Pots and Tea

Friday, August 26, 2011

Pots under influence of tea -after firing

Few posts back, I have putted up here a picture of fresh, unfired teapot. I commented it as "I have been drinking too much Chinese tea lately...good for you my new, little baby" Now I would like to show you this teapot after firing. It is with me already few weeks but I didn't find a time to share some pictures with you. (Those weeks were filled with work - we were lecturing few workshops for people, who wanted to learn more about natural glazes and woodfiring. To teach them our experiences and share techniques we use was inspiring and we hope to continue in the future)

As you can see here, I have decided to fire this small pot in the first floor of the kiln, where we use the charcoal technique. And yes, I like footprint of plants on some of my pieces. After experimenting with several different herbs (from our neighborhood), the horsetail seems to be the best. And what is more, it has become very unpleasant weed on our garden, so to use it in wood kiln helps a bit to keep our garden clean.

At first, I was not quite sure what kind of glaze-surface I should use on this pot. Finally I have leaved the interior unglazed. On exterior you can see slip made of ash, kaolin and titanium dioxide…

After firing...

Time to time I decide to try new teapot with tea - to see how new pieces works. How particular clay, fire, glaze and shape combination works with leaves.

Here I went for 07 Da Hong Pao from Gingo. Five grams of this very nice treasure from Wuyi Mountains were enough to make my day deeper. This is DaHongPao as I like it- full bodied, roast is strong but not overwhelming.

Flowery-honey fragrances and strong aftertaste were with me from the very beginning. All is starting from first infusions and (if you are in the right mood) it can be pour and enjoyed like for ever…

The surface of the teapot reminds me one hundred years old relic, buried in the mud. But light and quite smooth interior tells the true – it is bright new pot with its life ahead of it.

Under the steam...

Thanks for reading...

Friday, July 29, 2011

Moving...

In one of my older posts I have already writen here about tea samples from ChawangShop. One of the samples I have enjoyed was 06 LiuAn basket tea. And 250g bamboo basket of this tea was also in the package which arrived to our place a couple of weeks ago. The fact that I have ordered whole basket bespeak about my impressions from the sample. But sometime it is very difficult for me to judge a tea from 5-10g sample. So I was really curious what is inside those bamboo leaves...I am going to share my finding about this tea in one of my later posts. For now, I just would like to show you the new "home" of the tea. And its moving there...

When I was about to break in to the basket I have found out one "complication". The leaves of bamboo are fragile and after few "openings" they are going to be too broken. Tea leaves are going to crumble around and I will have to put it in to a paper back anyway. So it will be probably much more practical to keep it in the stoneware jar which I hold for myself from the last firing.

The jar is unglazed inside. I hope it will have a good impact on the tea stored there. At least I think that the porous material can create affable microclimate for aging of the LiuAn.

Leaves of the LiuAn are not so pressed as pu- ehr cakes but still- I find the Pu-needle helpful also in this case.

I am not sure if in this case (the Anhui HeiCha- not Pu ehr tea) is the Nei Fei the proper name. But this piece of paper pressed inside of the tea was very nice finding indeed.

Traditionally the LiuAn is prepared with small piece of bamboo leave in the teapot. So I have putted several leaves from the original basket to the storage jar. It will be not only my supply of bamboo for entirety of my LiuAn teas. It will be also the right environment for those tea leaves themselves. I mean for aging-storing of the tea.

The jar itself has a decoration created by white slip (clay) on the rough body. During the top stage of the firing it was partly covered by charcoal- I like those marks and footprints, colors and irregularity which this process creates.

Thank you for reading

Sunday, July 24, 2011

New companion...

Jana Matiščiková is our friend , college who also belongs to our sect of woodfirers. She visited us couple of weeks ago with few boxes of new pots from her kiln. Among others, we find there several wonderful porcelain teacups. Very first celadon cup I have seen there really hit me and it was easy to decide- It is going to be mine!

I like to buy pots from colegues. It is interesting to see different approaches, and feel different materials, when I use those pieces. But every time when I buy tea ware, it is somehow special for me- it is going to be part of my private moments. It doesn't have to be perfect from potters or artistic point of view. It just has to feel right and makes my tea sessions happier. And this cup works very well.

To make this cup, Jana has used translucent porcelain and very clear celadon glaze. There are several point about this cup which everyone notice- the light raised decoration, simple and clear shape and (when you are holding it) its lightness. Walls are very thin, but they don't feel too fragile.

Usually when I have new cup which fits to my tea routine, I use it very often. I don’t know for how long I am going to be stock on this blue-green friend, but for now, I use it everyday…I wish to Jana many satisfied customers as I am now. Thank you again.