Verdant Tea

This beautifully-small Yixing teapot from master potter Lai Xiaohong was hand-made and hand-finished in the traditional Zhou Pan form. It is all too rare these days to find teapots in the 100ml-150ml size since they are harder to make than larger pots, but it is so rewarding to use a pot like this and be able to steep through the same leaves over a dozen times with a single kettle of water and really see the flavor and aftertaste develop.

This beautifully-small Yixing teapot from master potter Lai Xiaohong was hand-made and hand-finished in the traditional Yuan Tiao form. It is all too rare these days to find teapots in the 100ml-150ml size since they are harder to make than larger pots, but it is so rewarding to use a pot like this and be able to steep through the same leaves over a dozen times with a single kettle of water and really see the flavor and aftertaste develop.

This beautifully-small Yixing teapot from master potter Lai Xiaohong was hand-made and hand-finished in the traditional Jing Xiang form. It is all too rare these days to find teapots in the 100ml-150ml size since they are harder to make than larger pots, but it is so rewarding to use a pot like this and be able to steep through the same leaves over a dozen times with a single kettle of water and really see the flavor and aftertaste develop.

This beautifully-small Yixing teapot from master potter Lai Xiaohong was hand-made and hand-finished in the traditional Han Xiang form. It is all too rare these days to find teapots in the 100ml-150ml size since they are harder to make than larger pots, but it is so rewarding to use a pot like this and be able to steep through the same leaves over a dozen times with a single kettle of water and really see the flavor and aftertaste develop.

While Lai Xiaohong often draws on classic forms, this piece feels uniquely modern with a clean, bold geometry whose balance speaks for itself. The sweeping faces of the pot show off the lovely Di Cao Qing clay that will become even deeper over a lifetime of use.

This is one of Lai Xiaohong's masterworks - the result of an incredible amount of planning and finishing to yield such fine detail. While our pictures capture the stunning organic feeling sculpted into the pot body, they cannot capture how incredibly thin and light Lai Xiahong made this pot. It feels like holding porcelain! Pieces like this one show off Lai Xiahong's skill and the beauty of the unique golden Duan Ni clay she uses. This incredible Huang Jin Duan Ni clay will continue to grow deeper with every use.

The long dan or Dragon's Egg is a graceful form that unites the pot lid and body in a perfect arc and shows off the clay at every angle of light. This lovely long dan benefits from Lai Xiaohong's  special mix of Zhu Ni and Zi Ni clay (called Yu Zi Ni), yielding a spectacularly mottled result that will grow even deeper over time.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built classic "Xi Shi" form shows off Lai Xiaohong’s traditional grounding and her modern fluid sensibility in her art. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong brings together fine clay and a modern, organic sensibility to traditional forms. This traditional Run Yi teapot is a perfect example of her hand crafted work. The uniquely mottled Yu Zi Ni clay will age beautifully with almost any kind of tea, gaining more depth and luster over years of brewing.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built "You Xiang" form features a carved bird perched on a lotus. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth and luster over a lifetime of use.

Award-winning artist Lai Xiaohong is famous for her hand-excavated and blended Di Cao Qing clay, a rich, dense and mottled clay that Lai Xiahong blends from minerals settled in her trough after months of careful aging. This meticulously hand-built "Xin Yuan" form features a delicate bird preches on a blossoming spring branch. The warm Di Cao Qing clay is ready to take on more depth, luster and contrast over a lifetime of use.

This gorgeous shi piao was hand built by Lai Xiaohong using a coarse zhu ni clay that grows deeper and more lustrous over a lifetime of use. The traditional shi piao form is one of our favorites for the simple but strong geometry of the triangle repeated in each element of the pot. The inscription reads 君子之交清茶淡水, which speaks to the elegance and refinement when pure clean tea comes together with pure clean water without any other trappings or adornment. The confident simplicity of this teapot fulfills the poetry of the inscription and inspires contemplation on the simple joy of tea ritual.