1. When purchasing a new pot, the shape and appearance of the pot should be beautiful. As long as you feel comfortable and satisfied with it, it represents your personal sense of beauty. After all, the pot is for your own use, and it doesn’t have to be easy-going and popular. 2. For the texture of the pot, the fetal bones should be strong and the color should be moist. When choosing a new pot, you can first gently open the pot lid. The one with a sonorous and gentle sound and a pleasant sound is better. 3. Pay attention to the smell in the pot. Generally, new pots may have a slightly earthy smell, but they are optional. If it smells like burning, oil or artificial coloring, it is not advisable. 4. The precision of the pot, that is, the tightness of the lid and the body, must be good, otherwise the tea aroma will easily disperse and the flavor will not be retained. The measurement method is to pour water into the pot, press the air hole or spout with your hand, and then tilt the pot. If no drops come out or the lid does not fall, it means high precision. 5. The water discharge effect of the pot is most related to the "flow" design. It is better to pour the pot into water so that no dripping water remains in the pot. 6. The force point of the pot handle should be close to the center of gravity of the pot body when it receives water. Pour water into the pot for about three-quarters, and then slowly pour the pot into the water. It will be better if you are comfortable with it, and vice versa. 7. The characteristics of the pot and the characteristics of the tea should be matched for better applicability. Purple teapots are suitable for tea, generally those with a higher frequency of the teapot are suitable for steeping tea with a strong aroma, such as clear tea; those with a slightly lower frequency of the teapot are suitable for brewing with a tea with a strong flavor, such as oolong and Tieguanyin. Purchasing a purple clay teapot Source: Chaoshan Food A good purple clay teapot should be highly recognized in terms of practicality, craftsmanship and appreciation. Pot art enthusiasts may wish to consider these three key points when purchasing a purple clay pot. ⒈Practicality: Purple clay teapots are used for making tea. Therefore, you may wish to consider its practical functions when purchasing. Excellent practical functions refer to its appropriate size and capacity, the handle of the pot that is easy to carry, and the spout that releases water smoothly, making it easy to drink and make tea. Therefore, when purchasing a purple clay teapot, you should consider the capacity of the teapot, the smooth flow of water from the spout, the comfort of the handle, etc. based on your personal tea drinking habits. Yixing purple clay teapot has long been praised as an ideal tea injector. The excellent practical functions of purple clay teapots have been recorded in the documents of the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, people believed that the reason why teapots "replaced silver tin and Fujian and Henan porcelain in favor of pottery" was because purple clay teapots can produce the color, aroma and taste of tea, and they do not take away the fragrance and cook the soup. There is also a certain truth to the saying that "the more you stay, the more food will go rancid". The reason why the purple clay pot has the above practical functions is mainly determined by the characteristics of the purple clay material. The purple clay teapot is a porous material with a double pore structure. The pores are very dense and have strong adsorption force. It can absorb the aroma of tea and keep it for a long time. However, glazed ceramic teapots lack this function. Compared with glazed ceramic teapots, the tea soup in purple clay teapots is indeed less likely to go rancid. This function is determined by the precise and reasonable shape of the teapot itself. The mouth of the purple clay teapot is small (the mouth outlet is at a certain oblique angle). The spout and lid fit closely, with a displacement tolerance of 0.5mm, and the lid form is a gland structure. As for glazed teapots, most of the spouts face upward, the displacement tolerance between the mouth and the lid is about 1.5mm, and the lids are all inlaid structure. Due to the high precision of making purple clay teapots, there are fewer channels for air mixed with molds such as Aspergillus aflatoxin to flow into the teapot than glazed porcelain teapots. Therefore, the time for the tea juice to deteriorate and become rancid is relatively extended. Purple clay is indeed a unique raw material in Yixing. It has the necessary chemical and mineral composition for pottery making. From microscopic observation, it is found that the main minerals of purple mud are quartz, clay, mica and hematite. At the same time, the particle composition of these minerals (the size of naturally formed particles) and the moderate mineral composition of purple mud have characteristics similar to the raw materials for porcelain making in southern China, that is, its mineral composition belongs to clay. The reasonable chemical, mineral, and particle composition gives purple clay excellent process properties such as good plasticity, high green strength, and small drying shrinkage. The fineness of crushing purple mud is appropriate to pass through a 60-mesh sieve. If the clay is too coarse, it will take a lot of work to make; if the clay is too fine, it will stick to your hands, causing wrinkles on the surface of the body. It will also cause drying, increase the firing shrinkage, and lower the firing temperature, resulting in bubble defects. The large particles of the clay material that has passed through a 60-mesh sieve are still coarse. During the molding process, the key process of finishing is used to polish the entire shape of the vessel to form a dense skin layer. Due to the existence of the skin layer, the temperature range for product firing is expanded. Regardless of the upper or lower limit of the normal firing temperature, the skin layer is easy to sinter, while pores can still form on the inner wall of the pot body. Therefore, the finishing process during molding has the function of organically linking clay, molding, and firing, giving the purple sand a smooth surface, which is glossy even though it is not glazed, and has a certain porosity but is not leakage and other characteristics. After the purple clay is fired at 1150°C, phases such as residual quartz, mica debris, mullite, hematite, and double pores are formed. The double pores enable the product to have a high pore density and a certain porosity. In addition, the purple clay sample has more crystalline phase and less glassy phase. All these characteristics contribute to the good practical functions of the purple clay teapot. Purple clay is a kind of purple-red or light purple pottery clay with a high content of iron oxide. Since the body of the purple clay pot is not glazed, it still has a high water absorption and porosity after firing. It has been measured that the water absorption rate of purple clay teapots is between 1.6% and 7.05%. Therefore, the finished product has good gas adsorption performance and breathability, and can be used to make tea with good color, aroma and taste. Other practical features include the advantages of not burning and not easy to burst. Since the purple clay pot transfers heat slowly, even if you use boiling water to make tea, it will not be hot.

