Bian Yuan Of Er Pu Zhuni Yixing

My beloved Bian Yuan, of Er Pu. Thanks to Bill of Ancient Tea Horse Road for educating me on the history of the Er Pu potters. Made in the 80,s of Zhuni clay, 125 cc capacity. The small size is perfect for an oolong tea session for one. Being made of medium light weight clay makes it ideal for green oolongs. This is the only pot that I have that has historical significance, all the others are made by artists that Ive heard referred to as celebrity potters.
The Er Pu potters were known for making the shantou type of teapots but some of the better potters of Er Pu went to Yixing to have the opportunity to work with the higher quality hongni and zhuni clays. Superb skill and craftsmanship went into making these pots. Although I have to admit this style of pot is not my favorite. You,ll notice the tip of the spout and the pots body are on the same level. What that does is affect the way the pot pours, the tea kinda shoots up and away from the pot while pouring. I,m not crazy about that but just the same this is one of my favorite pots.

 Stout little guy, don't let the cuteness of the pot fool you, he means business. Er Pu being located in the GuangDong province the potters only type of clay available for use was the local terra cotta. The Shantou pots were generally considered Yixing wanna be,s. And the genuine Yixing too expensive for the average person to afford. What a treat for the potters to be able to work with these clays after making pots considered common and ordinary. Fit for nothing more than the local farmers crude tea.


Chop marks, one of these days I,ll learn how to read these things. Has a crispy ringing ping when tapped. Ive noticed that the lighter weight clays make a higher pitched ring and the heavier pots have more depth and resonance in it,s ring.
Over a year of continual use and hardly any build up of grime to be seen. From what Ive read zhuni pots take a lot longer to become seasoned than other clays. Brews like a well seasoned pot despite the fact that there is nothing very visible. I have noticed that when used on a daily basis the surface of the pot becomes a much darker brick red and very oily (as seen in the top picture) But within a week of lying fallow it returns to an orangy red color. I got this from Hou De about a year or so ago.

Taken from http://teadork.blogspot.com/