Tea Brewing Tools Used in China – Tea ware and Utensil Culture

Guide: “One must have good tools in order to do a good job”. If you want to brew a good cup of tea, you have understood the tea wears and learn how to use them. Tea culture is broad and deep knowledge. For tea brewing and tea tasting alone, Lu Yu, the Sage of the tea, has designed 24 tea wares, which are only for tea brewing and tasting.

Because of the 24 tea wares designed by Lu Yu are not used frequently, some of which are replaced. Today, we are going to learn what we usually use, which are essential.

1. Boilers: including kettle and charcoal furnace, usually seen in expensive places. Because the time of using charcoal furnace is relatively long. So, now it is more common to see electronic kettle used, which is faster and more convenient.
2. Tea plate: it is the base, which is used to place teapot. The water leaked from the teapot will flow into the tea plate, avoiding the table get wet. It is used for the wet brewing method.
3. Hu Cheng (Tea support): works same as tea plate. The difference is this is used in dry brewing method.
4. Tea towel: if the edges of tea cup, serving pitcher or the bottom of the tea cup has water, you can use tea towel to wipe clean.
5. Teapot: used to brew tea leaves. Gaiwan and purple clay teapot are used.
6. Serving Pitcher: it is used to hold the tea from the teapot, easy to distribute the tea to the guests evenly.
7. Tea filter: put over the serving pitcher, filtering the tea leaves and tea residues.
8. Waste water bowl: used to store the waste water used for cleaning the cup and teapot. And when you wash the tea, don’t use the tea.
9. Tea holder: used to hold tea leaves, so guests can see the dried tea.
10. Fragrance cup: you normally seen on the tea technique performance. It is used to smell the tea.
11. Tasting cup: it is the tea cup, for guests to drink the tea.
12. Cup holder: put under the tasting cup.

When you brew the tea, there are “6 tea ceremony buddies”, you need to know and learn how to use.

1. Tea funnel: used under the lid, which is used to store the dried tea and avoid the leakage of the tea leaves.
2. Tea caddy: used to hold tea wares.
3. Tea spoon: also known as “Cha Ze”, which is used to pick up tea leaves.
4. Tea pick: used to clear the teapot, preventing the block of the water caused by tea leves.
5. Tea scoop: also known as “tea scraping”, assisting putting tea leaves into the teapot.
6. Tea Pincers: it is used to clean cup, also it used to pick up the tea in the bottom.

There are total 18 tea wares introduced above to brew tea. Even though it is a lot, each one is necessary for brewing tea. You can tell that tea brewing is such as delicate thing. A small cup of tea requires that many tea wares. Next time, when drink tea, we should be grateful for the people who serves us tea.