Lucky Dragon Cloud Yixing Teapot

This is a picture of my favorite Yixing Tea pot! It is called "Lucky Dragon Cloud" and was made by Mr. Qian Xing Cu, craft master, in conjection with Ms. Jiang Liang Xian, associate craft master. They were honored with the copper prize at the China Arts Great Masters Exhibition in 2002 for this stunning YiXing teapot design. Qian Xing Cu is a member of the China Jiangsu Industrial Arts Association.

I absolutely love it. At 14 oz, it is larger than your average Yixing. It fills a mug nicely. WHile the picture does it no justice at all, you can still see that it is beautiful and it gets more attractive with use. The craftsmanship is really evident on this pot. It has incredible detail. Each hair on the dragon's head and tail is clearly defined. The ball on the top rotates. It has a good sound, feels nice, and pours great. One of the problems you can get with a teapot that is not made by hand is that the lids often don't have a perfect fit. This lid is perfect, as evidenced by the flow from the spout stopping immediately and completely upon depressing my finger over the hole in the top of the lid.

It was not cheap, but totally worth it. For those who are unfamiliar with Yixing, here is a quick explanation of why it is so special. A Yixing teapot is made from a special type of clay (Zisha, or purple sand clay) found in a certain region in China. It naturally has a beautiful color and high iron content. The iron causes the pot to keep the water temperature fairly stable, making it very suitable for tea. What makes this clay extra special, though, is its porous nature. The inside (and often the outside) is left unglazed before firing. This preserves the pores, creating a surface that can be "seasoned" like stone bake ware. For this reason, it is recommended that you only brew one type of tea in that pot, so that with each use, the tea becomes more flavorful and aromatic. Theoretically, a pot that has been in use for a decade or two will no longer require the use of tea leaves at all. At that point, the pot will make fine tea with just hot water. This is the pot that Chinese tea masters consider to be the ideal implement for brewing their tea. There are many handmade Yixing wares produced by skilled craftsmen using traditional methods and superior clay, but demand has also led to inferior clay being used to mass produce teapots out of molds. The later are often nice looking pieces, but are of significantly diminished quality. Only handmade Yixings will be really collectible investment pieces and will make the best tea.

This Yixing is dedicated to Dragonwell green tea. Sometimes you see this called Lung Ching or Long Jing, depending on who is translating the Chinese characters. It is a beautiful Jade color and tastes full and round. It can be a little grassy, like most green teas, but is not overbearingly so. It has a unique nuttiness as well. All in all, a very mellow cup. It also happens to be one of the most popular teas in China, ensuring that I will be able to get my hands on enough of it over the years at a reasonable price to dedicate my favorite Yixing pot to it. Traditionally a gift for emperors and dignitaries, this wonderful tea pairs nicely with the pot.

Thoughts on Tea

Tea is one of those things that helps make sense of the world.

Tea takes time and there is a right way to do it. What is “right” for you may be similar to what works for many others, but is ultimately a personal choice.

Patience and care are rewarded with satisfaction. The process of doing things right can be a beautiful thing, even an art form.

If you are overly hasty, the experience is bland and watered down.

If you are careless or under-attentive, things end up getting bitter.

No matter what life throws your way, just approach it like tea. Take your time to think things out, to act and speak carefully and thoughtfully, and to live with a sense of inner peace. Then when you have done it correctly, you have earned the right to sit back and enjoy it.

Take two...

Well, my first blog attempt was a failure. In the time since my last blog I have lived 5 different places and encountered many life changing people/events. A brief recap of this, with more to follow when it lends itself to the topic of the day.

While awaiting the end of my non-compete agreement in Albany, NY, I had encounters with several girls. Some were horrible, some were good. I worked at Diamond 8 Billiards, where I tended bar, repaired cues, and manned the front counter. Good times. I was told that I was WAY overqualified for the job. I agreed, but told the owner that it would be more for amusement and a supplemental income than as a career. So that went really well. Lots of drunken karaoke.

I managed to do some projects that were based out of Washington, D.C. that took me out of the country.

I am now living in Franklin, TN. Being just outside Nashville is not what I envisioned for myself, but it was a good offer. Jack Barnett invited me to join him at American Bank Note Company. It is a large security printing company and also happens to own the world's largest plastic card manufacturer. I really like the work. My first big project was managing the production of the credentials for the Democratic National Convention. That project went really well. They invited me out to the convention in Denver.

I started living in the area between Brentwood and Antioch, TN. This was a less than desirable location, living with two losers in their late 30's. After a month, I moved to Franklin. I was living with Daniel(21) and Nick(19). They were OK, but not great to live with. I may not be much past that age, but those few years have made a huge difference in maturity and hygiene. Two and a half months later, Barbara, Daniel's mother told me that I had to leave. She got kicked out of her house by her husband of 5 months and had no money and nowhere to live. She moved in with us, which is against the lease that we had signed. Then I had two weeks to find a place to live. I moved in with my friends Jeremy and Jessica a few doors down for the month of July.

Barbara, known amongst my circle as CB, manages to destroy or discard $300 worth of my property during the process of me moving out. She gave me my security deposit back, but refuses to compensate me for any of the rest of my stuff. She also refuses to talk to me about it because she claims that she cannot have any stress in her life due to having had cancer. Typical CB BS. The chemotherapy got the cancer, so she doesn't have it anymore. Plus, she uses that as an excuse for EVERYTHING. "I can't provide you with a copy of the utility bills because I have cancer." Seriously? Whatever. She is one of those people who always has to be the victim and has come off as a worse person for dealing with her hardship. After seeing so many people face cancer head-on and become such better people, it is a shame to see someone like her who uses it as a crutch, an excuse, and as a trump card when she doesn't have a reasonable explanation for her horrible behavior. Needless to say, I am taking her to small claims court.

Now I live with my wonderful friend Melissa DeWitt! She totally rocks. We still live in Franklin. She went to culinary arts school, so she can relate to the foodie in me and help me take that appreciation to new levels. I am reciprocating by teaching her about tea! She is 6 months younger than me and we can really relate to each other. It is so surreal having a good roommate. I'm not going to complain about it though, I just plan to enjoy every minute of it!