It is actually not easy to generalise on a clay, say, duanni, because the formulae available in the market now are extremely varied. The artful addition of various granules in the mix further changes the potential infusion character of a pot.
However, I can say that traditionally a genuine duanni is of higher density than the average genuine zisha and even zhu-ni. It is therefore, much more effective in supplementing the pitch in the taste profile rather than rounding the tea.
A shu cha ( shao cha ) pu’er of respectable quality should be quite round in itself and do not need to be rounded. A duanni pot would give its roundness a graceful pitch.
In case the selection in question needs rounding, I think I’ll opt for a zhu-ni or zhisha.
