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Ru Yao Celadon "Miniature Li Xing" Teapot | Yunnan Sourcing Tea Shop

Ru Yao Celadon "Miniature Li Xing" Teapot

by Yunnan Sourcing Tea Shop
$12.75 - $12.75
$12.75
$12.75 - $12.75
$12.75

Ru Yao Kiln celadon wares originate from Henan province. The technique was perfected in the Song Dynasty. The glaze used is unique and contains some small amounts of iron giving the fired glaze a luminescent look to it. Small veins exist after the firing process and with seasoning the veins will grow more prominent and will take on a golden brown color. Ru Yao wares should be cleaned with tea water or spring water and will develop a luster with repeated use.

Volume 60ml (+/-10ml)

History of Ru Yao Celadon Ware

Ru Yao (Ru ware) comes from the kilns around Ruzhou in today’s Henan and rose to fame in the Northern Song (11th–12th century). It was one of the “Five Great Kilns” prized at court. Classic pieces were small, simple forms made of fine stoneware and covered in a soft celadon glaze described in old texts as “the sky after rain.” Production was brief and imperial demand was high, which is why original Ru ware is now museum-level rare.

What makes Ru Yao special is the glaze. It’s a potassium–calcium celadon enriched with a little iron and fired in reduction at very high temperature. At peak heat the glaze becomes glass-smooth; as it cools, tiny bubbles and micro-crackle (开片) form, giving the surface its luminous depth and the famously soft, “baby-skin” feel. Modern Ru-style celadon is made in several studios (not just Henan) using the same principles: pale jade to moon-white color, fine crackle that slowly takes on tea color, and an understated form that lets the glaze do the talking.

Overall rating: 4.125 / 5 from 8 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

Summary topics

Review topics: ["lid","pot","teapot","tea","glaze","device","spout","issues"].

Review highlights

Reviews

Perfect for single person wanting gongfu brew style to themselves

"Spout words fine for my tea cakes and bigger whole leaf teas, glaze is great, lid could be better I get leakage if I'm not super careful ."

— Kari B. (5/5)

I got the whole set,

"I got the whole set, every shape, of these tiny teapots. They're the most novel, not to mention adorable, part of my teapot collection. I sometimes use them if I don't want to over drink tea. I would steap for only 15 seconds on average for most teas since these pots are so small."

— Alexandre H. (5/5)

Not My Best Buy

"I was so excited about this pot, but when I received it I was disappointed from the very first use. The spout design draws the tea straight in, and so it becomes clogged very quickly, and refuses to pour. Messy and inconvenient, it only spoiled my tea sessions - so it's nothing more than a pretty ornament now."

— Gemma (2/5)

Awesome and convenient pot!

"Beautiful pot perfect for solo sessions! Really gives the tea nice rounded feel! Pour is good as long as you use whole leaf tea!"

— Ning W. (5/5)

Beautiful but not very functional

"This teapot looks even better IRL than in the photos, but unfortunately I did not find it very practical to use. The lid is pretty loose so you easily get liquid spilling from the lid, and the lack of a filter means the spout gets blocked pretty easily. Can't complain about the price though."

— Pithpossum (3/5)

Great for a short sessions or quick assessments!

"This teapot is petite even by gong fu standards, but it's great for short sessions, or a quick assessment of a tea. There is no filter on the interior of the spout, so I have found that whole tea leaves which have been rolled into spindles, rather than balls or snails, come straight through the spout, rather than remaining in the pot, and I'm sure that would also be an issue with tea which is not whole leaf, which is why I took one star off. It is also absolutely adorable, and I will probably get another in a different style with a lower spout attachment. The celedon glaze is lovely!"

— Beth A. (4/5)

Nice little teapot

"For $10 this is a steal. I didn't have problems with the pour as I use whole leaf tea in it. It's not as fast pouring as my 200ml Shi Piao (which cost $140), but I'm no complaining as it's a great way to do a solo session and have the tea come out really nice. Ru Yao glazing works well for brewing sheng pu!"

— Jessie D. (5/5)

Beautiful, but not the most practical brewing device.

"This is a beautiful little pot. The glaze is gorgeous; nice crazing. It's just not the best brewing device. Mine is exactly 50ml, which is smaller than I would like. I was anticipating no less than 60ml, but that's not a huge issue. The issue is there's no built in filter, and it's not even just a single hole like you see on old yixing pots, but it's like a funnel that pulls in any small or broken leave in and instantly clogs. This can be averted by using only whole leaves (doesn't really work with compressed tea prone to breakage), and keeping a tea needle or something else thin and long nearby to remove the leaves from the "funnel" before each steep. The lid is also very loose, so there's a minor stream of tea that will leak while pouring if not very careful. The biggest redeeming factor of this pot is that there's something about the size and shape of the traps the aroma better than any gaiwan or teapot I've ever used. I've been using it with Yancha and Dancong, and the aroma in the lid is intoxicating. In conclusion, it's not the worst pot ever but has its issues. For $10 you can't complain with a beautiful (mostly) functional teapot that won't poison you to death."

— John G. (4/5)

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