Poetry can become an obsession, as can martial arts, describing someone who is so fond of a hobby that they are in a state of infatuation, behaving quite differently from normal people. In the world of purple Clay Teapots, there are also such people!
Symptom One: Using Tools to Play with the Teapot
01. Using a magnifying glass (to check for scratches or sand popping out)
02. Using a compass (to check if the spout or lid is perfectly round)
03. Or a ruler (to check the alignment of three points)
04. Or a timer (to check how many seconds it takes to pour out all the water)
05. Or a measuring Cup (for example, the certificate might say 200cc, but the actual measurement might be 190cc or 215cc) and other tools to measure the accuracy of the teapot. Is this a bit obsessive?
While most people wouldn't do this, there are certainly some so-called teapot experts who have these habits. Making teapots isn't easy, so we suggest that those with this habit be cautious when buying teapots. Handmade items are not machines and cannot be perfect; perhaps handmade teapots are not suitable for you.
Using a 100x magnifying glass
Symptom Two: Stopping the Flow and Playing Upside Down
Some so-called experts on Baidu and forums judge the air-tightness of a teapot by the following standards: pressing the knob stops the flow of water immediately, then covering the spout and turning the teapot upside down means the lid won't fall off.
Playing upside down with any teapot – nowadays, online sellers of teapots are starting to use “playing upside down” as a selling point. All I want to tell teapot enthusiasts is that playing upside down works for some teapots but does not guarantee that any type of teapot can do it. Does a teapot that can play upside down mean it's a good one? You can think about it.
Symptom Three: Permeability Issues
The internet is full of misinformation, and some so-called experts on forums judge the permeability by the following standard: Pouring out the cold water in the teapot, covering the lid, and letting it dry naturally. If it dries within xx minutes, the permeability is good; the longer it takes to dry, the worse the permeability. This is actually incorrect. For more detailed information, please click to read “Is Poor Water Absorption a Problem with the Clay Material?”
Symptom Four: Lid Wobbling Issues
Many enthusiasts require that “the lid doesn't budge when force is applied left or right, but slides smoothly when turned,” believing that the tighter the lid, the better the craftsmanship of the teapot.
My viewpoint: Slight wobbling is not a quality issue and should not be simply attributed to the potter's skill level. Otherwise, it would be unfair to the artisans' hard work. Only significant wobbling that affects the air-tightness of the teapot may be considered a quality issue.
Almost every beginner will assume that a lid that doesn't budge indicates exceptional skill from the artisan, but this isn't necessarily true. Even if your raw clay shape is made perfectly, the effect after firing may not be the same. Besides the issue of whether the lid wobbles, there are two common issues regarding the lid, which I will address here for certain enthusiasts' peculiar preferences.
Peculiar Preference 1: Judging the Quality Based on the Sound of Lid Wobbling
Some enthusiasts judge the degree of lid wobbling by the sound, which is nonsense. Because even with slight wobbling, if your ears are fine, you can hear the sound. The difference is that people with more acute hearing will perceive a louder sound, while those with less acute hearing will perceive a softer sound.
Peculiar Preference 2: Whether the Lid Falls Off When Pouring Without Supporting It
Previously, a teapot enthusiast mentioned: I bought a teapot, and the spout and lid were poorly made. The reason is simple; when I poured tea without holding the lid, it fell off.
Using whether the lid falls off when tilted during pouring to test the seal? This teapot enthusiast view is ridiculous. Let me ask you: what force keeps the lid from falling off when pouring? Is it supported by the pressure difference between the inside and outside?
If you don't support the lid when pouring, most of the lids on your teapots will likely be damaged.
Symptom Five: The Myth of Tapping Sounds of Purple Clay Teapots
Whenever I hear experienced players' tips about selecting teapots based on sound, here are some personal thoughts:
1. The higher the mesh number of the clay, the crisper the sound when tapped; the lower the mesh number, the duller the sound. This is because when the mesh number is high, the clay particles are finer, and the body is denser, producing a crisper sound when tapped, like porcelain. On the other hand, teapots made from clay with a low mesh number have relatively less dense bodies, meaning they are more permeable, and produce a muffled sound when tapped.
2. Different shapes and sizes of teapots produce different sounds. Different shapes result in different internal resonances when tapped, leading to different sounds heard. Different sizes also lead to differences due to different resonance radii.
3. The thickness of the teapot body produces slightly different sounds when tapped. A thicker body produces a slightly deeper sound, while a thinner body produces a crisper sound.
4. Can tapping a teapot help detect hidden cracks? In reality, if you can detect hidden cracks by tapping and listening, it means the crack is severe. If it's just a minor hidden crack, you won't be able to hear it, even for experienced craftsmen.
Warning to teapot enthusiasts: Please do not tap on purple clay teapots casually. You might accidentally break someone else's teapot.
Symptom Six: Water Flow Issues
Many people tell sellers when buying a teapot: “Pick one with good water flow.” The seller is often baffled. According to the standards compiled by netizens, good water flow not only requires force but also a standard cylindrical line, and the thickness must be considered; the time it takes to pour out a pot of water; whether the flow is straight; whether water remains inside after pouring; whether the lid leaks; whether there is backflow from the spout… Just based on these requirements for water flow, I'm already dizzy, let alone the hundreds of other unrelated requirements.
In my opinion: I only care if the water flows smoothly, not like an old man urinating. Other requirements, such as the speed of the flow, whether it's cylindrical, the thickness of the flow, etc., I don't really care about. Most of the time, I treat them according to the actual shape of the teapot.
Symptom Seven: Coarseness of Clay Issues
Many beginners believe that “coarse clay, which looks obvious,” is good and use it as a criterion for judging the quality of