Comprehensive Guide to Tea Utensils

Just as fish cannot live without water, no matter how good the tea is, without a set of fine tea utensils, it cannot fully express its flavor and aroma. A complete set of tea utensils consists of multiple components, each with its unique function. Below, we will introduce each piece of tea utensil one by one, so you can learn all the names of tea utensils at once and never need to look elsewhere.
I. Names of Each Component of Tea Utensils

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Gaiwan: Used for brewing tea, typically composed of a bowl, lid, and base, also known as the ‘trinity bowl’.

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Fairness Cup: Used for evenly distributing tea, ensuring that each tea taster receives tea soup of consistent concentration.

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Glass Cup: Used for holding tea soup, facilitating the observation of tea leaves dancing in water.

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Tasting Cup: A small cup for savoring tea soup.

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Aroma Cup: A small, cylindrical cup for appreciating the aroma of tea.

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Tea Petal: A small plate or dish for temporarily holding tea leaves.

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Tea Spoon: Used for taking tea leaves from a tea storage container or from a tea petal.

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Tea Needle: Used for unclogging the filter of a teapot.

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Tea Strainer: Placed on the spout of a teapot to prevent tea leaves from scattering, especially useful for granular teas like Tieguanyin.

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Tea Filter: Placed on top of the fairness cup to easily remove tea dregs, keeping the tea soup clean.

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Tea Tongs: Used for picking up tea cups to avoid burns, commonly used when three or four people are sitting around a tea tray.

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Tea Tray: Placed under the tea cup to support it, as it is not recommended to touch the rim of the tea cup with hands when serving.

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Tea Tray: Used for placing tea utensils and collecting tea water.

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Tea Ocean: For sharing tea soup among multiple people.

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Teapot: Used for brewing tea, similar in purpose to a gaiwan, but with a more elegant design and a handle.

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Pot Base: Used to catch the water droplets from the bottom of the teapot, acting as the pot’s base.

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Water Basin: Used for holding waste water.

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Incense Burner: Used for burning incense to create a tea-tasting atmosphere.

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Tea Cloth: Used for wiping tea utensils.

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Tea Mat: Placed under tea utensils for anti-slip and heat insulation.

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Tea Box: Used for storing tea leaves and tea utensils.

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Tea Bowl: Another form of tasting cup, usually conical in shape, or similar to a rice bowl.

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Tea Cup: Including Jian cups, an ancient type of tea cup.

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Tea Sieve: A small sieve for removing tea dregs from dry tea.

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Tea Spoon: Used for storing the six gentlemen of tea ceremony, similar to a pen holder.

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Tea Canister: Used for storing tea leaves.

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II. Introduction to Some Terms

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Tea Utensil Set: A set that includes various tea utensils.

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Tea Culture: Including tea ceremony, tea ethics, tea spirit, tea couplets, tea books, tea utensils, tea recipes, tea poems, tea paintings, tea studies, tea stories, tea art, etc., all combined to form tea culture, even tea knowledge is part of culture.

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Tea Utensil Accessories: Such as tea utensil cleaning brushes, tea utensil repair tools, etc.

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Tea Art Performance Tools: Such as tea art costumes, tea art background music, etc.

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Books on Tea Culture: Introductions to tea culture and tea art. Tea Art Training Institutions: Organizations offering tea art training, tasting, and performance services. The Six Gentlemen of Tea: Tea scoop, tea needle, tea strainer, tea tongs, tea spoon, and tea caddy. Drinking Tea: Commonly refers to tea consumption, with regional variations in terminology. Tea Music: Typically refers to music played during tea drinking, such as compositions by Wu Na and Zhao Zheng.

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Portable Tea Utensils:

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Quick Brew Cup: A portable tea set, one-to-three, suitable for quick tea brewing. Drifting Cup: A manual tea strainer cup, portable tea set. Automatic Tea Brewer: A machine for automatic tea brewing, suitable for office or outdoor use.

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Materials and Advantages of Tea Utensils:

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Porcelain: Porcelain tea sets have an elegant color, good insulation, and can well preserve the aroma and taste of tea. Purple Sand: Purple sand tea sets have good breathability, making the tea soup more mellow, suitable for brewing oolong tea, Pu’er tea, etc. Glass: Glass tea sets have high transparency, facilitating the observation of tea leaves in water, suitable for brewing green tea, black tea, etc.

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Stainless Steel: Stainless steel tea sets are durable and rust-resistant, suitable for outdoor or office use, easy to clean. Bamboo: Bamboo tea sets have good thermal conductivity, suitable for brewing various types of tea, with a unique natural flavor. Wooden: Wooden tea sets have good insulation, comfortable to the touch, adding to the pleasure of tea tasting, suitable for brewing Pu’er tea, dark tea, etc.

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Silver: Silver tea sets have excellent thermal conductivity and antibacterial properties, enhancing the quality of tea soup, suitable for high-end tea art performances. Plastic: Plastic tea sets are lightweight and affordable, suitable for daily use, especially for outdoor activities.

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Summary: Tea utensils come in various materials and shapes, each suitable for different scenarios and personal preferences. When choosing tea utensils, consider not only personal taste but also the characteristics of the tea. Good tea utensils may better showcase the authentic taste of tea and make it easier to brew a good cup of tea. As the saying goes, ‘To do a job well, one must first sharpen one’s tools.’

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