances to sing, unlike many other clay types like Zini or Duanni.
This pot has been half-handmade, meaning that the body was crafted by hand using molding tools (not machines) before hand-finishing the lid, spout and handle. Essentially this is handmade but it is classed half-handmade because molds were used to created the shapes.
The pot has a flat, 9-hole filter.
