Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 100ml

This is a 100 ml qie gua teapot in Golden Duanni Clay, partially handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 茄瓜.

The clay. The duanni that fires brightest — a clear, luminous gold, with an unusually fine and even grain for the family. Deepens from yellow toward amber as it is used, so the colour of the pot and the colour of the liquor start to answer each other. Best on lighter teas where that can be seen.

The form. The Qie Gua form (茄段) dates to the traditional. Modelled on an aubergine — a soft, tapering body with a rounded shoulder. Between a plain form and a naturalistic one: recognisably a vegetable, but restrained.

How it was made. Formed with the help of a mould for the body, with the spout, handle, lid and finishing worked by hand. A well-made half-handmade pot is a good pot; the difference is in labour, not in whether it brews well.

Size and tea. 100 ml is the classic gongfu size — comfortable for one drinker or two sharing small cups, and the volume most Chaoshan-style brewing was built around. Best suited to green tea, raw pu-erh and light oolong.

One honest note on duanni-family clays: because the body is pale and very open, dark and heavily roasted teas can leave uneven marks if the pot is handled with oily hands or left wet. Rinse it, dry it, and keep it to lighter teas and it will come up beautifully.

This pot. Catalogue no. 027, 100 ml, US$100. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 门静. We buy directly from the workshop rather than through a wholesaler, so the attribution comes with the pot.

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

Similar teapots

• Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Zhuni Clay, 80 ml, $100
• Wendan Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 90 ml, $101
• Handmade Xishi Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 100 ml, $85

Or browse every Golden Duanni pot · the full Yixing catalogue.