ABOUT CHAOZHOU TEAWARE

Chaozhou is a city in eastern Guangdong province in China. Chaozhou is known for producing ‘zhu ni’ red clay – not to be confused with Yixing ‘zhu ni’ red clay. Chaozhou teapots are simpler in design when compared to the variety produced for Yixing teapots. They usually come in the classic shapes and are usually made small, around 100ml. Teapots are usually large enough to produce tea just for one cup or several small cups at a time only.

Being less sought after than Yixing teapots, they are not readily available on the international airport. However, this means that it is still possible to obtain Chaozhou teapots, especially half-handmade ones, at an affordable price.

Chaozhou red clay is said to be more porous than Yixing red clay. Being made of a finer substance, Chaozhou teapots are thrown on a wheel. Skilled craftsmen are able to make pots which are thin and light. The pots are known for tight fitting lids which ring like swords when removed. However, this is dependent on the quality of the maker, which naturally has an effect on the price of the pots. There are teapots from well-known makers which fetch top prices, comparable to the best Yixing pots.

We have had cheap mould-made Chaozhou teapots, which ‘yang’ perfectly well over a few months so every teapot, if well-loved, will be functional and bring you much enjoyment. Chaozhou teapots are versatile and we use them to brew everything from green teas to pu erh. They are definitely one of our favourite teapots in our collection. As with most of the other teapots we have on offer, these teapots will only get better with age and even appreciate in value when they are well-seasoned and ‘yang’ed – definitely worth the time and money invested in them.