There is a saying in the purple clay tea industry: "The flatter the shape, the harder it is to shape." But for some teas, such as Tieguanyin and Pu'er, the pot body should be shorter rather than taller. In order to gather the best aroma, Chinese craftsmen will spend a lot of time and try their best to "shorter it", no matter how difficult it is. This virtual flat pot is the best among flat pots.
Purple clay pots are round or square in shape, but flat pots are very rare, interesting and fun. Look, this pot has a small body, just like a pleasing treasure on the fingertips, but it has a simple and majestic temperament, with the spirit of "mustard seed containing Sumeru". You know, the difficulty of purple clay increases exponentially with each flattening. "Void flat" is the most difficult shape in traditional purple clay hand-made molding. It is formed from the surrounding body into a tube shape, and then it is patted into such a flat shape with a "mud paddle". The force must be even, and the flatness cannot collapse. It is a very big challenge for manual operation.
Xubian pot, also known as "Shuibian pot" or "Shubian pot". In fact, it is most appropriate to call it Shubian, "flat as a book", and you will know what it means as soon as you hear it. It's just because the pronunciation is similar in Yixing, and Xubian is the most used, so it has been called this way. Although it is small, it is upright and majestic, like a general; the surface is curved and harmonious, and it is both hard and soft, and it is chic and delicate, making people love it.
Owning a Xubian pot is not only a pursuit of the demeanor of being open-minded, but also a rare collection. Of course, if you want to make good purple sand, it must be practical. The body of the pot is short, but the mouth of the pot is wide, which is very convenient for putting tea and adding water. The spout of the pot is curved, and the water flows very smoothly; the lines of the pot handle are smooth and comfortable to hold. It can be said that it is a rare pot type that combines practicality and appreciation.
In order to let the beauty of Xu Bian teapot accompany more tea lovers, Tongxinshe Teahouse recommends this "Zhaozhuang Zhuni Xu Bian Teapot" handmade by teacher Xu Linfeng today. The capacity is only 75cc, which makes this small Xu Bian very small and exquisite. It can be said to be a real show of skill and a favorite for one person to drink tea.
We all know that clay is the most important thing about purple sand. As a good item at the bottom of the box, the clay used in this xubian is naturally not bad. It uses Zhaozhuang Zhuni, which is known as the two kinds of precious player-level Zhuni together with Xiaomeiyao clay. Unlike ordinary Zhuni produced from the tender mud layer on the surface and in small pieces, this Zhaozhuang Zhuni is produced under the Huangshi layer. It is a hard ore in large pieces and is very rare. Here we need to emphasize the shrinkage rate. The shrinkage rate of ordinary Zhuni is 10%, while that of Zhaozhuang Zhuni reaches 25% or even 30%, which can be said to be the limit of Zhuni. Looking at the body of the pot, you will find obvious large vertical wrinkles. This is the legendary "no wrinkles, no Zhuni". At the same time, the body of the pot has a strong sandy feel, which is very different from ordinary Zhuni, and it is very oily. A close look at the body of the pot shows that there are many small black spots. This is caused by the iron-rich Zhuni mine precipitating on the surface of the pot under high temperature.