Purple clay teapot knowledge guide: after reading this, you will understand purple clay teapot

Tea is a magical drink in the East. Different teas require different brewing containers to better understand the flavor. What you use to make tea has a great impact on the taste of the tea. "If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your utensils." If you want to make a pot of tea well, you must understand the nature of tea and be comfortable with the use of utensils.

The purple clay pot is a unique hand-made clay handicraft in China. Its production began in the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty. The raw material is purple clay. It originated in Dingshu Town, Yixing, Jiangsu, so it is called Yixing purple clay. It is said that the founder of the purple clay teapot was Gongchun in the Ming Dynasty. The market for purple clay teapots is booming in the auction market, and they are "antiques" with collectible value. Works by famous masters are often hard to find. As the saying goes, "It is not enough to get jewelry in the world, but Yixing purple clay is the most important."

Because of the perfect combination of artistry and practicality, the purple clay teapot is even more precious and memorable. Coupled with the many benefits of making tea in a purple clay pot and the culture of tea Zen, it adds to the noble and elegant charm of purple clay.

Throughout the ages, purple clay teapots have won high reputations from countless collectors for their warm and lush materials, unique expressions, vivid plastic arts, and exquisite and beautiful handcrafts.


1. Classification of purple clay teapots

According to slime raw materials:

1. Purple mud: Common ones are azure, clear cement, bottom trough clear, and ordinary purple mud.

2. Green mud: section mud (original ore section mud, sesame section, gold section); green mud (dark green mud, Benshan green).

3. Red mud: red-skinned dragon, Dahongpao, Jiangpo mud, and vermilion mud.

According to craftsmanship: bare body pot, flower and fruit type, square pot, ribbed type, pottery decorative pot.



2. The benefits of brewing tea in a purple clay teapot

1. Neutralize water properties

The raw materials of the purple clay teapot and the clay minerals in the purple clay mud have strong adsorption and ion exchange properties, which can effectively decompose fluorine and chlorine in the water; at the same time, they can adjust the PH value of the water body to transform acidic water or alkaline water. It is neutral water.

The pH value of a purple clay teapot is alkaline, and the tea soup is acidic; when tea is brewed in a purple clay teapot, the precipitated tea soup will become neutral under the action of the purple clay. Therefore, people with high stomach acid can use a purple clay pot before drinking water, and the purple clay pot can be given priority when brewing tea.

2. Purify water quality

Using a purple clay pot to hold water will keep you warm in winter and cool in summer, softening the water quality. It is almost like a miniature well. There are a lot of convoluted bidirectional pores in the pot. A good purple clay pot can have a porosity of 50%.

3. Make tea without burning your hands

Scientific research has found that the purple clay pot has a thick carcass and is not easy to burn when holding it when making tea. This is because after the purple clay material is fired at a high temperature of more than 1,000 degrees, the expansion coefficient is very small, so the heat transfer is slow.

4. It can maintain the strong aroma of tea for a long time

The spout of the purple sand pot is small, the lid is tightly attached to the pot body, and the inner wall of the pot is rough, which can effectively prevent the aroma from dispersing. The original taste of the tea is not lost, and there is no peculiar smell brought by the tea set itself. The fragrance is gathered and the fragrance is contained, and the true aroma and taste of the tea are obtained.

5. It can delay the deterioration of tea soup that has been stored for a long time.

The purple clay teapot is unglazed inside and out, maintaining tiny pores, making it breathable but impermeable to water, and has strong adsorption power. Therefore, the aromatic oil in the tea leaves is kept evaporated by heat to form a fragrant aroma, which increases the late acidity of the tea soup and plays a bactericidal effect.

6. Long heat preservation time

There are many bubbles inside the wall of the purple clay pot, and the bubbles are filled with stagnant air. This air forms a layer of insulation, which can effectively maintain the temperature of the tea soup.

7. Not easy to burst due to temperature difference

Purple clay teapots have good adaptability to sudden changes in cold and heat. They have slow heat transfer and are not prone to bursting due to sudden changes in temperature. (It is fired under high oxygen and high temperature conditions, generally using flat flame contact, and the firing temperature is between 1100-1200°C.)

8. Purple sand pottery is resistant to burning

If you put it over a warm fire to make tea in winter, the pot will not burst easily. At that time, Su Dongpo used a purple clay pottery kettle to cook tea, and there was a poem about "pine wind and bamboo stove, holding the kettle and shouting at each other", which is by no means accidental. This is one of the reasons why people who are particular about tea drinking in ancient and modern times, both at home and abroad, particularly like purple clay teapots.

9. The purple clay teapot becomes more beautiful as it grows older.

When a purple clay teapot is used for a long time, a layer of patina will form on the surface of the teapot as it is stroked and wiped, making it more shiny and lovely. After using it for a long time, it looks like purple jade on the outside and green clouds on the inside.

Weisheng Customized——Xianghe Purple Clay Pot

Weisheng Customized——Xianghe Purple Clay Pot

3. Open the purple clay pot

The main purpose of opening the teapot is to remove the dust on the surface of the purple clay teapot, and to remove the earthy smell and fire from the teapot. A purple clay teapot made of exquisite raw materials and craftsmanship is very simple to open, but it also needs to be taken seriously. Try to remove some small sand, impurities, and dust from the inside and outside of the pot. Generally, use cold water, warm water, and boiling water respectively. Carefully and carefully brush the inside and outside of the pot with a pot care pen three times, and then brew tea according to the mud material of the pot. It can be soaked in tea for a day and used as a starter. Before making tea for the first time, you should rinse the inside and outside of the teapot with hot water, which has the functions of disinfecting and warming the teapot.

4. Maintenance of purple clay teapot

In daily life, you should know how to maintain the purple clay teapot. The purpose of raising a pot is to make it better absorb the aroma and taste, and to make the surface of the pot reveal a kind of earthy luster. If it is not cared for properly, its advantages will be wasted or destroyed. Therefore, purple clay teapots need to be maintained. A well-maintained teapot will have a warm but restrained luster, just like a modest gentleman, dignified and steady, revealing an outstanding style.

1. Every time you make tea, first pour boiling water on the outer wall of the pot, and then pour water into the pot, which is often called "moistening the pot".

2. Only one kind of tea can be brewed in one pot, which will not cause odor transfer or change in taste. The pot used to brew Pu'er tea should not be used to brew oolong tea. For daily brewing of raw tea and cooked tea, we still classify them slightly according to the color of the clay.

3. When you have time, brew tea frequently, frequently rinse the outer wall of the kettle with boiling water or tea soup, and use a brush to wipe the surface of the kettle evenly during the break to make the pulp faster. It is still necessary to prepare a soft small brush for flower pots, while a pot pen or a tea towel is sufficient for light pots.

4. During the process of making tea, keep the pot flat, and use a damp cloth to wipe the parts of the pot where there is tea juice to prevent the light-colored purple sand pot from developing different colors.

5. After each tea brewing, rinse the inside and outside of the pot with hot water. Different water qualities have an impact on pot maintenance. We must use the same water (mineral water or purified water) for brewing and cleaning. Tap water can easily cause scale. Never use dishwashing detergent or chemical detergents to wash the teapot. It will leave a residual smell and damage the teapot pulp.

6. Do not hold the pot with oily hands, and do not place the pot in a place with oil fumes. When not in use, keep it in a dry and dust-free place. It can also be stored in a box.

7. Teapots are used for drinking tea, and pots serve tea. You should choose a teapot according to the tea. A good teapot is a teapot. In a practical sense, choose the right size and the one that fits your hand. You will be more comfortable brewing tea, and you will be more confident in terms of the amount of tea you add and the time it takes to make the soup.

8. Purple clay teapots also need to rest and recuperate. Long-term, uninterrupted brewing of tea leaves will keep the purple clay pots in a moist state, which is not conducive to maintenance. The correct approach is to prepare multiple purple clay pots for alternate use. During the maintenance period, they should generally be dried in the shade. Leave it in a dry place for three to five days to allow the entire pot to dry completely.

9. When raising pots, you need to let nature take its course, and do not rush for success. Only by having a heart-to-heart relationship with the purple clay pot and taking it seriously can you grow a good pot that is warm, smooth, and elegant.