Yixing Hong Pi Long Xishi 红皮龙西施 (175 ml)

Semi-handmade mini teapot in the traditional Xishi shape

Material: Original Yixing Hong Pi Long red clay

Volume: 175 ml

Yixing Xishi teapot (175 ml) semi-handmade from the original Hong Pi Long red clay.

While we would like to buy teapots from famous masters, we understand that the price is usually out of our reach. We focus on the authenticity of a clay and not the names of its makers by first selecting clays from our clay collector and having the teapots made for us (for some parts, semi-handmade using a mold). After all, it is the colorful clay that made Yixing teapots a worldwide treasure in the beginning, and it is possible to prove for yourself in the long term whether its clay is authentic or not, but not possible to prove that it was really made by a master was, but not his interns.

Hong Pi Long is a type of red clay that is more sandy and with more mineral grains on the surface than other red clays. Some researchers at the beginning argued that this tone was actually purple tone. But the artisans of the teapot argued that this clay behaved completely differently from purple clay in the oven. Purple clay requires a higher temperature than Hong Pi Long to finish. Hong Pi Long also has a lot more yellow and black grains on the surface of the finished product. When the temperature gets higher than 1175 degrees Celsius, more black grains appear due to the high amount of iron in the clay. The artisans believe that Hong Pi Long behaves more like a red than a purple tone.

Hong Pi Long is also sandier than the purple tone and creates a lower pitch when you click the lid against the body of the teapot. Hong Pi Long dries much faster than a purple clay if hot water is washed over the teapot, as it is very porous and absorbent.

Seasoning a Hong Pi Long teapot takes less time than a purple clay teapot. A Hong Pi Long teapot first becomes deeper in color and then shinier. So you will experience how your Hong Pi Long teapot first turns dark red from a matt and dull orange-red. The shine comes a little later than the change in color. The result looks like a Zhuni teapot from a distance.

It is a perfect pot for making Gongfu tea. Both for practical tea preparation and for aesthetic appreciation.