Full Hand-made・Hei liao (黑料)

We were first introduced to the work of Pan Yi by the former director of San Francisco’s Asian Arts Museum. Though Yi hails from a long line of zisha potters, she identifies with a new generation of zisha artists who eschew the status seeking tradition of the craft. While her emphasis still lies in techniques inherent to her trade, Yi permits her artistic inclinations to shine throughout her work.

We’ve been lucky to collaborate with Pan Yi as she’s navigated her field, quickly rising in the ranks of celebrated Yixing potters. Her teapots, formed entirely by hand with the aid of wooden paddles and delicate clay coils, are finely weighted, each spout, handle, and lid a feat of precision and balance. This piece is formed from Hei liao, originally mined from Huang Long Shan over two decades ago. Hei liao is a modified zi ni with a matte black color, resulting in a near black pot, burnished to a leather like texture and speckled with fine sand.

Like all zisha pots, the Hei liao clay is porous, allowing oils from the tea to ‘season’ the vessel. For this reason, we dedicate a single tea type to each of our zisha teapots, and refrain from washing them with soap. Over time, your pot will adopt an added sheen, and a terroir, all of its own.

Usage and care: Thoroughly rinse particles of sand from the interior before use. Dedicate one tea type per pot. Eventually, a tea pot will be seasoned with the particular character of a tea. Hand-wash only without soap or detergent.

Dimensions: 74mm tall, 78mm diameter, 190ml capacity・Artist: 潘荑