The reason why Yixing purple sand pot can be famous at home and abroad is that the core advantage is mud.
Yixing purple sand is unique, although similar clays exist in other regions, but they are fundamentally different from Yixing purple sand. For example, Qinzhou Xiaoxing pottery, Chaozhou zhu mud, Jianshui purple pottery, etc. are all clay, while Yixing purple sand was originally ore, which was ground into mud after weathering, and then refined, photographed into mud blocks for stale (probably similar to dough fermentation), and when making pots, they were taken out and beaten and plated, and they were inlaid into pots. Therefore, when we mention mud, we often emphasize "raw ore purple sand". The composition of purple sand is mainly quartz, mica, hematite and clay. These mineral particles form a group of agglomerates according to the unique structure, which not only has stomata itself, but also forms many stomata between the agglomerates and the agglomerates due to the volume contraction generated during the firing process. It is this double stomata structure that makes the purple sand pot have excellent breathability and adsorption, which can not only breathe and fragrance, but also retain water and keep warm. Coupled with the sophisticated production process that gives purple sand a high appreciation value, it has the reputation of "the first tea set in the world" and the admiration of people for hundreds of years.
Among the elements of evaluating a purple sand pot, mud is the most basic and an important yardstick for determining the quality of a purple sand pot. There are many kinds of purple sand mud materials, mainly divided into three categories: purple mud, red mud, green mud, these three categories are divided into many sub-categories, and now the commonly used varieties are briefly introduced.
1. Purple mud (including ordinary purple mud, clear cement, bottom trough clear, medium trough clear, purple eggplant mud, azure mud, etc.).
1. Ordinary purple clay.
Purple mud is a more common typical purple sand mud, which is one of the most widely accepted mud materials in the market. It is extracted from the purple sand raw ore excavated from the Huanglongshan mine in Dingshu Town, Yixing, Jiangsu Province, the iron composition in the vein is high, the particles contained in the mud are larger, the structure is loose, and the stomata convection is better; the use of long-term, gradually exposing the sharp edge, the cultivation changes greatly, and it is the best teaching material for raising pots. (Note: All types of mud materials will vary in the color of the finished product due to different kiln temperatures, which will not be repeated below)
Fang Yanling,"Smooth Sailing", Purple Mud
2. Clear cement
Because of its simplicity, this clay has a strong old taste after long-term use, and it is the most popular use by ancient potters, so it is named "clear cement"; it is the mud that the author and appreciators most respect. Dry and wet is easy to master, high stability, reasonable viscosity, easy molding. The clay color is mellow and elegant, the literati atmosphere is strong, and the large and small pieces of works can show the purple sand style, which is one of the most popular clay materials used by potters in the early Ming Dynasty. The use of long-term and more rosy pulp, brewing tea is easy to use, good affinity, temperature control is simple, can be easily brewed tea.
Tao Jinlan's "Line Rhyme"
3. The bottom groove is clear
Because it is produced at the bottom of the purple placer ore, the texture is particularly pure, the mud is delicate, the color is stable, and it is brown, which is widely used by modern pot makers, and it is also the mud that a generation of grandmaster Gu Jingzhou likes to use.
Li Changhong, "The Dragon Walks the World"
4. Purple eggplant puree.
Purple eggplant mud color is warm and pleasing, which is the best in mud. Good viscosity, high iron content, is a special purple sand mud mine selected and refined in the purple sand of the Huanglong Mountains, the mud color is such as eggplant purple, the fetal bone is strong, this mud material is very rare, and it is delicious to make tea.
Wang Qinghong's "Ancient Rhyme"
2. Red mud (including three kinds of red mud, vermilion mud and red skin dragon)
1. Vermilion mud
Zhu mud is also divided into Zhao Zhuang zhu mud, small coal kiln zhu mud, gold zhu mud, purple zhu mud, da hong pao, etc., the overall characteristics are large density, delicate texture, good gloss, poly incense effect, generally often used to make small capacity works, suitable for brewing rock tea, oolong tea and other high-fragrance tea, is the favorite of Guangdong, Fujian and Southeast Asian pot friends.
Gu Hongjun "Yuling", Zhao Zhuang Zhu Ni
Sheng Yiming's "Throwing Only", golden vermilion mud
Li Hesheng's "Jingzhou Stone Scoop", Da Hong Pao
Yu Qing", "Tycoon Lotus", purple vermilion mud.
2. Red-skinned dragon
The original name is Wild Mountain Red Mud, and the ore is scarce, and it is even rarer in the market in recent years. It is generally distributed under the yellowstone layer, and the mud color is reddish brown, and it is red after firing. Red skin dragon relative to the quartz content is higher, mica impurities are also more, good breathability, easy to pick up tea, good affinity, simple and easy to master the temperature, the longer the use of more ruddy, for the elegant and popular appreciation of tea brewing tool.
Fan Caiqin,"Circle of Threads"
Third, green mud. Green mud is divided into segment mud (original mineral mud, sesame section, golden section, crab yellow section), green mud (dark green mud, Benshan green, Republic of China green, etc.).
1. Duan mud
The basic color of the duan mud is yellow, the particles contained are larger, the structure is loose, the body is obviously a double pore structure, and the air convection is smooth; it is used over time, gradually revealing the sharp edge, and the cultivation changes greatly, which is the best equipment for raising pots. Early kiln temperature is low, firing section mud finished products are easy to "spit black", in recent years, the kiln used for high temperature kiln, can be easily raised to the required temperature, and really reach a higher crystallization, firing duan mud works rarely have black imagination, mud color is pure and uniform.
Chen Yuping,"Cow Cover Lotus Seed", old Duan Mud
Lin Mingyong,"Offering Spring", Golden Section
Zhu Feng's "Six Square Golden Bell", crab yellow section
Hu Liqin", "Xi Shi", sesame section
2. Green mud
Benshan green mud: the quality of the pot is simple, the sand is delicate and full of granular beauty. The color of the pot is beige and green, and it gradually turns into a warm bright color after soaking, and the pulp feeling is good and easy to soak, and it glows brightly.
Chu Liqiang", "Cow Gai Lotus Seed"
Dark green mud: near azure mud tone, the player is easy to be confused, often mistaken cloud "green mud", mud color blue slightly green light, the beginning is called "dark green mud". The mud material has good viscosity, decent tension, delicate and dense, pot lighter and flower maker are suitable; it is a high-quality mud mine, and the output is not abundant. It is easier to deform when making, the temperature requirements of the kiln are high, the kiln temperature is warm and moist, the color is tender and boring, the raw material collection is not easy, and the refining is difficult.
Jiang Xiaoyan's "Lotus Pond Frog Song" set
4. Other types (black mud, descending mud, azure mud, blue gray mud, black Saturn, black disease star, etc.)
1. Black mud
It is one of the most common and common mud materials in the early days, and because of the high iron content in the veins, it has been used for a long time, and has been deeply loved and appreciated by early pot acquaintances. A favorite of pot keepers. The new pot is initially heavy with sand and earth, the tea soup is slightly sandy, and the body of the pot is gray and black after using it, and it is like ink black after brewing tea for several days.
Jiang Huijuan", "Wu Jing Ti Liang"
2. Descending mud
Descending mud refers to the purple sand clay excavated between Huanglong Mountain and Qinglong Mountain during the construction of Taodu Road in Dingshu Town, Yixing. Because it is mainly found in the steep slope project of this section, everyone is used to calling it "descending mud". The color of this clay is simple, yellow with red, and the yellow sand in the pot body after firing is looming, and the texture is very beautiful.
Zhuang Li "Ziye Stone Scoop"
3. Azure mud
Commonly used mud in the Qing Dynasty; now it is not easy to mine very little, in the market finished products are rare; the color is blue-gray, containing a variety of ore particles, the pulp is warm and moist, the texture is special, commonly known as "shark skin", is a very rare mud mine. Iron content, aluminum content is high, viscosity is low, relatively difficult to form. The kiln firing temperature is exceptionally high. The finished product has fast heat transfer and strong thermal insulation, which is conducive to maintaining the temperature of water when brewing tea, directly affecting the color and aroma of tea, simple and stable, and full of ancient meaning.
Gu Hongjun "Laughing Cherry"
The above is the more common mud material at present, which can meet the needs and preferences of most pot friends. It should be noted in particular that there is no advantage or disadvantage between various muds, each mud is different, the color is different, the texture is different, and the suitable tea is also different, but there is no fixed standard, and the most important thing is to be liked by the user. So don't ask "which kind of mud is best" anymore. Just like rice and steamed buns, there is no comparison, depending on what you like to eat. However, in the same kind of mud, there is a difference in quality. Generally speaking, the longer stale time is called old mud, and the pot made is more delicate and warm, and the texture is high. At the same time, it is also affected by factors such as raw ore quality, mud refining technology, needle kung fu, firing temperature and so on.