Big-Brim Hat Yixing Teapot

A warbling knob seems to spread out onto the shallow domed lid and over the edge, something about the pale, textured hongni giving a sense of movement to the piece. A playful, unique interpretation of the Li Mao form, resembling a style of bamboo hat, the knob rather resembles that used in the You Quan form to abstract a jet of water bubbling up in a serene pool. But the cute hook of the spout, the ripple of the lid, and the swell of the body with its almost seamless foot are endearing details that make the shape something all its own. Fill the wide mouth with large leaves, empty through the built-in ball filter, and tip your own hat to the artist.

The clay

Discovered by accident while building a road between two mountains, both Yixing mines, this is a paragenetic ore called jiangponi (meaning 'downhill clay'), formed from a combination of minerals found in hongni, zini, and duanni—a good choice for the indecisive.

The intersection of these different ores offer differing combinations of each, though even all together, this is a rarer material than other Yixing ores. The processing of the clay leaves speckling in a blended color, depending on the exact mixture and firing temperature.

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.