The work of Chén Yǒu-Fú 陳友福 has been featured extensively for many years on Taiwan Tea Crafts without a proper introduction. We are finally making amends to this void as we re-kindle our relationship with him at the same time his operations are slowly resurfacing from the downturn that affected all of Taiwan’s craftspeople during the pandemic. Like many handmade pottery studios, Mister Chen operates with assistants and apprentices to help out. The work remains strictly handcrafted as each pot is hand-turned, assembled and finished but will make use of molded handles, lid knobs, filters and spouts to ensure consistency and precision, just like it is done in the famous workshops of Yixing in China. The result is a pot of great beauty and precision with high tolerances in the fit of all its elements. The design of his pots finds inspiration in classic traditional shapes but definitely adapted to tea making practices in Taiwan. An added styling touch is often present in the choice of unique modern shapes in the lid knobs and some discreet detailing. M. Chen is one of the rare potters that accepts the challenge of making sub 100 ml pocket sized teapots like this one. In the Fall of 2023, a small production run of pots made with yellow clay, or Duan Ni as they are referred to here, were made including some pocket sized ones. This detail made us venture to try them out. Duan Ni clays have the reputation of muting the taste of teas which can be needed for heavily baked and smoked teas, but this wasn't our experience with this particular production. We found it to be quite versatile. This Japanese clay that meets JAS standards of purity and tested to be free of heavy metals and contaminants, proposes a fine grit clay that makes denser pots with low porosity which makes them suitable for a wide range of teas. As an unglazed pot, we still recommend you dedicate the pot to a chosen style of tea. What we also like is his use of ball-shaped filters on all of his production. This barrel-shaped De Zhong pot proposes a short spout with a fine arc pour, perfect for filling a solo drinker's cup. A full volume of 80 ml was timed at 8 seconds to empty itself. Finally, another characteristic of Chen’s work is the lustrous outer finish of his pots featuring a very finely textured surface that reflects light beautifully. Each pot is unique featuring a hand engraved signature on the bottom and stamp on the handle. What you see in the pictures is what you get. Handmade in Taiwan.