Fu Jia Ju Lun Yixing Zisha Teapot – Dicaoqing Zini Clay, 85ml

This is a 85 ml ju lun teapot in Dicaoqing Zini Clay, hand-carved, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 福佳巨轮.

The clay. The most prized layer of the zini seam, cut from the very bottom of the deposit and recognisable by the green 'chicken-eye' inclusions in the raw ore. It fires purple with a green cast and a dense, jade-like surface. Dense yet still breathable — an unusual combination. Collectors seek it out because the patina stays restrained and deepens slowly rather than turning glossy.

The form. The Ju Lun form (巨轮) dates to the traditional, popular in Japan. A compact, wheel-like body with a straight spout, long popular with Japanese sencha drinkers. Small, sturdy and unfussy. Built for repeated short infusions.

How it was made. Decoration cut into the leather-hard clay by hand with a steel blade, in the Yixing engraving tradition that goes back to Chen Mansheng's collaborations with potters.

Size and tea. At 85 ml this is a solo pot. One person, short infusions, and the small volume means you can push a good leaf through eight or ten steeps without ever brewing more than you drink. Best suited to aged pu-erh, yancha and black tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 235, 85 ml, US$350. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by an independent Dingshu potter working outside the titled-master system. We do not attach a name we cannot verify.

New to zisha? Read how to season a Yixing teapot before first use.

Similar teapots

• Tall Shipiao Yixing Zisha Teapot — Dicaoqing Zini Clay, 140 ml, $380
• Fu Jia Ju Lun Yixing Zisha Teapot — Baiyu Duanni Clay, 85 ml, $400
• Heng Yuan Yixing Zisha Teapot — Aged Zini Clay, 100 ml, $350

Or browse every Dicaoqing Zini pot · the full Yixing catalogue.