silky teapots, weird city, and just learning to wood fire

designing a wood fired teaboat

What started as a simple question “Why do we even need a tea boat?”  turned into a deep conversation about design, craft, and daily tea practice. In this episode, Jonathan and Dart sit down to talk through the process of designing prototype tea boats: from wet tea setups and drainage, to kiln challenges, material choices, and the quiet decisions that shape how tea is actually experienced. Along the way, they wrestle with form vs function, tradition vs practicality, and why someone would choose a handmade, wood-fired tea boat over a towel or a cheap tray. This is a behind-the-scenes look at how teaware is designed... not for display, but for real use.

Northwest Tea Fest BTS, honest chats, and reality of the small teapot business

This episode of Between the Cracks is a heartfelt one. What began as a chance to be together for the Northwest Tea Fest turned into something deeper — a conversation with two of my closest friends in the teaware world: Mark Mohler of Sanguine Teapots  [https://www.instagram.com/sanguineteapots/]and Jonathan Steele of Jonathan Steele Studio [https://www.instagram.com/jonathansteele.studio/]. Both are incredibly skilled makers, dedicated to the craft of small teapots. Together, we talk not just about pots, but about the real challenges of being a craftsman today — the triumphs, the struggles, and the long game of building a sustainable studio practice. We share laughs, reflections, and honest truths about what it means to create teapots in this moment, and why friendship and community are just as essential as clay and fire. This is an inside look at the small teapot world, and for me, it’s one of the most meaningful conversations yet. You can check out the collaborations that we have at Tao Teaware here: Sanguine Collection [https://taoteaware.com/collections/sanguine-teapots?_pos=1&_psq=sang&_ss=e&_v=1.0] Steele Collection [https://taoteaware.com/collections/jonathan-steele-studio?_pos=1&_psq=jonathan&_ss=e&_v=1.0]

the best city for teapots in all of China

On this trip Between the Cracks, we dive into Jianshui — the teaware city that’s captured our hearts. Known for its silky-smooth finish and neutral clay, Jianshui pottery stands apart for its artistry, its innovation, and the culture that surrounds it. From carved inlays filled with colored clays to studios pushing tradition in new directions, this is the most fun and exciting pottery town we’ve visited. Join us as we share stories from Derek’s spring trip, explore what makes Jianshui different from other clay traditions, and explain why these pots might just be the best all-around teapots in the world.

silky teapots, weird city, and just learning to wood fire

From our spring teaware sourcing trip, Qinzhou is full of contradictions — silky smooth, consistent teapots from a city whose culture feels almost too strange to believe.