Wood Fired Jianshui Clay Lotus Tea Cup - 65ml

This year we had the opportunity to fire a load of teaware in one of the new style Jianshui wood fired kilns. There is some real magic being done in the kilns of Jianshui. The kilns are managed in Jianshui by pottery masters from Fujian. They have really upped the game on what is possible to be produced in Jianshui! Wood fired kilns in China use prepared pine wood. There are multiple firings where the kilns are manned 24/7 with 4 people. Temperatures are kept constant around 1270°C (~2300°F). It is a hot and labor intensive job. The fires must be managed precisely to avoid temperature spikes or drops. The risk is high and pieces often fail. Between firings the kiln is allowed to cool down entirely. The entire process for firing these cups takes nearly half a month. It was an incredibly expensive endeavor and the cost of these cups reflects that.  During the wood firing process the pitch in the pine vaporizes into the smoke and settles on to the shelves above the tea cups. As the pitch