Original mine Yixing Zisha pot made from private collection Lüni clay. Softens and thickens tea whilst adding richness and intensity of taste.
Authentic Lüni pots are comparatively scarce on the market compared with Hongni, Zini and Duanni, but also because they are often too smooth to the touch and subtle in effects.
This Xishi pot is half-handmade from private collection clay from the original No. 4 mine - it is granular in texture and has excellent tea transformation properties.
Lüni clay is made from Lüni ores found in very thin layers between the more common Zini ores. It is estimated that Lüni ores make up less than 0.5% of the ores found in Huang Long Shan (the original mountain).
Lüni ores are a green-beige colour but when weathered they become paler and after firing the clay most often appears as a pale yellow with a slight greenish tint - this is not the same as more golden Duanni clay (although there are always arguments about clay classifications).
The Lüni ores used to make this private collection clay were mined from the famed No 4 mine shaft of Huang Long Shan. It is therefore legitimately a Benshan (original mine) Lüni.
This mine was closed in the 1990's but there is still a stockpile of Lüni ores and clay from this mine with varying quality. Often, the clay produced is smooth with fine grinding that does not have the same porosity and effects as coarser clays.
The pot is half-handmade in the Xishi shape. This means that it was made entirely by hand whilst using shape guides to assist the potter. It has a ball filter with excellent, smooth pouring.
The effect of this clay on tea is remarkable. It literally suits every tea type and crafts each brew with magical precision.
On the one hand this Lüni softens, smooths and thickens even the most aggressive brews with ease. It also has an excellent heat retention so you can brew some heavyweight liquor full of potency but without the bitterness.
This Lüni clay also manages to maintain the top notes of the tea so that you really don't feel like you are sacrificing any of the bright aromatics of a tea while you are sipping on thick and smooth extractions.
It is a kind of strange magic and I have no idea how some Lüni achieves this seemingly contradictory trick but it makes this clay suitable for any tea.
I have personally tested this Lüni with Sheng, Hei Cha, Whites, Blacks and dark Oolongs and they all taste smooth, soft and thick whilst preserving all of the top notes.
A mega pot which should be instantly adding to your collection as we only have 30 and we honestly don't know if we can get this clay ever again.
COMPARISON WITH WENDAN POT
We recently had a small batch of Wendan Lüni pots which sold out in record time and I know that many out there will be asking how this pot compares. This pot is just as astounding in terms of softening, thickening, and maintaining all of the aromatics of the tea. It is also just as amazing at producing strong and rich brews with excellent heat retention. The only small difference is that the Wnedan somehow added a sweetness to every tea whereas this pot stays true to the original taste of the tea albiet at its richest potential.
