I like young raw puer in unglazed clay. Specifically, I like it in jianshui clay because it brings out the sweetness. But ever more special to me is this european clay from teaware made by Jiri Lang.
I actually broke my pot recently, but I had a shibo from the same clay laying around so now I use that. The downside of this shibo is that it is very easy to burn your fingers on it. Here’s a picture.
Here’s another picture:
So what does it do to the tea that gaiwans don’t, or for that matter, yixing? Well, look at the inside clay. How does it look to you? Now how do you think it would affect the taste and texture and feeling of the tea? It makes the puer rocky, not by applying a rock taste, but by filtering the taste of the tea through microscopic pores in the clay to its own unique effect. I get a lot of throatiness from tea made in this shibo. But furthermore, it gives the session a different feeling emotionally. I like young raw puerh because there’s something tough and natural about drinking it; it’s strong stuff. My jianshui pot is very fun and cute, but this one is something else, almost reducing sweetness to bring out other subtleties.
With a gaiwan, you get the pure taste of the tea, but you miss out on this dimension.
Happy New Year!
Tea Secrets 