A Look at Commonly Used Tea Brewing Utensils & Tools

Brewing a good cup of tea requires the right utensils, tools and knowledge of how to use them. In this article we look at the most commonly used the brewing utensils and tools.

Popular Teaware Tools

1. Kettle or Electronic Kettle: Used to heat water for brewing tea. Electronic kettles are more common nowadays for their speed and convenience.
2. Tea Plate: A base used to place the teapot. It catches any water that may leak from the teapot, keeping your table dry. Typically used for the wet brewing method.
3. Hu Cheng (Tea Support): Similar to the tea plate but used in the dry brewing method.
4. Tea Towel: Used to wipe away any water from the edges of tea cups, serving pitchers, or the bottom of the tea cup.
5. Teapot: Essential for brewing tea leaves. Common options include Gaiwan and purple clay zisha teapots.
6. Serving Pitcher: Used to hold the tea from the teapot, making it easy to distribute tea evenly among guests.
7. Tea Filter: Placed over the serving pitcher to filter out tea leaves and residues.
8. Waste Water Bowl: Used to store waste water from cleaning cups and teapots. Don’t use the waste water for brewing tea.
9. Tea Holder: Holds dried tea leaves, allowing guests to see the tea before brewing.
10. Fragrance Cup: Often seen in tea technique performances, it’s used for smelling the tea.
11. Tasting Cup: The tea cup guests use to drink the tea.
12. Cup Holder: Placed under the tasting cup.

Additionally, here are some of the most common utensils accompanied with teaware.

Gong Fu Cha Utensils for Brewing Loose Leaf Tea

1. Tea Funnel: Placed under the lid to store dried tea and prevent tea leaf leakage.
2. Tea Caddy: Used to store tea wares.
3. Tea Spoon (Cha Ze): For picking up tea leaves.
4. Tea Pick: Used to clear the teapot, preventing blockage from tea leaves.
5. Tea Scoop (Tea Scraping): Assists in putting tea leaves into the teapot.
6. Tea Pincers: Used to clean cups and pick up tea from the bottom.

Overall, tea making can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be. For everyday sipping a simple teapot and kettle will do the trick. At most teahouses in Asia, you can expect to see a full display of all tools as to showcase expertise and professionalism.