Yixing clay, Yixing wares, zisha（zi-sha, chi-shah）litterally means purple-sand, purple sandy-clay,
Yixing teawares are prized because their unglazed surfaces absorb traces of the beverage, creating a more complex flavour. For these reasons, yixing teawares should never be washed using detergents, but rather with water only, and connoisseurs recommend using each tea vessel for one kind of tea (white, green,oolong, black, or puer) or sometimes even one variety of tea only.
after you use the sandy teapot for a while, each time you use it your tea-leaves will taste even better richer in flavor than the glass or other glazed ceramic teapot or teacup, cited by the experienced tea(-dringking)-lover, somewhat similar to that of wine in oak barrel.
It is also a culture, a style, and a piece of crafted art by itself, unique, one of one only.
Zisha is a mixture of kaolin, quartz and mica, with a high content of iron oxide. It is mined principally at Huanglongshan and Zhaozhuangshan and has a somewhat sandy texture. The process of preparing the clay is lengthy and was traditionally regarded as a trade secret. Typical firing temperature is between 1100C - 1200C in an oxidizing atmosphere.
