The Yixing Tea Pot

 One of my favorite things to collect other than bonsai of course are other Japanese and Chinese items that truly only most collectors would appreciate and collect.

 I have always loved tea and of course I drink it a lot and although I drink mostly organic and or herbal teas as I do not like the caffeine in the teas most commonly found in the local grocery. I do however buy special teas found the world over and enjoy most all of them.

 As a collector I started collecting these special tea pots about two years ago and have several now in my own private collection and enjoy them on display because of some of the truly awesome styles and ornate carvings that they have on them.

 The Yixing Tea Pots originated from china and were made from the clay in the Yixing area in Eastern China in the province of Jiangsu and the clay is sometimes called purple clay and does come from Yixing China.

 These pots and the tea drinking practice from them dates clear back to the 15th century and truly tea drinking personally or as a ceremony can still be found today the world over.

 Although unless you have really deep pockets do not hope to find or buy an original Yixing of that time period any time soon. Although you can still purchase Yixing Tea Pots for your self because they can be found in many different locals all over the world and if you do your own research you will find them.

 I personally will not promote any special place to purchase them or find them here as that is not what I intended in this article, more over I did want to let you know that they are indeed a very nice collectible and that they are in point of fact more desirable for tea drinking than your normal or average tea pot simply because of there unique qualities and ability to absorb the flavors.

 Now what is special about these tea pots you might ask? Well its that being of this special absorbing  clay substance that allows these particular tea pots too absorb the flavor of the tea being consumed from that tea pot.

 It is very important that if you do purchase one for your self be sure only too use one type of tea per pot and never mix or brew any other type of  tea in that pot ever. This will allow that particular tea pot a chance to absorb only the flavor of the tea being used and eventually in time it will permanently do so. Then it will also become seasoned too that flavor and special aroma for the entire time you use it.

 It is said that if indeed you only brew one type of tea for that pot for many years eventually it will take on the flavor all on its own not even requiring that you use tea grounds or leaves any more to brew that tea. Simply add your hot water and let it steep until its ready brewed and then enjoy.

 Although I can not attest to this personally as I have not had any of my pots long enough or ever used them enough yet to have had this so called phenomenon happen. There are people that do swear by it though and say its absolutely possible given time.

 Another way to of course heighten the entire process in my opinion would be to submerge the entire tea pot in the special warm tea in a much larger container so as to cover the entire tea pot in the liquid and then just let it sit for several hours as the clay material from that region is very porous and will absorb naturally any of the flavor and aroma of the teas used.

 Makes sense given the nature of the tea pots made of Yixing clay. Pictured above are some Yixing Tea Pots and styles and this picture is from public domain and not mine. There are many pictures too be found on the internet and so enjoy looking around and perhaps you will find your own special pot and treasure.

 One of my favorite teas in these pots is Money Pod Picked Oolong very expensive tea too say the least given where and how it originated. The monkey picked Oolong tea got its name literary because it was picked by monkeys yes sounds phoney I know but trust me it did actually happen long ago.

 As the monks in areas of China planted the tea trees they never expected the tea trees to grow to such tall heights so as the tea trees continued to grow even taller the monks could no longer pick the most tender leaves and or even begin to reach them.

So guess what?

Well the monks actually trained monkeys to go to the top of the tea trees and pick the most desirable leaves for them and in turn the monks fed and cared for the monkeys so it was a win win for both involved. That then is how we arrived at the name Monkey Picked.

 Now I doubt that this particular practice is still being carried out today by monkeys however we still do have a tea called Monkey Pod Picked Oolong. This is a very fine tea and if you ever get the chance when out and about then try some but this special tea is not to be confused with all the other Oolong teas available. There are cheep Oolongs and there are expensive ones so buyer beware of what your purchasing.

Here are some of my most recent Yixing tea pots purchased. Never mind part of my kitchen stove in the background but anyway this gives you some idea of whats out there to collect and enjoy if you have the desire too.

 Please also bear in mind because of the nature of these special pots never use them in a Microwave oven and do not wash them out with any soap as this will truly destroy the flavor absorbed and ruin the pot for any further use and if by chance you use a tea bag in the place of natural leaves and or products then be sure to remove your tea bag from the pot as soon as it has steeped never leave tea leaves or bags in the pots after use as it will cause mold and also ruin the pot simply let it dry out naturally and then replace the lid and wait till the next use.

 The best natural way to brew special teas for these pots is to heat your water to the desired temperature for steeping the tea and use a glass container of some sort to heat the water in and if you can stay away from your city's tap water by all means use a bottled water for better taste and purity.

 In time when your brewing special teas you will learn that some will need to be hotter than others while some if you get them too hot it will also destroy the flavor and make the tea bitter and not very good tasting at all and believe me it takes a little effort to make just the right pot and get just that right taste but in time you will get the hang of it. Then its all worth it on a cold winters night like tonight to sip a lovely tasting special imported tea as you sit back relax and enjoy your evening.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com

Cheif Joseph Pine:

 I decided to purchase an early Christmas present for my self as I do most years. Being alone of course affords me not only the pleasure of doing that, but also gives me more to spend on myself as I have no one else to worry about shopping for.

 The Chief Joesph Pine is a well balanced choice for a small nice compact looking bonsai, this two needle pines habit is naturally tight and of course is always a desired look in bonsai especially for conifers.

