Handmade Hanwa Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zini Clay, 90ml

This is a 90 ml hanwa teapot in Zini Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 涟漪.

The clay. Zini is the foundational Yixing clay — purple-brown, mined at Huanglong Mountain, and the most forgiving of all the ores. It is highly plastic, notably porous, and develops a patina faster than most clays. Even-tempered and genuinely versatile. It rounds out a brew rather than sharpening it, which makes it a safe first pot for someone who drinks several kinds of tea.

The form. The Hanwa form (汉瓦) dates to the Qing dynasty. Modelled on Han-dynasty roof-end tiles, which were stamped with auspicious phrases such as 'may joy never end'. The body is cylindrical with flat shoulders and a straight wall. Firm, architectural lines. Takes a patina in a way that brings out an almost metallic depth.

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 90 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 pu-erh, black tea and aged oolong.

This pot. Catalogue no. 309, 90 ml, US$240. 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.

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