YIXING TEAPOTS: ZHUNI vs. HONGNI

Yixing teapot advanced tutorial: how to distinguish hongni from zhuni teapots and avoid fakes.
Hongni and zhuni are two similarly-looking reddish ores used to make Yixing clay teapot (aka Yixing zisha), each with slightly different appearances and effects. We look at colour, texture, sound, size, and other factors to distinguish the two and recognize if one is being sold as the other or, even worst, if teapots of low quality clay are sold as hongni or zhuni.
We look also at what effect the different ores have on brewing tea, including the best teas to use with each kind.
Yixing ore:
Yixing teapots are made of a rare and depleting clay mined in the mountains near Yixing, a city in the Jiangsu province. The high density yet porous nature of the clay absorbs the smell of the tea brewed in it. For this reason, it is advised to use the pot with only one kind of tea (for instance with black teas or green teas).
We often call the material 'clay' for the way it is shaped by potters, but it is, in fact, mined as a hard stone which is then made malleable by the addition of water. It comes in several different sorts with differing compositions. 'Hong ni', literally 'red mud', is a common, terra-cotta-coloured ore, whereas 'zhu ni', literally 'vermillion mud', is more of an orange. Practically, the way in which these two differ in colour and feel is more subtle and overlapping. Watch the video to get an idea!
Yixing Teapots:
The material and the shape of Yixing teapots are ideal for brewing tea. They bring out the tea flavour like no other tea vessel. Hand-made Yixing teapots are also valuable handicrafts sought after by collectors, and the precision and delicacy of their manufacture requires the utmost mastery to achieve. Their value raises with time, usage and artist popularity.
For more on Yixing teaware, check out our blog and other videos on the subject!
👉 LINK TO OUR WEBSITE AND SHOP - nannuoshan.org
🎬 SUBSCRIBE
If you are looking to improve your tea knowledge and brewing skills, make sure to subscribe our KZread channel - / @nannuoshan
📖 NEWSLETTER
For even more insights into the tea world and to access bonus material and special offers, join our newsletter - nannuoshan.org/pages/newsletter
🀄️ TEAWARE
• Lightbulb Yixing Teapot (Hong Ni) - www.nannuoshan.org/products/l...
• All Yixing & other teapots - www.nannuoshan.org/collection...
🍵 TEA
• Sheng Pu'er for Hong Ni pots - nannuoshan.org/collections/puer
• Dark oolongs for Hong Ni & Taiwanese oolongs for Zhu Ni -nannuoshan.org/collections/oo...
💡 RELATED CONTENT 💡
• Blog: Yixing and its Stone-Like Teapots - nannuoshan.org/blogs/blog/yix...
• Blog: The Charm of Yixing Teapots - nannuoshan.org/blogs/blog/the...
• Video: How to Choose an Yixing Teapot - • How to choose an Yixin...
👉 FOLLOW US
• Online shop: nannuoshan.org
• Instagram: / nannuoshan
• Facebook: / nannuoshan
#yixing #teapot #teaknowledge

Пікірлер: 24

  • @nannuoshan
    @nannuoshan3 жыл бұрын

    😱 Nannuoshan is now also in the USA! To the tea lovers in North America, check out our new USA online store: us.nannuoshan.org/

  • @bombomu2
    @bombomu22 жыл бұрын

    thank you for the comparison . so zhuni is fit more to my taste of tea.

  • @wt599313
    @wt5993133 жыл бұрын

    great video ! Thanks for sharing.

  • @richardkilgore1011
    @richardkilgore10114 жыл бұрын

    Helpful. Thank you.

  • @nannuoshan

    @nannuoshan

    4 жыл бұрын

    You are welcome! Let us know if there are similar topics you would like us to film about.

  • @paulfogarty7724
    @paulfogarty77243 жыл бұрын

    Thank you for that information. I have a tea pot that ticks all the boxes you mention ....except one. Colour is the same shiny red like your example. It has that high pitched ring when you tap it. It feels heavy, cold and dense like hard marble or metal. The only thing is the shape. It's not wide but instead it's a tall cylinder shape with " eardrop " handle. The bigger problem is that it's 300 ml... I remember you saying it's very unlikely to be genuine if it's big, but do you think it still might be possible at 300 ml or would that be out of the question ? Many thanks.

  • @nannuoshan

    @nannuoshan

    3 жыл бұрын

    That's right, finding Zhuni larger than 150 ml is not common, but not impossible either. What would wonder me more is having found it in the back of a thrift store. The odds or low that a real Zhuni would end up there without being notice on the way. If you fancy, send us pictures of the pot for evaluation at info@nannuoshan.org. It's hard to tell from pictures, but sometimes it is possible to at least get an idea on likelihood.

  • @paulfogarty7724

    @paulfogarty7724

    3 жыл бұрын

    @@nannuoshan thanks !...I'll do that. I was'nt going to mention that I found it because it might seem impossible to find one there, but here in Ireland, although we drink a lot of tea, most people know nothing about yixing tea ware. It's very foreign here so most people, if they see a yixing teapot, will think it's simply a decorative mineature not for actual use. A toy for a child or something like that.

  • @gabrielezimmermann5946
    @gabrielezimmermann59464 жыл бұрын

    Thank you, Gabriele, this was very interesting, clear and structured. Always helpful to see your videos! Could you say something about Jianshui teapots in comparison to yixing teapots? And do you recommend drinking tea out of clay cups? Which is the best clay to drink Taiwanese Oolongs out of it? Thank you for your time and sharing your knowledge!

  • @nannuoshan

    @nannuoshan

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hello Gabriele! Thank you for your comment and questions; I am sure you are not the only one with those in mind. I do not owe any Jianshui teapots and have only tasted tea from them a few times, with friends. I am starting having an opinion about them, but don't have enough experience yet to give you a reliable answer. I suggest watching this video from Don “kzread.info/dash/bejne/fJt3uKSHacrdlaQ.html” (it’s long, start from minute 25). I also found interesting this video from Farmer Leaf and in particular William’s view on why a clay teapot should be used in favor of a Gaiwan: kzread.info/dash/bejne/f4eHmZeDhZefiMY.html. I think that too often the choice of a clay teapot is justified with improving the taste of the tea. If you want best objective taste, you go for a gaiwan. The teapot should be chosen for other reasons, which are rather of artistic and personal nature. I personally don’t like drinking tea out of clay cups; all my cups are made of neutral, glazed material. A clay cup would affect the taste even further. To me it is enough influencing the taste, and my drinking experience, by the choice of the brewing vessel. Taiwan Oolongs are very aromatic and little oxidized and roasted. Thus the best teapots are those that do not affect much the brightness and purity of the taste. Many type of very high quality Yixing teapots are indicated for Taiwan Oolongs (price range 500 euro and up). Among cheaper teapots, I would definitely stick to Zhuni or, alternatively, top grade Hongni. We should soon put online a teapot best suited for Taiwan Oolong. Contact us if you want to have a look at it before it gets online. I think we have only one piece. You can also wait until Spring. During the Tea Tour 2020 we will have dedicated experiences with Yixing teapots and Taiwan Oolong and meet tea persons that have a huge experience with Taiwan Oolong in particular. Their advice won’t be wrong.

  • @gabrielezimmermann5946

    @gabrielezimmermann5946

    4 жыл бұрын

    Hello Gabriele, thanks for your detailed answer, now I am a bit more clear about choosing the best teapot for me. And I will stay away from clay cups, except the one I bought at Berlin Tea Festival, it's a piece of art and I fell in love with it, couldn't help but buy it. I would very much appreciate to hear from you as soon as you have got the teapot best suited for Taiwan Oolong. Thank you so much!

  • @nannuoshan

    @nannuoshan

    4 жыл бұрын

    Sure, we will notify you when the teapot is out and anyway send out a newsletter as soon as the product pages of the new Yixing teapots are ready. One thing I forgot mentioning about Yixing, Chaozhou and Jianshui clays: Chazhou and Jianshui teapots have become more popular in the Western world in the last couple of years or less. No one really spoke about them before, but all of a sudden tea people started speaking about them. In China this didn't happen (yet). Yixing teapots are still 1000x more popular than Chaozhou and Jianshui teapots. Most Chinese tea lovers that have been using Yixing teapots for decads have just heard but never used a Chaozhou or a Jianshui teapots. Lack of popularity doesn't necessarily mean lower quality, but we should be aware of the difference. I bet in China there is less than a Jianshui teapot for 10000 Yixing teapots (including fakes).

  • @gabrielezimmermann5946

    @gabrielezimmermann5946

    4 жыл бұрын

    Oh, I didn't know that Jianshui is not wellknown in China, this information is very important for me, as I obviously misjudged the situation! So I just can focus on Yixing, as I don't have much experience in that. Thank you, this information makes it easier for me to decide for buying a Yixing teapot!

  • @nannuoshan

    @nannuoshan

    4 жыл бұрын

    @@gabrielezimmermann5946 , hello Gabriele, the Yixing teapot 'd suggest using with Taiwan oolong is online: www.nannuoshan.org/products/lantern-yixing-teapot, together with many new Yixings pots (www.nannuoshan.org/collections/teapots). Contact me via email before purchasing it (gabriele@nannuoshan.org).

  • @dharmakaya_handcrafts
    @dharmakaya_handcrafts3 ай бұрын

    Can anyone tell me if Black Mud Heijingang Teapot made in Yixing is bonafide?

  • @dostma1
    @dostma12 жыл бұрын

    What do you think about a black Zhuni teapot? Does the black colour added to the clay effect the quality of a teapot?

  • @gabokuroki

    @gabokuroki

    2 жыл бұрын

    I have a black zhuni that I use for Hei Cha, and I like it. But honestly I would not use it for aromatic teas

  • @dostma1

    @dostma1

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@gabokuroki Hello, thank you for your response. Do you think that I should be worried about the chemicals added to make the material colour black? Or is it safe? The yixing clay doesn't naturally have this colour. I want to buy an yixing teapot from aliexpress.

  • @ccie1388

    @ccie1388

    2 жыл бұрын

    no nautral clay can be burnt to be black. so chemical is added. don't buy purple clay tea pot in black, green, blue, and too shinny

  • @dostma1

    @dostma1

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@ccie1388 Thank you for your advice. I've bought yellow teapot with beautiful carving of a squirrel. It's beautiful and serves the purpose well.

  • @Argo123_.0

    @Argo123_.0

    Жыл бұрын

    @@dostma1 It’s just a cosmetic thing, if you like it, then go for it.