 This trees very tight and compact growth can give surprising results fairly fast as a bonsai. Of course with most all pines in order to obtain that desired shorter needle it will take a few seasons of work before it happens.

 Only time and many seasons of needle plucking pinching of the candles and shaping by wiring of the branches will get you your eventual desired affect and look but in time and with a lot of diligence it will and can be achieved.

  It is a two needle growth habit pine and in most cases but not all will grow fairly slow as it only has around a two inch growth spurt each year and will not reach more than usually six to eight foot over all in total height even planted and left too grow in the ground in the garden.

 Bonsai of course allows us to keep the tree small and in the confines of a pot and also allows us to shape it clip it and wire it to the desired creation that pleases us as a bonsai. The Chief Joseph Pine is all ready a dwarf conifer and so in my opinion makes a wonderful choice for a bonsai materiel as it truly is the case for most all dwarf trees and shrubs.

 The typical growth habit for this dwarf tree is green needles in early spring and then turning a golden and or bright yellow in the fall and this most often can be accomplished by giving the tree an ample amount of full sun during the growing season. This in turn will promote the lovely color of bright yellow with hints of orange in the needles of the tree for the fall or winter months and in turn makes this tree a very nice bonsai or even in the ground garden tree to look at and admire in the fall time of the year.

 I have wanted one of these trees for some time however they are hard to come by in my area and most often when you do find an ample supply of them then expect to pay a pretty good price for your plant as they are not at all cheap. The reasons I can give for this are that most often this plant is a grafted tree on too another trunk to make it stronger and that in its self takes time and work and then the color is of course another determining big factor. But most often even the smaller ones that would be suitable for beginning bonsai are in the fifty to sixty dollar price range in a one gallon size pot.

 I have not personally seen any in a smaller size than one gallon but I'm sure they do exist and someone out there is growing them for market some where so do your research and you will find a source as I did.

 Pests for this tree are none known by me personally but there are probably some out there so the key of course as with all plants and especially bonsai is too keep a sharp eye and be very vigilante. If you do decide to create and grow one of these pines as a bonsai first look for a nice healthy tree with some nice placement of limbs for shaping and then a suitable pot for your creation, in this case the pot should be a mat finish pot as in this case the tree I chose is a conifer and that most always is the rule of choice for bonsai conifers, a mat finish pot and deciduous and flowering trees or shrubs should have a glazed pot.

 Of course others are are acceptable but they should at least be in one of the bonsai styles and sizes and not just any old ordinary garden pot.

 Rules of course can be broken but then again most people will at times break the rules as a matter of ease for them selves personally rather than by choice. Say for instance you may not always be able to find the pot of choice so you compromise but its not that big of a deal unless your a stickler for the rules like I personally would be, or unless you were offering the bonsai up for show or sale then it should always follow the rules and be placed in the proper medium and pot before you do show it or sell it, once again only my personal opinion.

 But then again any Master would simply chuckle to himself and or at you either to your face or if not to your face certainly behind closed doors if he or she were to see you planting a bonsai in a nicely finished pot before its time.

 But then again a true Master would tell you the reason for this and explain to you why. However I do not consider myself a Master so again only my advise or opinions are given here, but I personally will always break that one rule and plant my bonsai in a nice pot right away. But then again do not miss understand a working bonsai from say a starter or just a newly started plant most of my personal plants that I have been creating and working on are well over the twenty year mark by now and although some are younger most are that age and even older and deserve a nice pot.

 Pots can always be changed later if indeed they need to be or if you so desire, a different pot can be chosen most any time and you can never have enough pots on hand anyway so if you can afford it then what does it matter? What's all this hype over when the bonsai should be planted in a nice pot anyway?  I simply believe that its my choice to make as to when I give it a nice pot and mine alone to make that decision.

 In my personal collection I have the belief that if I'm going too have this tree in my collection and I'm going to tend it work with it and create it into my desired affect and have in on display in my garden then it deserves a nice pot to add to its overall artistic value and look, end of pot discussion for me personally.


 But then again there are a lot of people that simply will not or have not spent money on pots for there plants until such time as they think that its truly a real show stopper or in the case of the bonsai being in the class of a Master tree or a Specimen plant that is truly deserving of a fine pot.. Pots are not cheap especially the nicer ones for bonsai and it becomes at least for me in my area harder and harder every year to find them.

 Reasons of course are that the best pots are most often imported from abroad and in most all cases the buyer is forced to by an entire container load at a time in order to get any kind of a price break.

 This in turn will also affect the prices you pay and or the amount you may find on the market at any given time in local nursery's and so depending on where you live in the country it can be and often times is a long search and can be daunting one indeed to find nice bonsai pots.

 I have often thought to myself that many years ago I should have also learned and created pottery only for the sole sake and specific reason of making my own bonsai pots... So if your a person that doses have a potters wheel and can throw bonsai pots and perhaps you also have your own kiln and can also burn the glazed pots or perhaps you know someone that does then have them contact me.

 This tree was ready for planting as a bonsai with really very little work on my part other than like I said selecting the proper pot and then positioning it in that pot and wiring it to the pot and wiring the tree its self after it was planted to begin the initial shape and styling.

 This tree is rather young even at around eight years in age and will take a lot of time in shaping and styling too create it into a nice deserving bonsai but in time it will truly be a nice addition to my collection.

Thanks, for reading,
By: Harold Yearout ©Copyright 2013 Harold Yearout All Rights Reserved for more information feel free to contact me: h.yearout@gmail.com