Tea utensils serve as the medium through which we appreciate and taste tea As. the saying goes, ‘fine utensils enhance the color of tea,’ making the selection and arrangement of tea utensils an indispensable aspect of tea culture. With the development of modern society and changes in tea-drinking customs, the types, forms, and connotations of tea utensils have seen new developments. They not only provide delicious tea but also bring a pleasant effect on the mind.
A well-matched boiling kettle and stove can inspire unlimited creativity in tea brewing. The ‘Four Treasures of the Tea Room’ include the jade book simmer, which is a boiling kettle, and the Chaoshan stove, which is used for boiling water. The jade book simmer is a reddish-brown, thin, flat-shaped porcelain pot with a capacity of about 250 milliliters. When the water boils, the lid makes a ‘pop’ sound, as if calling for tea brewing. Nowadays, this pot is rarely used; instead, most tea art galleries use larger purple sand pots from Yixing, often shaped like pumpkins or with a Dongpo handle. Iron pots are also used; they are simple, durable, and the water they boil is soft, with a round and sweet taste, effectively enhancing the flavor of tea. However, iron pots are quite heavy. Silver pots produce soft and sweet-tasting water, and they are not heavy, but they are expensive.The teapot is the centerpiece of tea utensils, and its size, clay material, and shape all affect the aroma and flavor of the tea. During the Ming Dynasty, small pots were considered valuable, as ‘a small pot prevents the flavor from dispersing and the aroma from hiding.’ Xu Cishu pointed out in ‘Tea Elaboration ยท Ou Note’ that pots made of silver and tin are beneficial to tea soup, followed by porcelain pots with glaze inside and out.
Unfortunately, old porcelain pots are not resistant to sudden boiling water, and the body is prone to cracking. Although purple sand pots from Yixing, Jiangsu, were highly regarded by tea enthusiasts at the time, they still need to avoid insufficient sintering temperature, which can spoil the tea with earthy flavors. A good pot should have a tight lid and mouth. When purchasing, first fill the pot with- eighttenths of water, then press the air hole on the lid with your finger and try to pour water. If the water does not flow out, the tightness of the pot lid is high. In addition, the pot should be symmetrical, the mouth should be round; the spout, handle, and lid should be aligned in a straight line; remove the lid and place the pot upside down on the table, the mouth and spout should be level. The tea should pour out smoothly, with the water column being fast, long, round, and firm. If the flow is too slow, it will affect the quality of the tea; the spout should stop the water quickly and cleanly, without dripping or backflow. Most importantly, whether the pot feels comfortable and easy to use when held. Each of our hands is different in size, length, and thickness. When choosing a pot, it should feel comfortable to hold. Some pots have uncomfortable handles or a forward-leaning center of gravity, making them difficult to operate, which is not ideal. After filling the pot with water, if you can lift it flat with one hand and pour water slowly, and the feeling is comfortable and natural, it indicates that the pot has a moderate and stable center of gravity.The original function of a tea pot rest is to ensure the cleanliness and dryness of the tea table by catching the hot water from pouring over the pot. The purpose of pouring is to warm the pot in order to brew the exquisite and true flavor of the tea. Only teas that require high-temperature brewing need to be warmed by pouring, and in such cases, a deep-bellied tea boat should be chosen to catch the hot water.
When using a deep-bellied pot rest for brewing tea, remember to pour out the hot water that has been poured over the pot promptly, and do not leave the teapot immersed in the cooled water for a long time. Otherwise, not only will the temperature of the pot drop, preventing the brewing of a delicious tea soup, but over time, the body of the pot will develop two distinct colors. When brewing some teas that do not require pouring, one can freely choose various textures, colors, and sizes of shallow dishes or borderless coasters to match, highlighting the aesthetic lines of the pot. Sometimes, even a stone slab in the corner of a wall, a handful of pebbles, can, with careful arrangement by a tea practitioner, become the main stage for the pot, just like the lotus seat under Buddha. A lidded bowl, also known as a lidded cup, is a tea set consisting of a lid, bowl, and saucer. During the Qing Dynasty, flower tea was popular in the north, and the lidded bowl, which has insulating properties and can hold a larger volume of tea soup, developed accordingly. The mouth of the lidded bowl is large, allowing for a clear view of the tea soup and the shape of the leaves when the lid is removed. When drinking, one often uses the lid to push the tea leaves aside and can directly sip the tea, or lift the lid to the nose to smell the aroma. The saucer prevents burns when holding the tea, and holding the saucer makes the lidded bowl look elegant and generous. When selecting a lidded bowl, one should try holding it to see if the mouth of the bowl is too large for the hand to handle. Also, test whether the lid is easy to move, which is convenient when pushing the tea leaves. A tea, also known as a tea sea, is named for its ability to evenly distribute the strength of each cup of tea soup. It is also referred to as a ‘tea ocean’. In Chapter 41 of ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’, Miaoyu sarcastically remarks to Baoyu: ‘One cup is for tasting, two cups are for quenching thirst, and three cups are for drinking like cattle and mules. What are you drinking from this sea?’ When purchasing a tea sea, one should pay attention to the capacity of the tea sea being larger than that of the teapot, as it is used to mix tea soup and sometimes needs to hold tea from two infusions. The opening of the tea sea should be large, facilitating the pouring of tea soup from the teapot; additionally, like the teapot, the pouring of the tea sea is also very important. When pouring tea into a teacup, consider the smoothness of the pour to avoid spilling everywhere. A teacup: A cup of tea that moves the heart is the result of various subtle factors coming together, and the power of a teacup is enough to change the flavor of the tea soup. We use cups of different textures, colors, shapes, sizes, heights, and thicknesses to taste tea, and the tea soup will present different qualities, sometimes with surprising differences.Regardless of the type of tea, when enjoyed from a fine cup, the aroma, color, and flavor of the tea soup become more delicate, rich, and captivating. Cup coasters, also known as cup holders, are to cups what shoes are to a lady’s attire: they can be assertive like boots, grand like crystal high heels, or subtle like monk’s shoes. The primary purpose of a cup coaster is to prevent burns, and for hygiene, to avoid direct contact with the rim of the cup. It is more appropriate and elegant for the tea host to serve tea to guests using a cup coaster. When selecting a cup coaster, the key is that its size, shape, and color should complement the cup; the design should be easy to hold. If the coaster is too large, too small, or too flat, the tea cup will not be stable on it, making it an unsuitable coaster. If the tea table is flat, the cup shape is stable, and there is no cup coaster of the right size, a soft cup mat can be considered. When taking tea leaves, it is best to use a tea scoop. Our hands carry odors such as sweat and hand cream; therefore, we should not directly touch the tea leaves to prevent them from absorbing miscellaneous smells. The appearance of tea leaves varies, some are spherical and tightly packed, while others are in loose, string-like forms. Spherical tea leaves are easy to place in a tea scoop, while loose tea leaves require a larger bamboo tea scoop for easy access. A tea spoon, besides removing tea dregs, also serves to unblock teapots. A naturally curved young bamboo shoot, slightly trimmed, can be made into a streamlined tea spoon, and when placed on a riverbed-shaped pebble, it becomes a natural tea spoon and spoon rest. Alternatively, slender incense sticks can be used in place of a tea spoon, allowing for more freedom in picking up tea leaves. Tea jars are containers used for storing tea leaves, avoiding light damage and dampness, hence high-density porcelain jars or glazed pottery pots are often chosen, and metal containers should be avoided due to the smell of grease and rust. The materials for tea jars are diverse, including ceramics, purple sand, bamboo, and tin cans. When storing tea leaves, it is essential to avoid sunlight, so the basic requirement is to place them in non-transparent jars. Glass tea jars on the market are mostly for aesthetics or display. When selecting a tea jar, pay attention to its functionality, and choose a tea jar with a larger mouth to avoid difficulty in accessing loose tea leaves, which could lead to breakage. Tea trays are shallow-bottomed vessels used to hold teapots, tea cups, tea pets, and even tea snacks. The selection of materials is wide, with common ones being metal, bamboo and wood, and pottery, among which metal tea trays are the most convenient and durable, and bamboo tea trays are the most elegant and suitable. Additionally, there are tea trays made from special stones such as jade, duan inkstone, and purple sand, which have a simple and heavy charm.
The styles of teapot stands are also very diverse, with varying sizes, including round moon shape, checkerboard shape, fan shape, square shape, and so on. Regardless of the material and style, the most important aspects are: wide, flat, shallow, and white. That is, the surface of the stand should be wide to accommodate more cups according to the number of guests; the bottom should be flat to ensure the stability of the tea cups and prevent them from shaking easily; the edges should be shallow, and the color should be white to set off the teapot, tea cups, and tea soup beautifully, making them elegant.
As for those intricately carved and luxurious teapot stands, they dominate the tea table and not only fail to serve as a peaceful and quiet background but also detract from the taste of tea drinking. Additionally, when carrying a teapot stand, it is essential to remove the pot, cups, and fair cups from the stand; otherwise, a slip may result in a complete disaster. Water Square, also known as a water basin, is used to dispose of water after warming the pot and rinsing the cups, as well as the dregs after brewing. The choice of water square should be based on the space available during tea brewing, selecting an appropriate size to avoid occupying too much space and affecting the tea brewing movements. Generally speaking, if you want to place the water square on the tea table, you should choose an exquisite small one. If a slightly larger water square is needed, it is best to move it away from the tea guests, such as behind the tea stove, where it should not be too conspicuous but still easy to use. The color selection should be coordinated with the colors and materials of other tea utensils. Most common water squares on the market are mainly made of ceramic. If there is already a teapot stand on the tea table, the water square can be omitted, as the teapot stand can basically receive excess water, and the tea dregs can be cleaned separately. Jie Fang, which is the tea towel, was originally used for wiping cups and cleaning utensils. The Jie Fang used during tea brewing, which is always at hand, is generally no larger than a handkerchief and strives to be exquisite and compact. When we brew tea at high temperatures and pour water over the pot, we can place the teapot on top of the Jie Fang to absorb the hot water from the bottom of the pot before pouring the soup. The water from pouring the pot will not flow down the body of the pot. Although strictly speaking, from the perspective of the use of Jie Fang, it is not necessary to use it exclusively, and even a cloth can be used as a substitute, but this seems to violate the elegant and clean nature of tea. Zhang Chao in ‘Dream Shadows’ said: ‘By observing the towel in one’s hand, one can know the elegance or vulgarity of the person. ‘ Before the tea party, the host and guests have not met, but they can vaguely see the inner life of the tea person from the square.
