The Chinese have a secret that lets them fully enjoy their fragrant, healthy tea – they brew it with purple clay teapots. And you know what? These teapots really have qualities that set them apart from the pack. So today I’ll share some secrets as to why tea drinkers have come to adore a strange thing called purple clay.

There is only one place that this clay can be found: Yixing, China. Actually, there are three main colors of this so-called purple clay: red clay, green clay, and purple clay. Because the clay contains a high number of natural minerals, it can display a full range of colors after firing. And its internal structure is quite interesting too – a double layer of porous, sandy particles that give it an extra kick.

Chinese tea lovers are very keen on Yixing purple clay teapots. On one hand, they are gracefully designed in a multitude of shapes and styles suitable for decorations and collections; and on the other hand, brewing tea with a purple clay teapot has many unique advantages that can make your tea time a great pleasure.

1. Purple clay teapots let your tea utterly show off its intrinsic characteristics in color, scent, and savor. From Chinese emperors to ordinary people, they all know a purple clay teapot is the best match to their tea. Make the best use of things, and let your tea has nothing to hide from you.

I love green tea, so I bought a green-colored purple clay teapot several years ago. Then I hurried back to my home, and brewed my favorite tea leaves with the pot. When I took a sip, the soup tasted much better than I used to feel before. I wondered: ‘Is it the same tea?’ Then I suddenly saw the light: I finally know my tea thanks to this purple clay teapot!

2. Tea soup in purple clay teapots refuses to turn sour for the longest time. The numerous invisible pores of a purple clay teapot allow fresh air to seep in. Strong or bland, the tea will always be pure with no peculiar smell and taste. A sweltering weather makes no difference as well.

If you have something urgent to deal with in the morning after brewing tea, go for it! The tea soup in the pot will stay fresh and be considerate enough to wait for you at the end of the day.

3. A purple clay teapot can change slightly as you make tea with it, because of how absorbent it is. It takes in tea aromas and tastes, and then lets them off in the next infusion. The flavor gradually grows and you can always expect for a better brew of tea each time.

Also, the longer a purple clay teapot is used, the more lustrous and beautiful it becomes. That’s because the tea inside moistens and lubricates the pot. Also, every time a purple clay teapot is touched, it absorbs some of the oils from your hands and becomes more lustrous.

Lastly, the color of a purple clay teapot will change slightly according to what kind of tea you brew. Watching the slow change of color is quite interesting.

If you are interested in the last two advantages of purple clay tea ware, just click over to my site to read more:

Given the apparent love affair most Chinese people have with tea, you shouldn’t be shocked to learn that certain people have also found a deep connection with their teapots and other teaware. And these may not be the kind of people you’re thinking of: everyone from emperors to artists, writers to laymen have found joy in a special kind of tea pot: those crafted out of Yixing purple clay.

Ancient poet Su Dongpo (1037 – 1101) and his original purple clay teapot

In the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279), the title of the most outstanding poet belongs to Su Dongpo (Also: Su Shi). If you wonder how many literary works he had created, listen up. Apart from the lost works, he still passed more than four thousand ancient poems and three thousand ancient separate works of prose on to contemporary Chinese. The artistic appeal of his work lies in its great imagination and enthusiasm. And what is more, he was a brilliant artist and calligrapher too.

What’s important for us is that Su was an avid collector of purple clay teapots, and he even invented his own special style of teapot. This kind of pot, named after the man, is quite large and has an overhanging handle much like that on a lantern.

Su would work day and night on his poetry and other work, so he would frequently rely on tea to keep him awake. He was irritated by the tiny pots of the day, which were much too small to hold a whole night’s worth of tea.

To solve this problem, Su decided to make a large teapot with his own hands. He purchased some local earthenware clay — Yixing purple clay, and got his plan under way. However, after a few months’ effort, not a single satisfactory pot showed up. It became a secret trouble to him.

One night, a boy attendant carrying a lantern came and asked Su to have a snack. All of a sudden, a good idea came to Su’s mind: Why not make a pot in the shape of this lantern?

The next day, Su bought more purple clay, and carried out his new plan eagerly. Before long, a lantern-like pot took shape. But another problem emerged: The pot was so large and smooth that no one could pick it up with one hand. He then crafted a huge clay handle, and attached it to both sides of the teapot. As the pot was fired and brought out of a kiln, the handle seemed just like a cross beam that was easy to grip.

From then on, Su often enjoyed tea carrying the ‘beam’ of his large purple clay teapot. He loved this pot as if it was his own son. To memorize this uniquely shaped teapot, a lot of potters have tried to imitate it. They named this kind of pot after the famous writer: Dongpo Cross Beam Pot.

Would you like to see what a Dongpo Cross Beam Pot looks like? Well, here’s a picture shot at the former dwelling of Su Shi named San Su Temple, in southern China’s Sichuan province.

One of China’s finest emperors loved purple clay, too

The Qianlong emperor of the Qing dynasty was one of the oldest emperors in history and ruled for one of the longest periods of time.

One of his secrets to healthiness was enjoying tea every day. Here’s one of his comments: “A king is not supposed to live without tea even just for one day.” It tells us how important enjoying tea was in his life. He used to travel to all parts of his country dressed as ordinary people, and he savored all kinds of Chinese tea.

To go with his fanaticism over tea, Qianlong was also serious about his teaware. He thought Yixing purple clay teapots were the finest in the world. Almost every time he had a cup of tea, he demanded that it be brewed from a purple clay teapot. He thought these teapots brought the best out of his tea.

Qianlong loved purple clay teapots so much, there are pots with his personal seals and calligraphy printed on them in museums across China. His appreciation for these pots spurred business in Yixing, as of course everyone wanted to copy the emperor. As a result, a huge number of pots were made and large strides in the development of Yixing teaware occurred under his rule.