A few months ago we received from Fernando Gaitan (from Shaktea) and his teacher Roy Fong (from Imperial Tea Court) some authentic and beautiful Yixing teapots, which Roy designed a few years ago and had made in China.

We call this teapot “Xiu Teapot” because its meaning is “luxurious, elegant and beautiful” and this teapot concentrates all these qualities in its shape and manufacture.

Xiu Clay Yi Xing Teapot 120 ml

I asked Fernando to tell me more about it and it was Roy Fong himself who sent me an email explaining that when he opened his tea shops one of the most important things for him was to decide which teapot he was going to use to introduce people to the art. From “Gong Fu Cha” was how he came to make his own design, of which he has sold a thousand over the years.

This teapot was based on a classic design called Shui Ping Hu , this design originally has a taller body and a smaller opening, it is used to put a lot of tea in the small teapot and thus obtain very potent infusions. However, Roy wanted to use less tea and teach different Gong Fu techniques with the same teapot, so he went to a Yixing teapot maker and asked him to make the body thinner and the opening bigger, he also asked for the spout of the teapot to be at a right angle and pointed so that he could better pour the tea without so much dripping, but retaining the characteristics of the famous Shui ping design, which if well done makes the teapot float on the water (without the lid) and the water should reach the mouth of the teapot without entering it; in fact Shui Ping means “level with the water”. Roy also made sure that if you take the lid off the teapot and turn it upside down, it will sit completely on the flat surface (which is achieved when the spout and handle are balanced).

Another important point was the mix of Yixing clays chosen, the baking temperature, the balance that it has in the hands of the person who makes the tea, in short, it is a true jewel that we are pleased to offer to you at EURO TE and with it we begin to celebrate our 25th Anniversary!

Thanks to the generosity of Roy and Fernando, the price at which we offer it is well below the yixing teapots you can find on the market. I hope you enjoy it as much as I (Fernando, and of course, Roy!) preparing and sharing your favorite Gong Fu Cha style tea.

Peace, Health and flavor in a cup of tea!