according to zhou gao-qi, author of "yang-xuan ming hu xi", an account of yixing teapots, early in the sixteenth century, the potters at yixing, a few miles up to yangtze from shanghai, became famous for teapots known to europeans by the portuguese name boccarro (large mouth).

the unique properties of the purple clay used in making yixing (pronounced ee-shing) teapot were discovered around one thousand years ago. the porous nature of the clay allows the pot to absorb the aroma of your tea over time and add to the quality of your brewing. while ideally each yixing teapot should be dedicated to one type of tea, if you do so, you will find the difference within a couple of months. however, in reality, cross-brewing is common.

traditional yixing teapots are much smaller than what most people outside of asia are accustomed to. the small size reflects the importance of serving small portions of tea each time so that the flavors can be concentrated much effectively.

while teapots from yixing may not be unusual, differences in purple clay material, arts, & crafts quality among good, average, or bad could be huge. prices could vary dramatically. at apotoftea.com, we strive to provide you the best with unique designs.

you can order yixing purple clay tea pot here exclusively custom-made for apotoftea.com. we provide our tea lovers custom made five style teapots for four different tea types: green tea, oolong tea, red tea, jesmine tea, and generic tea type, all with the apotoftea.com's teapot seal. they are listed above respectively.

you could have the choice of one tea pot, one tea pot with one tea cup, or one tea pot with multiple tea cups. tea cup is also custom made of purple clay and with inside surfaced by white porcelain.