Handmade Qinquan Yixing Zisha Teapot – Aged Zini Clay, 80ml

This is a 80 ml ribbed form teapot in Aged Zini Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 秦权.

The clay. Zini ore that has been weathered and stored for years before use. The saying in Yixing is that clay grows more supple with age — aged zini works more smoothly on the wheel and fires to a deeper, more settled purple. Mellower than fresh zini. The liquor comes through soft and rounded rather than bright, which is why long-time drinkers tend to gravitate to older stock.

The form. The Ribbed Form (筋纹器) dates to the traditional category, attributed to various. Ribbed work divides the body into equal lobes running from knob to foot. The lid must align with the body on every rib, in any rotation. Rhythmic and demanding. The test is whether the lid still lines up after a quarter turn.

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. At 80 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 ripe pu-erh, aged white tea and black tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 406, 80 ml, US$500. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

Made by 张琦. 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

• Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot — Aged Zini Clay, 80 ml, $450
• Handmade Duo Qiu Yixing Zisha Teapot — Aged Zini Clay, 100 ml, $350
• Handmade Hai Tang Yixing Zisha Teapot — Aged Zini Clay, 130 ml, $450

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