At the same time, it can also be placed on a slow fire to make tea, which will prevent it from burning. To sum up, the purple clay teapot can not only maintain the color, aroma and taste of the tea soup, but also prevent the tea soup from deterioration and rancidity, and has many good functions such as good resistance to cold and heat rapid degeneration. It is indeed beyond the reach of other ceramic teapots. ⒉The craftsmanship of purple clay teapots The craftsmanship of purple clay teapots refers to the technical level of production and is also the criterion for judging the quality of teapot craftsmanship. In addition to the flow, handle, button, lid, shoulders, belly, and ring foot of a good purple clay pot, the overall proportion of the pot should be coordinated with the pot body, and the transitions and turns of points, lines, and surfaces should be clearly and smoothly explained. It is still necessary to examine the level of his four aspects of "clay, shape, style and function". "Mud": The uniqueness of the purple clay teapot lies in the superiority of its raw material, purple clay clay. Therefore, the first thing to judge the quality of a purple clay teapot lies in the quality of the clay used. Although the change in mud color only brings visual differences to people, it has nothing to do with its function. But as far as the usage habits are concerned, the purple clay teapot can be touched continuously by making tea and drinking tea. Through the comfortable feel, it can achieve the effect of pleasing the soul. Good purple sand clay has the remarkable characteristics of "not bright in color and not greasy in texture". Therefore, when purchasing a purple clay teapot, you should consider the pros and cons of purple clay clay. "Shape": It is the image of the pot, that is, its shape. The shapes of purple clay teapots are varied, and they contain a rich variety of perfect shapes, bringing together the creative wisdom and hard work of artists of all generations. They are known as "the square shape is not the same, and the round shape is not the same". As for which shape and style of pot is better to choose, it is difficult to decide because of the different psychological needs of each person. However, because the purple clay teapot is part of the entire tea culture, the artistic conception it pursues should be the artistic conception pursued by the tea ceremony of "purifying the hustle and bustle, being indifferent and clear-minded, and transcending the worldly world". "Ancient simplicity and elegance" is most harmonious with the artistic conception of tea ceremony culture, so the shape of the purple clay teapot should be considered to be one that can express the "archaic" atmosphere. "Style": The style of the pot. The signature of a purple clay teapot has always been very particular. It is different from the self-stamp stamp format of ordinary works. Because the charm and style of pot art and the art of calligraphy and painting are transmitted at the same time, the seals used are often from the hands of a generation of famous inscriptions and seal carvers. There are two meanings in appreciating the inscription of a purple clay teapot: one is to identify the author of the teapot; the other is to appreciate the engraved poems, calligraphy, paintings and seals (inscriptions on gold and stone). The decorative art of purple clay pots combines the artistic characteristics of traditional Chinese art "poetry, calligraphy, painting and sealing". Therefore, appreciating a purple clay pot not only pays attention to the clay materials, shape and production techniques, but also includes literature, calligraphy, painting, epigraphy and many other aspects, bringing more beautiful enjoyment to every pot art lover. "Gong": refers to the functional beauty of pot art, which is different from the practical function. Over the years, the mainland market has been gradually opening up, and Taiwanese businessmen have been heavily involved in the purple clay market. As a result, the clay pot market has been booming, and new clay pot products have been launched frequently. It's just that the innovative works of Zisha artists only focus on the formal beauty of the shape, but ignore the beauty of function. For example, some artists do not drink tea themselves, so they know little about tea drinking habits. This situation directly affects the function of the clay pot. I believe that during the use of making tea and drinking tea, some clay pots have already appeared to be "good but not beautiful". "Major deficiencies in "Chinese use". The functional beauty of the purple clay teapot is mainly reflected in four aspects: moderate capacity, appropriate height, tight lid and smooth water discharge. According to current family tea-drinking habits, generally two to five people gather to drink, and the best capacity is 30 to 50 ml. It only takes a lift of hands whether it is held in hand or carried, so it is called a "one-hand teapot". ⒊Appreciation of purple clay teapots Purple clay art is a form of artistic creation that "comes from life and is higher than life". A good purple clay pot not only pays attention to the perfection of form and exquisite production skills, but also examines the appropriate pattern, decorative materials and production techniques. Besides, pot art itself is about emotion. Therefore, a more perfect work must be able to express the language of art. It should not only be easy to use, but also be able to cultivate temperament, enlighten the soul, and give people a certain artistic feeling that spontaneously arises. As the late Zisha master Gu Jingzhou said, "In short, art must be decisive, simple, and straightforward, and must express what one feels personally, so as to achieve both form, spirit, spirit, and attitude. Only then can the work be vivid and expressive. It has a strong artistic appeal. Some tips to see if it is a good pot: 1. In summer, soak the tea leaves in a new pot for two days to improve the quality of the clay. 2. Determine the quality of the production process (whether it is good or not). The top-grade teapots are hand-made, so there are obvious marks on the joints between the spout, handle and body, which can be distinguished by the naked eye. , if you press the air hole on the top of the pot lid with one finger, it will be difficult for the water to flow out when the pot is tilted deeply.

3 From the appearance point of view, the spout, spout, and handle should all be in the "three points and one line", with the same height and level