Yuan Zhu Yixing Zisha Teapot – Golden Duanni Clay, 80ml

This is a 80 ml yuan zhu teapot in Golden Duanni Clay, partially handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 圆竹.

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 Yuan Zhu form (圆珠) dates to the traditional. A true sphere with a bead knob — the simplest statement available in the craft, and therefore one of the hardest to make convincingly. Nowhere to hide. Any deviation from round shows immediately.

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. 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 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. 018, 80 ml, US$140. Photographed individually — the images show the pot you receive.

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

Similar teapots

• Cheese Sculptural Form Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 90 ml, $180
• Qie Gua Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 100 ml, $100
• Xishi Yixing Zisha Teapot — Golden Duanni Clay, 90 ml, $150

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