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What makes a good teapot?
A teapot is the instrument that shapes every cup you pour: its material decides how heat, aroma and texture reach the leaf. That is why this collection spans more than two hundred pots — from budget borosilicate glass under €15 and neat 200–250 ml porcelain to unglazed clay classics: Yixing zisha, Jianshui, Nixing and Japanese-style kyusu. One tool, many philosophies.
Which teapot material suits your tea?
| Material | Character | Best for | Care |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yixing zisha | Unglazed, porous "purple sand" clay that seasons with use | Oolong, puer, red tea | One tea family per pot; hot water only, never soap |
| Jianshui clay | Dense Yunnan clay, often burnished to a soft shine; holds heat well | Puer and other dark teas | Rinse hot, air-dry with the lid off |
| Nixing clay | Fine-grained Guangxi clay, quick to build a glow | Red tea, dark teas, puer | Same as zisha: tea and water, nothing else |
| Porcelain | Glazed and neutral, adds nothing | Any tea; greens and whites especially | Effortless — it never keeps a flavour |
| Borosilicate glass | Heatproof, neutral, shows the liquor and the dancing leaf | Everyday brewing, herbal blends, big-table service | Rinse or wash like any glassware |
| Kyusu | Side-handle pot with a fine built-in strainer, one-hand pour | Japanese greens: sencha, gyokuro | Empty promptly, dry open |
Why do tea people swear by Yixing teapots?
Yixing in Jiangsu province is the recognised centre of zisha clay ceramics — a town so devoted to the craft that it hosts its own teapot museum and is called the capital of tea ceramics. Zisha walls are unglazed and micro-porous: they absorb a trace of every session, and over months the pot mellows rough edges and deepens the teas it knows best. That is the whole point of the one-tea-per-pot rule — a seasoned pot becomes an instrument tuned to a single tea family.
What size teapot do you need?
For gongfu brewing choose small: 100–200 ml, matched with plenty of leaf and short, repeated infusions. The method itself — rinsing the pot or gaiwan with hot water, then steeping briefly and pouring everything off — took shape in Chaozhou centuries ago. For the desk or the family table, the glass side of the collection runs from 165 ml up to 1.5 litres, including press-button "Easy Gongfu" pots that drop the finished brew into a chamber below, so the leaf never oversteeps, and kettles with removable steel infusers.
How do you choose your first teapot?
Match the pot to the tea you actually drink most. A glass or porcelain pot is the safe universal start; an unglazed clay pot is a commitment — and a rewarding one — to your favourite oolong or puer. Handle them in person and explore them at the Moychay tea club — Rozengracht 92H, Amsterdam.
Facts and figures in this guide are based on “Geography of Chinese Tea” by Sergey Shevelev, founder of Moychay — written after visiting every tea-producing province of China.
