Purple clay teapots are made from Purple Clay. Purple clay is also known as “five-color clay”, which means that the colors of the clay are black, green, purple, green and yellow. However, it is traditionally divided into Hong Ni, Zi Ni, Lv Ni, and Duan Ni, all of which are different in terms of their clay properties and colors.
Hong Ni clay
Hong Ni clay is broadly classified into five categories: Hong Pi Long, Da Hong Pao, Jiang Po Ni, Zhu Ni, and generic Hong Ni. Hong Pi Long originates from Huanglong Mountain and exhibits a dark red shade. Da Hong Pao sets itself apart by the inclusion of iron-red powder during refinement, thus ending with a vibrant big red hue after firing. Jiang Po Ni is notable for being harvested at the junction of Qinglong Mountain and Huanglong Mountain known as the descending slope project. Conversely, Zhu Ni starts off as yellow lumps that transform into a vermilion shade upon firing. Lastly, regular Hong Ni can either be big or small in size with both varieties presenting a dark red color post firing process.
Green clay
Next is the green clay, which is categorized into Benshan green clay, Sesame green clay and Ink green clay. Benshan green clay is the high-quality green clay from Huanglong Mountain, which is light yellow in color after firing. Sesame green clay, after firing the pot body contains black sand, so it is called sesame green clay. Dark green clay is dark green and beige after firing.
Purple clay
Finally, purple clay, purple clay is categorized into Tianqing clay, DiCaoQing, QingShui clay and ordinary purple clay. Tianqing clay is called the best clay among the clay materials, which is rarely seen nowadays. DiCaoQing is at the bottom of the clay layer of purple clay, and it has a purplish red color after firing. QingShui clay has mica fragments, with light green spots on the clay, and a dark green color after firing. Ordinary Purple Clay is generally made by adding a small amount of manganese oxide to Purple Clay.
Curious about which type of teapot is best suited for each variety of purple clay, and the most appropriate tea to pair with each purple clay teapot? Stay tuned for our next post!
