One of a Kind Wood Fired Jianshui Clay Tea Cup :: Seattle Inventory

We made a goal this year to gain a better understanding on the processes for creating teaware. Jianshui is our favorite place for high quality modern gongfu teaware. Glen spent nearly a week in Jianshui this Spring. He spent many hours in the pottery studios there learning from the masters.

Our goal was to make as many teacups as we could and have them wood fired. This was an ambitious undertaking. Glen spent 2 full days from early morning until late at night working at the pottery wheel. After the cups were dried they were given their final shape. Once the shape of the cup was set Glen added his unique touch by scooping out small chunks of clay to create a unique and tactile texture. 

These cups feel incredible in the hand. You just want to keep holding them. They really are hard to set down. One added benefit of the texture on the cups is that they transfer very little heat into your fingers when drinking very hot tea. 

There is a sort of new school pottery scene growing in Jianshui. There is some real magic being done there. The kilns are managed in Jianshui by pottery masters from Fujian. They have really upped the game on what is possible to be produced in Jianshui!

Wood fired kilns in China use prepared pine wood. There are multiple firings where the kilns are manned 24/7 with 4 people. Temperatures are kept constant around 1270°C (~2300°F). It is a hot and labor intensive job. The fires must be managed precisely to avoid temperature spikes or drops. The risk is high and pieces often fail. Between firings the kiln is allowed to cool down entirely. The entire process for firing these cups takes nearly half a month. It was an incredibly expensive endeavor and the cost of these cups reflects that. 

During the wood firing process the pitch in the pine vaporizes into the smoke and settles on to the shelves above the tea cups. As the pitch gathers it drips on to the teacups creating the wiid fired pitch glaze you see on these cups. As the smoke and heat swirl through the kiln additional pitch is deposited on the sides as well. This wood fired pitch glaze balances and smooths the flavor of the tea. You can really tell the difference when drinking with these cups.

We really love Jianshui clay. It has a purity and soul that comes through the tea session. For these cups we used the rare Wanyao clay. With changing government regulations it has become difficult or impossible to mine for new clay under Wanyao village in Jianshui. Most Jianshui teaware now are made of a blend of clay from as far as 25km away. It's still good clay, but the purists prefer the old Wanyao clay. The clay in these cups was mined 20+ years ago, processed, and has been aging since then.

Jianshui clay is amazing to brew with. We believe the quality of the clay speaks for itself. 

These are single fired and unglazed. This is a true clay which lacks any sand. The natural minerals in the clay will enhance the flavor of your tea. Jianshui is in Yunnan, and the clay used in these teapots comes from the same mountains that grow puerh tea trees. We appreciate that connection. We blogged about this unique town here.

Since these are handmade products each are unique. There are slight variations to each. The pine wood smoke and pitch glaze create unique wood fired patterns. No two cups are the same. We will pick the perfect one for you!

These cups are a range of sizes. Most are in the range between 20 and 40ml. There are a handful of cups that are larger. 

How To Choose Your Cup

We really want you to get exactly the cup that you want. We are doing something a little bit differently this time. At the introductory price we will pick a cup for you that is close to the size in ml that you're looking for. Choose the size you want from the dropdown menu and we will hand pick a great cup for you. 

If you want a little more control in picking out your cup we're offering a personalized cup selection service. This is the first time we're trying this out and we'll see how it goes. For $10 extra we will do a video call with you and show you the cups we have and let you pick exactly the size and shape and texture you're hoping for.

Additionally we have selected a number of cups from the firing that really stood out above the rest. That's the magic of wood fired teaware. Some cups turn out extra special. These cups have a thicker pitch glaze. They have a greater dynamic range of colors and more texture from the wood firing. These cups will be sold for more but the price includes the personalized selection service if you wish.

Each cup comes with a padded tea cup bag.

Check out our video series from Jianshui: