We have wanted to add some wood-fired pots to our Fang Xia range of Yixing teapots for some time now & are very happy to be able to offer these. These were fired in a wood kiln in Yixing that fires once each month. Each firing takes three days to complete. The pots are placed inside a protective container called a 'xia bo', as used in ancient times to protect the surface from becoming glazed with ash. The wood firing creates a unique finish on the surface, a slight shine & seems to make the water taste smoother and more refined when brewing tea.
The shape is based on a Qing Dynasty pot, but the angles and symmetry took time to get right. We also were searching for a new batch of hongni clay for this pot and finally settled on this Da Hongni original ore.
Da Hongni's original ore is red in colour (as opposed to the yellow ore before firing of Xiao Hongni). This ore comes from Yixing's NanShan mining area. This has been stone ground, hand-sorted and left to rest to improve plasticity.
The pot itself is half-handmade - pressing the clay by hand into a form to construct the shape of the body, handle and spout, which are then joined together by hand.
