Teapot Yixing China Elegance

Product description Teapot Yixing China Elegance

Yixing China Elegance is a compact 200 ml teapot with an unglazed surface and a clean, unadorned shape. Yixing teapots have a long tradition in Chinese tea culture and are used primarily for brewing tea using the gongfu cha method – multiple short steeps brewed one after another.

What makes a Yixing teapot different?

The Elegance teapot embodies purity of form and perfect balance. Yixing clay is unglazed and has a subtly porous structure. With regular use, it can absorb faint aromatic traces of the teas brewed in it, which is why it's best to dedicate one teapot to a single type of tea or a group of teas with a similar flavour profile. It's an excellent choice for the gongfu cha multi-steep brewing style, which calls for more tea leaves, less water, and several short steeps brewed from the same leaves in succession. The process has a slower, more mindful pace and lets you observe how the aroma and flavour of the tea evolve from steep to steep.

• Unique Yixing clay with a porous structure
• Smooth, unglazed surface
• Designed primarily for gongfu cha brewing
• Loose tea leaves are placed directly into the teapot
• Built-in strainer at the spout opening helps catch tea leaves when pouring
• Suitable for brewing loose leaf tea

Which teas work best?

This teapot really shines with oolongs and pu-erhs. It also works well with darker or roasted oolongs and some bolder Chinese black teas. In any case, choose teas that are well-suited to multiple steeps. With Yixing clay, it's also a good idea to stick to one type of tea or a group of teas with a similar character over time – the teapot gradually absorbs the aromatic notes of whatever you brew in it. We don't recommend using this teapot for heavily flavoured teas, fruit teas, or herbal blends.

Our tip: How to brew tea gongfu cha style

• Start by warming the teapot with hot water.
• Add your tea leaves. Gongfu cha calls for more leaves and less water than a standard brew.
• Pour water at the appropriate temperature for your specific tea and steep for only a short time.
• Always pour off the entire steep and re-infuse the leaves. For subsequent steeps, gradually extend the steeping time as needed.
• When brewing for several people, pour the tea into a sharing pitcher (chahai) first and then distribute it into small cups. When brewing just for yourself, you can pour directly into your cup.

Read more about tea rituals on our blog.

Caring for your teapot

• Before first use, rinse the teapot thoroughly with hot water.
• In your clean, new teapot, brew a strong infusion of the tea type you intend to dedicate it to. Let the brew sit for a while so the tea's essence can be absorbed into the clay. This is the seasoning process. (You can repeat this step.)
• To preserve the teapot's properties and keep the harmony of flavours intact, never clean it with washing-up liquid – simply rinse with clean water and leave to dry. This is the only way to maintain the patina and flavour memory it has built up over time.

Note – due to its ability to retain the flavour and aromatic notes of each brew, it is recommended to use this teapot for a single type of tea, or for teas of a similar character.

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