Monday, July 16, 2012

What is Purple Clay Teapots? 

            Purple clay teapots are also called Yixing clay teapots because purple clay only comes from the town of Yixing in the eastern Chinese province of Jiangsu. Yixing teapots are well known for bringing out the best in tea's taste and color. 
    
            Yixing teapots are meant for use with black and oolong teas, as well as aged pǔ’ěr tea. They can also be used for green or white tea, but the water must be allowed to cool to around 85 degrees Celsius before pouring the water into the pot. Yixing teapots absorb a tiny amount of tea into the pot during brewing. After prolonged use, the pot will develop a coating that retains the flavor and color of the tea. It is for this reason that soap should not be used to clean Yixing teapots. Instead, it should be rinsed with fresh water and allowed to air-dry. A studious tea connoisseur will only steep one type of tea in a particular pot, so as not to corrupt the flavor that has been absorbed.

           Traditionally, some Chinese would pour the tea from the spout directly into their mouths.
Yixing teapots are smaller than their western counterparts as the tea is often brewed for only a few seconds before it is served to guests. Reusing the same tea leaves multiple times, the first brew of the tea leaf is usually used only to clean tea, teapot, and cups and is not to be consumed. Chinese people traditionally drink from cups that hold less than one ounce of liquid and are simply repeatedly filled
so that they may cool rapidly but can be ingested before the tea becomes cold.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Ms. Tang's Purple Clay is on Blogger Now!!!!

Hi~~~~~ Ms. Tang's Purple Clay is on Blogger Now!!!! Come Connect with US!

Thanks to the 2012 World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, we met a lot of friends who are passionate about tea and teapots.  After seeing people's interest in learning more about purple clay teapots, we decided to start a blog to bring those who are interested in purple clay teapots togheter. This will be a community for you to learn about purple clay teapots, to view Ms. Tang's purple clay teapots, and to share your passion about purple clay teapots!

For those who haven't heard of Ms. Tang, here is a brief introduction of her.

Ms. Tang Zhaoxiao is a national senior craftsman and artists, member of China Arts and Crafts Association, member of China International Tea Culture Institute, director member of Guang Dong Arts and Crafts Association, and art director of Guangdong Chengfeng Art Research Institute.

The purple clay works of Ms. Tang have won the gold medals of China Arts and Crafts for consecutive ten years. For three years, she was regarded as one of the Collectors' favorite grandmaster purple clay artist. Her works are collected by China Arts and Crafts Treasure Museum, China Tea Museum, Nanjing Museum and many other collection organizations.