Hand-picked in Jianshui’s clay workshops
I found this teapot during a visit to the kilns of Jianshui in early autumn 2024. The town sits on a plateau at 1,320 metres, surrounded by hills where the purple iron-rich clay has been dug for centuries. Jianshui ware is denser and heavier than Yixing — it absorbs heat more slowly and retains it with a steady, almost deliberate rhythm. That makes it especially suited to old-tree pu’er, which likes a gentle, sustained temperature rather than a quick flash.
The potter who made this piece runs a small family workshop on the outskirts of town. He uses a locally mined mix of clays — purple body, fine grey slip, and a slip-trailing technique drawn from Yunnan folk pottery. Every pot is hand-thrown without a mould, then fired in a saggar at 1,200°C for over sixteen hours. The interior receives a thin coat of natural ash glaze, leaving the clay breathable but smooth enough for any pu’er cake.
I selected this batch of 100ml pots for their compact balance and how they pour — a broad, seven-hole filter and a clean, drip-free spout. Each one carries slight variations in burnish and texture, so no two are quite alike. They remind me why I always come back to Jianshui: not for tradition alone, but for the quiet feel of a pot that does its work without drawing attention to itself.