Black Sunflower Yixing Teapot

The simple and simply pleasing round body of this zini teapot has been ornamented by a sculpted design on the lid depicting six leaves or petals. The tapering swoop of the handle and nifty spout keeps the design otherwise simple and elegant, allowing more focus on the beautifully lustrous and dense zini, dark with pale speckles and good for smoothing and rounding infusions. A built-in filter prevents clogging of the spout while pouring, and the protruding knob with its air hole allows stopping the flow of tea when desired. The perfect Yixing for those who can balance elegance with playfulness, and wear a fresh flower in their buttonhole.

Written by Dimitri

The clay

This teapot is made from Zini (紫泥) clay, a dark brown ore extracted from the famous mountain Huanglong shan (黄龙山) and ground with water.

Zini reacts with tea brewed within it, smoothing out astringency, and is therefore ideal for steeping black teas and post-fermented Pu'er (Shu Pu'er); it is also a very good match for roasted and aged oolong teas.

Why do I need a Yixing teapot?

The material and the shape of Yixing teapots are ideal for brewing tea. They bring out the tea flavor like no other tea vessel. Hand-made Yixing teapots are also valuable handicrafts sought after by collectors. Their value raises with time, usage and artist popularity.

Yixing teapots are made of a rare and depleting clay mined in the mountains near Yixing, a city in the Jiangsu province. The high density yet porous nature of the clay absorbs the smell of the tea brewed in it. For this reason, it is advised to use the pot with only one kind of tea (for instance with black teas or green teas). Bring your tea to the next level; allow yourself an authentic Yixing teapot.