This was one of those teaware purchases I didn’t think about, I just pulled the trigger as I knew these teapots would sell out fast.
Crimson Lotus Tea briefly sold Budget Jianshui Zitao teapots back in 2018. These teapots are “seconds” so the price was slashed due to the imperfections of the teapot. I talked to Crimson Lotus Tea afterwards, and there were issues like the spout wasn’t aligned and other blips. The kind of thing if you paid that $120 and spotted, you might make a fuss about.
I snagged the Matte black Bian Xishi style. In retrospect, I should have snagged another one, but I will likely buy many pots off Crimson Lotus Tea in the future anyway.
It is a sexy teapot. Sophisticated, minimalist, and goes with any tea table set up. The wide lid makes it perfect for shoving fat maocha and puer cake chunks into. This pot clocks in at 80ml with 4-5 second pour. The walls are on the thicker side and overall the teapot as some weight on it. What made me fall in love with the Jianshui Bian Xishi is that handle design – that upwards angle makes it really nice to hold. The teapot handle fits perfectly in my fingers and is a pleasure to pour. It is the little design details like that that makes for an awesome tea brewing experience.
The cons are the matte texture loves to show off those dried tea droplets. The matte also has that chalkboard feel to it. With the thick-walled design, you need to preheat the pot well before use otherwise you will have a sharp temperature drop when you go to brew your tea.
What about the imperfection causing this to be considered a “second”? Mine has some fingernail jabs inside.
I use my Jianshui Bian Xishi teapot for shou. It just seems fitting to have a jianshui high heat retention pot in black to do shou. It does shou very well and I’ve noticed some slight de-funking ability. I could have easily made it a black or sheng teapot too. Similar to my other jianshui pots that pour fast, you can probably throw whatever you want in but don’t oversteep any delicate teas.
Crimson Lotus Tea gets new Jianshui pots regularly – xishi, bian xhishi, shipiao, long dan/ egg shapes, in black, white, red/brown, but also in matte, polished, and designed. I am tempted by the polished jianshui as they look awesome in person.
The elephant in the room, and the question I’ve seen asked – Crimson Lotus Tea vs Bitterleaf Tea’s Jianshui pots? I have both, I’ve talked about one of my Bitterleaf Tea’s Jianshui teapots in the past. The quality is the same for both teapots, both vendors are great to deal with, just pick the one you like the look of more.
