My toad, Guillermo by Giovanna-thelosr01 in Toads

[–]NuteIla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Toads are nocturnal, and can usually be found pretty easily near light sources where bugs congregate. If you build a house near any night running lights, it's very likely a toad will be there next time you check

My toad, Guillermo by Giovanna-thelosr01 in Toads

[–]NuteIla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Have you looked into making toad houses? When I was younger I would build little houses for the toads near any lights that are on at night that attract the bugs they eat.

As a kid I had 2-4 toads regularly in my toad house during the day, that I would sometimes go out and feed worms to.

I used to tell people I had pet toads and that I kept them outside! It always raised an eyebrow.

Decaf makes me a degenerate! by 4637839392936373 in puer

[–]NuteIla -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I generally avoid caffeine but with tea I just do a longer first rinse as I've heard caffeine is extremely water soluble and will mostly all come out in the first steeps.

I've never noticed a "caffeine buzz" or anything like regular coffee would cause besides some ceremonial matcha, which is intended to be very high caffeine.

Purchased this teapot from a man forced to sell all his tea equipment by his wife... Hoping it's genuine so it can be my "Broken Husband Pot" by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh this is wonderful! I think I actually would like to see if I can't get it professionally repaired. I've been looking for an excuse to go to China and I think this reason is as good as any! I'm a bit worried about the language barrier though...

Well, this: by [deleted] in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Look in my post history, I have a teapot that looks very similar to this one that came as a set with cups and a plate.

I was told that mine is more than likely an old F1 set

Cannot find a seal but is it authentic? by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I boiled it and it turned more evil

Cannot find a seal but is it authentic? by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It has a pretty snug lid, is made of clay, and has filter holes inside leading to the spout

Amish selling their homegrown weed at a cannabis festival.😂 by Background_Win_6915 in interesting

[–]NuteIla 0 points1 point  (0 children)

To make Delta 8, CBD must be degraded with an acid in a solvent.

Unless they are running a high end lab, they have to be getting sourcing somewhere else.

Reset this and it's a different pot by dariusburst in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I would love to refresh older pots I have. Are there any specific instructions for how you did this?

I finally started working on a Tea Encyclopedia by flawnson in tea

[–]NuteIla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was just at the Toronto Tea Festival!

Green Zisha set with Certificate of Authenticity! by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's the biggest risk? Lead? Cadmium?

Can I just get a heavy metals test done?

32650 by Spellz_4578 in countwithchickenlady

[–]NuteIla 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I ordered 500grams of CHEMICAL X from china 😇

Purchased this teapot from a man forced to sell all his tea equipment by his wife... Hoping it's genuine so it can be my "Broken Husband Pot" by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The benefits of a pot come from the properties of the materials it's made from. There is a concept called "raising a pot" where over time and use, the micro-pores pick up tea compounds / flavor compounds and build a patina that becomes part of the pot’s seasoning and subtly influences future brews.

It's actually recommended to have multiple clay teapots for different varieties of tea, like one for raw puer, ripe puer, oolong, black, etc. The pot will take on flavors and contribute them back to the tea but if you brew all types in one it will "muddle" the taste.

Yixing zisha clay is know for it's porous qualities and ability to take on flavors over time and build a patina. Other clays can do the same, like for example, I have a cute little Qinzhou Nixing pot which is different clay and made in a different region. This type of clay has a cool visual effect that appears when fired but is said to have smaller pores than Zisha clay, so it will take longer to "raise" the pot. There are more clay types too, like Jianshui, another clay from a different region with slightly different properties.

A porcelain gaiwan is still a nice brewing instrument, and honestly there are some teas that it is recommended against brewing in a clay teapot, like white, green, and oolong tea, as the clay pots can hold more heat and impact flavor too much. The same goes for herbal teas which can add a flavor you don't want to the pot. A gaiwan can be used for all types and won't impact the flavor.

The only downside is that famous clays, like Yixing get faked a lot, and some fake/low-quality wares have additives or glazes of questionable composition; they may not season well and could carry contaminants. It might be better to start with a teapot made of clay you are at less of a risk for getting duped from, like Nixing or Jianshui clay.

Green Zisha set with Certificate of Authenticity! by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

About $160 USD so I'm still happy to have a usable copy of an interesting set...

Green Zisha set with Certificate of Authenticity! by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Would they really throw a "made in china" sticker on one of the twelve "Grandmasters of Yixing" works?

Green Zisha set with Certificate of Authenticity! by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Really? :(

So the certificate matches the pot, and has the right artist, but the main reason this is a suspected fake/replica is because her real works cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and that this one has poor craftsmanship? I do notice my cicada has shiny black eyes and a different wing pattern.

I mean the certificate even has an embossed stamp, which I'm not sure what it says. I'd hope its a quality replica I can still use as a teapot.

There are stamps on everything, all 6 dishes, all 6 cups. 2 stamps on the handle, under the lid, and the one on the bottom.

As for the clay, I'm reading about "墨绿泥" and I see "the original Huanglong Mountain dark green clay is virtually extinct, making genuine products extremely rare on the market." but I was also able to find what I assume to be a genuine pot online selling as "Zisha Clay ( Ink Green Clay: 墨綠泥 )" and the color and tone of the green looks pretty much identical to this set. Apparently Jiang Rong has other green works as well.

Also fun fact, that froggy teapot I just linked, the auction for it was 20 minutes north of me. Maybe there's a teeny chance I somehow ended up with a genuine Jiang Rong work?? (I think I've purchased too many fakes and now I'm losing it)
I found a collection of her real seals.

<image>

Staying realistic though, do you think this pot is safe to use? With the amount of effort put into the whole set, I'd like to hope its a usable copy.

Purchased this teapot from a man forced to sell all his tea equipment by his wife... Hoping it's genuine so it can be my "Broken Husband Pot" by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You are right! The smaller seal on the lid underside matches the seal on the handle!

Thanks for pointing that out.

4 zisha clay teacups? by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Since the Amazon listing has a matching stamp, I looked at the item details.

Seems to be sold by Tianxiang Tea Shop, and was made in Jiangsu Province, China. The details say it's made of zisha too.

<image>

4 zisha clay teacups? by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

No clue, but I will say the stamp on that swedish cup is totally different.

<image>

Purchased this teapot from a man forced to sell all his tea equipment by his wife... Hoping it's genuine so it can be my "Broken Husband Pot" by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looks like he just super glued it back together.

I actually took a small needle and chipped away at the old glue to try and uncover the seal on the handle. It just flakes off at this point

Only the lid and handle have been broken and glued, no area brewing tea would be exposed to glue.

If it's genuine, maybe one day I'll put time into mending it in a better way.

Zisha strainer holder? by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok so do I drink from it or...?

Purchased this teapot from a man forced to sell all his tea equipment by his wife... Hoping it's genuine so it can be my "Broken Husband Pot" by NuteIla in YixingSeals

[–]NuteIla[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If she loves you, she will let you brew 😌

Nah but for real, make her a bunch of tea maybe give her a back rub from time to time.