Many tea connoisseurs would say that the Purple Clay Hoop Handle Teapot is an indispensable item for a tea enthusiast's collection. The qualities that make them truly special are directly linked to the purple clay (ZiSha), found only in the Yixing, Jiangsu province of China, and the highly skilled craftspeople commissioned to create the pots. Yixing teapot is considered by some connoisseurs as the best possible way to steep tea.