Jianshui Zitao Fang Gu Teapot

Name: Jianshui Zitao Fang Gu Teapot (lit. modelled after an antique) – Green Pine Tree Branches

Volume: 105 ml

Material: Hong Ni, fired in a reduction environment

Filter: 9 holes

Pouring Speed: 5 seconds

(Jianshui Zitao Fang Gu Teapot)

Jianshui Zitao teaware uses pure clay that is rich in minerals.

Some of those are ferric oxide (iron oxide), silicon, aluminium and others.

Iron is the main element that gives colour to the pottery.

On finished products, you can find different red tones, brownish, bronze and black, depending on the firing method, the clay used and the polishing techniques.

You can read more in-depth in our blog on this post About Jianshui Zitao Pottery click here.

To read about the results when brewing tea and how it compares to Zisha. You can click this link Comparing Brewing Results: Zitao, Porcelain and Zisha.

I have tried different Oolongs, Puer tea (semi-aged and aged), White tea, Heicha and our Yesheng Gushu Red Tea with good results.

I do not recommend Zitao for Green teas or young Sheng Puer teas with high bitterness and without a decent amount of return sweetness. The density of the clay and its long heat retention (high heat capacity) will increase the bitter flavour.

Before usage, I advise you to rinse it with boiling water one or two times.

Then check if there are any clay deposits.

You can brush or rub the inside with a cloth. Then check again. Repeat the procedure if needed.

Then you can start making tea.

It might take 1-2 weeks (of daily usage) until it makes decent tea.

You could also follow the more complicated method of boiling the teapot. But it takes more time, and the teapot might get broken or cracked during the procedure.

This is a fully handmade teapot. So there might be slight variations in shape, size and colour in different batches.

This decoration style is called Root Art and imitates living things. Like Plum blossoms, tree stumps and other things.
Potters add clay to make tree roots/branches and other shapes when the clay is still wet. They also use tools to achieve that bark texture and then use coloured clay to embellish with flowers, leaves, etc.

Each teapot includes a hardcover box.