Dezhong Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zhuni Clay, 80ml

This is a 80 ml dezhong teapot in Zhuni Clay, hand-carved, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 德钟.

The clay. Very high in iron, fired to a bright vermilion, and dense enough to ring when the lid is tapped. Zhuni shrinks by up to twenty percent in the kiln, so a large share of every batch cracks — the Yixing saying is that a zhuni pot without wrinkles is not zhuni. Dense and low-porosity, so it holds aroma at the surface instead of absorbing it. This is the clay that makes fragrant teas smell like themselves.

The form. The Dezhong form (德钟) dates to the Qing dynasty, Daoguang era, attributed to Shao Daheng. Created by Shao Daheng and named for its silhouette — an inverted bell. The name puns on the virtue (de) of the gentleman. Upright, evenly proportioned, formal without being stiff. The classic scholar's pot.

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 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 oolong, dancong and green tea.

This pot. Catalogue no. 034, 80 ml, US$130. 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.

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