What is Zisha clay?
Zisha clay is a very famous clay from China that is used to make teapots, tea-making utensils and other utilitarian and decorative crafts. Its name literally means “purple sand.”
This clay differs from others due to its components: quartz-mica and kaolin with a high iron oxide content, differentiating itself from other kaolin-type clays that give that characteristic reddish color to the clays that contain it. In the case of Zisha clay, this kaolin gives it its fire resistance and its rock-like quality; the presence of mica in the clay probably gives it its rough and sandy texture. It is baked at 1,100 to 1,200 ° C in an oxidative atmosphere; at that temperature most red clays would vitrify and lose their porosity; however, in the case of Zisha clay (due to its high kaolin content) even when baked at 1,200 ° C, it retains a certain porosity (approximately 2%).
Zisha clay is divided into 5 colors with different names:
Duan Ni "Light clay, ranging from white to yellow and even light brown and orange"
Lu Ni "Green"
Ping Zi Ni "Dark Clay"
Zhu Sha "Red Clay"
Qing Shui Ni "clear water clay"
Sometimes artists use mixed clays.
The colors of the clays can be grouped into:
Zi Ni: Including rare colors such as Hei Ni (black clay), Hong Ni (red clay including Zhu Ni) and Duan Ni (including Lu Ni)
The most common color is Zi Ni, or purple clay (brown purple) also called “black purple clay”. This is the most accepted color on the market for teapots because it is the color obtained in genuine teapots. Yixing (read Yiishin ). This Yixing clay is obtained from the Huang Long mountain located in the city of the same name (Yixing) in the province of Jiangsu, in the northeast of the country (about 200 km northeast of Shanghai).
This clay has high concentrations of Iron, which gives it a porous and convection structure. This characteristic gives it the ability to change its appearance with regular use (it changes color).
Authentic Yixing Zisha clay has been highly prized by artisans since ancient times and is used for a wide variety of items that can be made industrially (with prefabricated molds) or by hand. This difference makes one more expensive than another, so we find Yixing teapots from 50 USD to a thousand dollars.
Another very important factor in the value of a teapot is whether it is made by a famous craftsman, in which case its value can reach 70,000 USD. It can even be much more valuable if it is antique or the artist has passed away, such is the case of a Yixing teapot that was auctioned in Beijing in June 2010. This teapot was made by Gu Jingzhou (1915-1996) in 1948 and contained calligraphy by Wu Hufan (a famous painter) and decorations made by another renowned artist (Jiang Handing). This teapot sold for a record price of 1,740,000 USD!
In 2006, the Zisha/Yixing pottery making technique was inscribed on the list of intangible cultural heritage of China.
How to “cure” your Zisha teapot?
Before using it for the first time you should rinse it to remove any clay, dirt or salt residue, sometimes you need to clean it with a soft brush. If you are going to use it for only ONE type of tea, whether black, pu erh or ulong, it is advisable to put the teapot in a clean pot or pan (that does not have any grease residue or food aromas) with enough water to cover the open teapot, fill it with the tea of your choice (they can be already used leaves) and heat the water until it boils, lower the heat and let it boil gently for 10 minutes, turn off and leave it there overnight. Remove from the water, empty, rinse and dry.
If you are going to use green or white tea, you should do the above but with an EMPTY teapot. The same if you are going to use different teas, “cure” it while it is empty.
Enjoy EURO TE Zisha clay accessories such as teapots, bowls (pin ming) and Gai wan and prepare your tea in the Chinese style or “gong fu” https://eurote.com.mx/collections/zisha
Olivia Medina
Tea Master, EURO TEA
