This year we had the opportunity to fire a load of teaware in one of the new style Jianshui wood fired kilns. There is some real magic being done in the kilns of Jianshui. 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.

These really are gorgeous cups. These were fired in the same wood fired kiln as our other teaware from this trip.

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 65ml. They measure on average 6.5cm Wide x 4cm Tall.

Each cup comes with a padded tea cup bag.

Check out our video series from Jianshui: