Yixing Teapots

The first recorded Yixing teapot was made by the famous potter Gong Chun in 1513 AD in the town of Yixing in Jiangsu Province. They were immediately used by monks, officials and the literati because of their simple forms, superior heat retention and brewing characteristics.  

They are hand crafted from dense purple clay by people who have passed down the skill in making these teapots for generations.  Design themes are taken from nature, whimsy and practicality.  No two Yixing teapots are identical.  All are great for making tea and some have become collector's items due to their artistic workmanship.

Yixing teapots are intentionally not glazed on the inside.  Over time, this allows for some of the natural tea flavonoids to absorb into the inside of your teapot enhancing the flavor of subsequent pots of tea.  By the time your Yixing teapot is an old friend it is said that it can make tea without any tea leaves.  Traditionally, therefore, different Yixings are used for different teas.  One for Green Teas, one for Black Teas, one for Jasmine, one for Oolong Teas, one for flavored teas, etc.   Never use soap or detergents on Yixing teapots.  Simply rinse with warm water after each use.

The Hand Crafting of Yixing Teapots is becoming a lost art, with many artists changing to faster production methods. Therefore we have limited quantities of many of these Teapots as they are being discontinued at an alarming rate! This will contribute to the increased value to collectors and everyday users of the Yixings.

We have included dimensions and capacity for each teapot, however, slight variances can occur with hand made items. We have tried to depict accurate colors, but be aware that computer monitors can vary also.

To view a larger image and more details click the picture or the teapot name.