Handmade Dezhong Yixing Zisha Teapot – Zini Clay, 80ml

This is a 80 ml dezhong teapot in Zini Clay, fully handmade, made in Dingshu, Yixing. Its Chinese name is 鱼纹云钟.

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 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. 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 pu-erh, black tea and aged oolong.

This pot. Catalogue no. 325, 80 ml, US$399. 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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