Introduction to Traditional Tea Sets
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In the long - standing tea culture of the vast land of China, traditional tea sets are not merely tools for making tea but also cultural carriers that have been passed down for thousands of years. For beginners who have just stepped into the world of tea, the wide variety of traditional tea sets is such that each piece contains unique charm and history.
Ceramic Tea Sets: Classics Passed Down Through the Millennia
Ceramic tea sets hold a pivotal position in the history of Chinese tea sets. They are mainly divided into two categories: pottery and porcelain.
As a representative of pottery tea sets, the purple clay teapot originated in the Song Dynasty and reached its peak during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Its body is dense and hard, possessing magical characteristics. Brewing tea with a purple clay teapot can preserve the original flavor of the tea to the greatest extent. This is because of its special pore structure, which is both breathable and can lock in the tea fragrance, allowing you to experience the most authentic taste of the tea leaves every time you savor the tea. Moreover, storing tea in a purple clay teapot enables the tea leaves to maintain their fresh color for a long time and not easily deteriorate. Even in the hot summer, the tea brewed in a purple clay teapot is not prone to spoiling and can still maintain a refreshing taste.
Porcelain tea sets are admired for their fine texture and rich variety. Celadon tea sets, with colors resembling the green mountains and clear waters of spring, are fresh and elegant. Brewing green tea with them creates a harmonious combination, as if the breath of spring is infused into the tea soup. White porcelain tea sets, as white as jade, can effectively set off the color of the tea soup. Whether it's the bright red of black tea, the tender green of green tea, or the clarity of white tea, they all appear particularly charming against the backdrop of white porcelain tea sets. Black porcelain tea sets, such as the black bowls of the Jian Kiln in the Song Dynasty, feature a simple and elegant shape. During the ancient tea - competing era when the trend of tea - fighting was prevalent, they were excellent utensils for tea - fighting. Colored porcelain tea sets, with their colorful and exquisitely patterned features, bring a strong visual enjoyment, allowing people to appreciate this fine art while drinking tea.
Glass Tea Sets: The Transparent Beauty of Tea Art
Glass tea sets are like transparent fairies, pure and elegant. Their most prominent feature is their transparent and crystal - clear appearance. When you brew tea with glass tea sets, it's like embarking on a wonderful microscopic journey. You can clearly observe the tea leaves slowly stretching in the water. The tender green green tea tumbles up and down, as if a group of lively fairies are playing in the water; flower tea blooms with gorgeous colors, just like a garden in full bloom in the water. Glass tea sets are versatile and suitable for brewing almost all types of tea, especially green tea and flower tea, which can showcase their beauty to the fullest. However, glass tea sets are relatively delicate and prone to breaking. Moreover, compared with ceramic tea sets, they have strong thermal conductivity, so be careful of getting burned when using them.
Metal Tea Sets: The Combination of Antiquity and Practicality
Metal tea sets are made of metal materials such as gold, silver, copper, iron, and tin, and are one of the oldest daily utensils in China. In ancient times, metal tea sets were mostly used by the nobility and the wealthy, demonstrating their status and position. Among them, tin cans are excellent tea - storage containers. They have good moisture - proof and light - proof properties, which can effectively protect the quality of tea and keep the tea fragrant for a long time. However, not all metal - made tea sets are suitable for making tea. For example, tea sets made of iron, lead, and other metals may react chemically with the components in the tea when boiling water and making tea, thus distorting the taste of the tea and affecting the taste experience.
Bamboo and Wood Tea Sets: The Gift of Nature
Bamboo and wood tea sets are full of the breath of nature, giving people a simple and amiable feeling. They are made of bamboo or wood, with a relatively simple production process. They are also convenient to obtain materials and are pollution - free to the environment. In some mountainous areas, people often make unique bamboo and wood tea sets using local materials. For example, a tea cup made of a bamboo tube is simple and natural. Drinking tea from it makes you seem to feel the mountain breeze and the fragrance of trees. However, bamboo and wood tea sets also have their limitations. They are prone to getting damp and moldy, have a relatively short service life, and are not very suitable for long - term preservation.
Clear - cut Division of Labor and Each Performing Its Duties
Tea - making Utensils: Starting the Journey of Tea Aroma
Tea - making utensils are the core part of tea sets. The teapot is the most common tea - making tool. Its design is very ingenious, with a spout structure that facilitates pouring the brewed tea soup into the cup. Teapots made of different materials and with different shapes will result in different tastes of the tea soup. For example, a purple clay teapot can make the tea soup more mellow, while a porcelain teapot can better retain the fresh fragrance of the tea leaves.
The covered bowl is also a capable assistant for making tea. It consists of a lid, a bowl body, and a saucer, and is known as the "Three - Talent Bowl". Making tea with a covered bowl is simple to operate and can quickly bring out the tea aroma. When pouring out the tea soup, you only need to gently tilt the bowl body to easily control the flow of the tea soup. Moreover, it won't burn your hands, and you can adjust the temperature and concentration of the tea soup by opening and closing the lid, and also easily filter out the tea froth.
