Thursday, December 11, 2008

New Yixing Teapot and Chinese Porcelain Carp Design Teapot

Yixing Teapots

Good well-priced Yixing teapots are hard to find, but when I come across interesting items I'll advertise them on the site. Here's a little background on Yixing.

Yixing teapots are very special teapots made from zisha clay, a rare type of purplish clay made of iron, quartz and mica. It is found only in Yixing, China; a town located roughly 120 miles north west of Shanghai amidst rolling hills. Zisha clay is so unique in fact, that Yixing is the only place in the world where it can be found. This very rare material gives the Yixing teapot special properties that make it one of the most sought after teapots in the world, for both collectors and tea enthusiasts alike.

Besides the Yixing teapot's beauty, it is also considered to be one of the finest tea brewing pots in the world. It is said that if you pour hot water into an empty Yixing teapot that has been in use for many years, you can brew tea without any tea leaves. Zisha clay is extremely porous and will absorb the flavor of tea, making each brew better and more flavorful every time it is used. Another special quality of zisha clay is its ability to retain heat. It has a low shrinkage rate when the clay is fired in a kiln, and potters can create a tightly fitting lid that will decrease oxidization and further increase tea flavor. What's more, zisha clay comes free of any toxic materials like lead, arsenic and cadmium, which can found in some other types of clay.

Yixing teapots are arguably among the finest teapots in the world. When evaluating a teapot's brewing quality, four factors are taken into consideration: The color of the tea produced, and the levels of phenol, caffeine and aminophylline. The Yixing teapot's performance has been found to be superior to that of standard teapots in all four areas of testing.

Not only are Yixing teapots an important part of Asian culture and sought after by tea enthusiasts and collectors across the world, but they are unique and valuable works of art. Each one is a simplistically beautiful tribute to the Asian arts, and each one brews a healthier, superior, more flavorful cup of tea as well.

Chinese Porcelain Carp Design Teapot

Not only is the price exceptional but the quality is excellent too. It's obviously a highly subsidized product.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Get Loose Christmas Promo!

Get Loose Christmas Promo!

Our Christmas tea is a rich and spicy leaf blend of fine teas with added orange peel, marigold petals and cinnamon bark to give a rich festive flavour. Great for a cold winter's evening. Makes a great gift or part of a gift for the festive season. With our compliments we'll enclose 50g on us for every order in excess of £10.00, or you can buy on the Traditional Blend page. It's fabulous!.

You can also get our best seller Funky Infuser a an extraordinary price, Just 1£!

Offers end 30 December 2008