Purple clay Teapots are products that reflect the fashion of their era. The tastes of a given time period define their shapes and decorations.

Looking at the historical evolution of purple clay teapots, they generally progress from crude to refined, large to small, simple to complex, and then return to simplicity, going through three stages: primitive, ornate, and elegant.

Differences Between Good and Poor Quality Teapots

Teapots are made by people, and crafting a good one takes a lot of time.

For example, if you had two teapots in front of you, one made with an entire day's work and the other in just half an hour, considering a typical eight-hour working day, the maker of the latter could produce over ten such teapots daily. It's easy to imagine that these mass-produced teapots would be quite rough.

In reality, teapots that sell for several dozen yuan can have daily production rates of over ten pieces, or else the makers would not be able to make ends meet and survive. To reduce costs, they wouldn't use high-quality clay either.

The quality of the clay is directly proportional to the craftsmanship. Because there is a significant price difference between different qualities of clay, it's hard to imagine that a poorly crafted Teapot selling for several dozen yuan would use clay worth several thousand yuan per bundle.

▲Inferior Purple Clay Teapot

Makers who strive for high-quality craftsmanship wouldn't use low-grade clay that costs only a hundred or so yuan per bundle. Like painting, the value isn't just in the likeness but also in the spirit and charm. This is true for purple clay teapots as well.

Once a certain level of craftsmanship is reached, the maker can work freely, without much need for further technical improvement. The key is how to express one's own thoughts and style through the craft, giving the work its own spirit and charm. This is where the value differences among teapots costing over a thousand yuan lie.

▲Peach Blossom Mud Dabin Teapot (Full of Charm)

Can All Teapots That Stand Upside Down Be Considered Good?

One criterion for judging a purple clay teapot is its airtightness. According to previous beliefs, when a teapot is filled with water and the air hole on the lid is blocked, water should not come out of the spout. If the spout is held down while the teapot is inverted and the lid does not fall off, it indicates good airtightness. If not, it suggests poor airtightness. However, this method of judgment is actually a misconception. After thousands of experiments, the principle behind airtightness has been explained.

Incorrect Method of Identification

We used 100 Shipiao teapots and 100 Xishi teapots, all mid-to-high-end teapots priced between 200 and 3,000 yuan (excluding those with poor craftsmanship).

When the air hole of the 100 Xishi teapots was blocked, 97 did not leak water from the spout. In the experiment, when filled with water and the spout was held down, all 100 did not lose their lids when inverted. Since the Shipiao teapot cannot have its air hole blocked, we only tested the spout.

▲Shipiao Teapot

The results showed that all 100 Shipiao teapots lost their lids when inverted after being filled with water and the spout was held down. When a purple clay teapot is filled with water and inverted with the air hole blocked, water molecules spread evenly across the surface between the lid and the rim, creating a completely sealed plane. Then, the water inside the teapot flows to the lowest point of the air hole, forming a column of water within it.

The first force comes from the pressure difference due to the water, where the pressure at the bottom of the air hole is greater than the pressure inside the lid, generating a force. The second force is created by some water entering the air hole, causing the internal air pressure in the teapot to be less than the external air pressure, resulting in a pressure difference and another force. These two forces combined are enough to keep the lid from falling off. Therefore, as long as the lid and rim are absolutely flat, even if there is a slight gap, the teapot can still stand upside down.

▲Even a Trash Teapot Bought for Twenty Yuan Can Stand Upside Down

What Makes a Good Teapot?

A top-notch Tea emphasizes color, aroma, taste, and the lingering sweetness in the throat, as well as being highly infusable. A good teapot should not only be beautiful and smooth in texture but most importantly, practical.

Without a good teapot to Brew it, the essence of the tea cannot be fully displayed. And without good tea, even the finest teapot feels incomplete. A good teapot should meet the following conditions:

1. The teapot spout should pour smoothly.

2. The quality of the clay should be good.

3. The teapot should have no unpleasant odor, while chemically-made teapots have a strong, pungent smell (chemical).

4. Good clay paired with skilled craftsmanship means better breathability. This allows the teapot to complement the type of tea being brewed and fully bring out its characteristics.

▲Dizaoqing Ziye Shipiao (Made by Liu Yitang)

5. The teapot should be convenient for adding tea leaves and have sufficient capacity.

6. The craftsmanship should be meticulous, with clean details. The size of the teapot should be appropriate and practical, with a comfortable grip. If any content infringes upon copyright, please contact us for removal.