Tea - tasting Utensils: The Messengers of Savoring Tea Aroma
Tea - tasting cups are specifically used for savoring tea, and there is a rich variety. The horseshoe - shaped cup, shaped like a horseshoe, is comfortable and stable to hold in the hand, facilitating the tasting of the taste of the tea soup. The hat - shaped cup has a unique shape, like an ancient bamboo hat, with simple and smooth lines, giving a sense of simplicity and elegance. The bamboo - joint cup, made by imitating the shape of bamboo, is full of natural charm, making people seem to be in a bamboo forest when tasting tea.
The aroma - smelling cup is a unique tea set for oolong tea and is usually made of porcelain. Its body is slender and mainly used for carefully smelling the tea aroma. When you pour the brewed oolong tea into the aroma - smelling cup, gently rotate the cup, and then bring your nose close to the cup mouth, you can deeply feel the rich and unique tea fragrance, as if the tea fragrance is dancing in your nasal cavity.
Auxiliary Tea Sets: The Little Assistants of Tea Art
- Fair - cup: Also known as the justice cup, its function is as fair as its name implies. When the tea soup in the teapot has been steeped to an appropriate concentration, pour the tea soup into the fair - cup and then divide it into each small tea cup. This can make the concentration of each cup of tea soup uniform, ensuring that everyone can taste the equally delicious tea soup.
- Tea Tray: It is like a large tray used to hold tea cups, teapots, and other tea sets. During the tea - making process, it is inevitable that there will be tea water flowing out or needing to be poured out. The tea tray can catch these tea waters, keeping the tabletop clean and tidy, and making the tea - making environment more comfortable.
- Tea Towel: Generally made of cotton, linen, and other materials. Its main function is to dry the water marks remaining at the bottom of the teapot, tea cup, or tea tray. It can also be used to wipe the tea water that drips onto the tabletop, keeping the tea - making area dry and clean at all times.
- The Six Gentlemen of Tea Ceremony: Including the tea scoop, tea needle, tea strainer, tea tongs, tea spoon, and tea caddy. The tea scoop is used to measure the amount of tea leaves, allowing you to accurately control the proportion of tea for making tea, ensuring that the taste of the tea soup is just right. The tea needle can unclog the inner net of the teapot to prevent the tea leaves from blocking and ensure the smooth flow of the tea soup. The tea strainer can play a guiding role when pouring the tea leaves into the teapot, preventing the tea leaves from spilling. The tea tongs are used to pick out the tea dregs to keep the tea set clean. They can also be used when cleaning the tea set to avoid getting burned. The tea spoon is used to scoop out the tea leaves in the pot, which is convenient and hygienic. The tea caddy is a container for storing these five tools, making them neatly arranged and easy to access.
- Tea Pet: It is a "pet" nourished by tea water and also an item for playing with when drinking tea. Most of them are made of purple clay, resin, or clay, with various images, such as cute little animals and interesting character models. During the tea - making process, pouring tea water on the tea pet and watching it gradually change color and brighten is also a kind of pleasure.
- Lid Rest: Simply put, it is a place to place the lid, also known as the lid holder or lid stand. When you make tea, putting the lid of the teapot or covered bowl on the lid rest is clean and convenient, avoiding the lid from getting dirty by directly contacting the tabletop.
- Tea Knife: It is mainly used to pry Pu - er cake tea, brick tea, tuo tea, and other compressed teas. After these compressed teas are pressed, the tea leaves are tightly combined. Using a tea knife can easily break them apart, facilitating the subsequent tea - making steps.
- Tea Canister: It is a container for storing tea leaves, and the materials include tinplate, stainless steel, tin alloy, and ceramics. A good tea canister should be free of strange odors, air - tight, and light - proof. Only in this way can it effectively prevent moisture and oxidation, keeping the tea fragrant for a long time.
- Cup Mat: It is used to hold the cup, playing a role in heat insulation and beautification. Its material is mostly cork. Placing it on the table and then putting the tea cup on the cup mat can not only protect the tabletop from being burned but also add an elegant touch to the tea - making scene.
- Water Boiler: This is an appliance for boiling water. Nowadays, most of them are automatic boiling devices made of stainless steel or glass. Water is the key to making tea. Only water at the right temperature can make good tea, so the water boiler is also an indispensable part of the tea set.
Each piece of traditional Chinese tea sets bears profound cultural heritage and exquisite craftsmanship. They are not only tools for making tea but also an important part of the tea culture. I hope that through this article, everyone can gain an understanding of traditional Chinese tea sets and be more able to appreciate and savor the charm of these tea sets in future tea - tasting processes. Let us jointly feel the broad and profound traditional Chinese culture in the curling aroma of tea.