Saturday, August 04, 2012

Another Thrift Store Treasure


This lovely little yixing-style teapot came home with the DH (dear hubby) from the thrift store. What a great surprise!  I soaked it in boiling-hot water a number of times and tested the pouring and the lid fit.  All checked out; it's a keeper!  And for <$5, I'm even more tickled with it. 

The pot has a stamp on the bottom and Chinese characters on the front, neither of which I can decipher.  It's perfect size for gong-fu brewing.  Since the unglazed clay is absorbent, I will dedicate this teapot to light, flowery oolongs.   The one I'm drinking here is a very light Ti Quan Yin.  The pretty little teacup is a souvenir from Xian, China, the teahouse on the grounds of the Terracotta Warriors.

Thank you DH for always being on the lookout for tea treasures!

The Ti Quan Yin hails from Harney & Sons.  I am ashamed to say this tea was two years old, yet both the aroma and flavor held up.  It has those typical high floral notes and bright flavor.  The little green balls expand leisurely and lend themselves to several round of steeping.  I tend to choose darker, more oxidized oolongs, but on a hot summer day (it's actually in the upper 90's today!), this was perfect.

10 comments:

Rosemary said...

What a treasure!! And that little handleless teacup is so very sweet!

Ginger said...

What a lovely find!

Linda Jennings said...

What a great bargain find!

La Tea Dah said...

A delightful little find! And one that will bring you much pleasure in the days ahead.

relevanttealeaf said...

Your hubby did great with his yixing-style teapot find!

amherstrose said...

I think the writing on the teapot said, "Take me home to Stephanie!"

I love your little tea party for one with your new teapot treasure and your China tea cup treasure.

Have a lovely day, dear Friend.

Mary Jane

Marilyn Miller said...

Lovely treasure! Also like your souvenir from China. Pretty little teacup. I think Ti Kuan Yin holds up better than some oolongs. I have some that are a year old and I am thinking I should be drinking them too.

Karen said...

What a fabulous little teapot! and even better for the price. ;)

Angela McRae said...

I have certainly *never* seen a yixing teapot in a thrift store! Score one for the DH!

The Tea Enthusiast's Scrapbook said...

Hi Steph,

What a great find! I love the shape. Your husband has a good "tea" eye. :)

Thanks for sharing.

Darlene