ZhaoZhuang Zhuni (ZZZ) Biandeng

We are extremely excited to be able to offer this zhuni biandeng! When we offered some zhuni biandengs a few months ago they sold out right away. We finally managed to restock them. We requested a small modification: a smooth transition from the lid knob to the lid.

The clay

Zhuni is one of the most coveted clay types, due to its ability to perform well on a wide range of teas, from aged puerhs to delicate oolongs. We were able to source some excellent quality zhuni clay from Zhaozhuang: the original area where zhuni was mined during the Qing dynasty. No zhuni teapots were made by Yixing factory 1. And after Factory 1, zhuni pots have been usually made with additives such as barium. We were finally able to commission zhuni teapots with no barium, a unique opportunity to get this type of clay without additives but also without having to pay Qing dynasty prices. Even with current firing methods, this clay is challenging to fire without additives. We had a breakage rate of approximately 20%.

The shape

We chose a classic shape for this teapot: the straight-spout biandeng. This shape emerged in the late Qing to early ROC period, in several slight variations, and we find that it is an excellent match for zhuni clay. The flat shape can work well for puerh, and it is also ideal to fit the long leaves of yancha and dancong. The size – 100ml – was selected so that it would be suitable to make puerh for one or two people using small cups, but also to make dancong and yancha with a high leaf-to-water ratio. To maximize cleaning simplicity and water flow, the spout is single hole. When brewing tea that has some broken bits, appropriate teapot packing techniques can prevent clogging.

The green tag reports information about the EDXRF test, which verifies that no additives were used in the processing of the clay.

Weight : 102 g

Capacity : 100 ml

Pour time : 15s