Black Jianshui Zitao Teapot

This is a handmade Shi Piao style teapot made in Jianshui County, Yunnan, China.  The pot is unglazed and excellent with heat retention, making this particularly suitable for steeping teas that love a lot of heat (pu'er, heicha, black (red) tea, darker oolongs, more developed or aged white teas). 

The volume is approximately 110 ml, making this a great pot for small gong fu sessions (one to three people would be ideal).   Each pot is a bit different from the other, so the volume of the pot may vary by about 10%.  The pot has a filter inside with 9 holes and the pour is approximately 6 seconds. 

This pot is unglazed, which means it has a porous structure and is excellent for retaining heat. The clay is iron rich, denser, and less porous than pots made from Yixing clay.  The clays from Jianshui are considered to be clean and unadulterated.

Jianshui is one of the four famous types of Chinese pottery and is only produced Jianshui County in Yunnan province.  Jianshui pottery has a history of at least 900 years and is listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of China.  

Each pot comes in a sturdy, padded box that you can store it in while not in use. Because these are handmade, each one is slightly different from one another and you can expect very slight variations from pot to pot.