Handmade Aili Yixing Zisha Teapot – Dahongpao Clay, 140ml
Handmade Aili Yixing Zisha Teapot – Dahongpao Clay, 140ml
This is a 140 ml aili teapot in Dahongpao Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 矮梨.
The clay. The top grade of zhuni — an intensely red ore, scarce, and so prone to shrinkage that most of a kiln load is lost. The pots that survive are vivid and even. The most aroma-forward clay in the catalogue. Nothing is absorbed; everything is thrown forward into the cup.
The form. The Aili form (矮梨) dates to the traditional. A pear form compressed downward — the fruit shape kept, the height taken out. Lower and wider than a standard pear, which makes it steadier on the tray.
How it was made. Built entirely by hand — the wall is beaten out from a slab and joined without a mould. Inside the body you can still read the tool marks and the joint line, which is how the method is verified.
Size and tea. 140 ml serves two to three people from a single fill, which makes it the most generally useful size on a tea table. Best suited to dancong, yancha and high-fragrance oolong.
This pot. Catalogue no. 221, 140 ml, US$85. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.
Made by 秦长明. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.
| Clay | Dahongpao Clay (大红袍) |
|---|---|
| Form | Aili (矮梨) |
| Capacity | 140 ml |
| Craft | Fully handmade (全手工) |
| Origin | Dingshu, Yixing, Jiangsu, China |
| Catalogue no. | 221 |
New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.
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Or browse every Dahongpao pot · the full Yixing catalogue.
