Jian Zhan teacups (建盏) have been prized in China and Japan for hundreds of years. During the Song Dynasty, there was even a time when it was considered better not to drink tea at all than to drink it from a cup that was not Jian ware!
Following the Song Dynasty, the great art of making Jian ware pottery faded in China. It wasn't until recently that pottery artists began to revive the long-forgotten art of Jian pottery, relearning it from Japanese potters. The latter have adapted it into tenmoku pottery (天目).
In our previous post, All About The Jian Zhan Tea Cup, we discussed the intricate process and techniques required to produce such pottery. Out of an enormous kiln loaded with hundreds, sometimes thousands of teacups, only a few are considered "sellable" by the pottery artist. The rest will be destroyed to avoid tarnishing the artist's name.
Aside from the glaze's mesmerizing patterns, one of the biggest reasons why Jian Zhan teacups are so popular is their health benefits. We often hear of the health benefits we get from drinking quality loose leaf teas, and much less of the health benefits we get from the teaware.
It is quite essential to pay attention to the material used to make your teaware. Depending on the clay's origin and mineral content, you will get a different taste and experience.
In Jian ware, the high iron content of the clay makes the teacups highly desirable to tea enthusiasts worldwide. The mineral content helps to retain heat and slightly alkalize the water, improving the overall taste of the tea.
Jian Zhan tea cups' iron content helps make the tea brew smooth, soft, and more sweet and aromatic.
For every type of teaware, there is a proper way to care of it to ensure it serves us well for years to come. One good example is yixing teaware and the fact that we shouldn't wash it after use, but rather rinse it gently, allowing it to develop deep flavor from previous brews.
How To Take Care of Jian Zhan Tea Cups
Properly caring of Jian teacups enhances the glaze's lustrous glow, making it brighter and more vibrant.
- When using Jian Zhan teacups for the first time, rinse them several times with boiling water. Never use dish detergent to wash your Jian ware (or any other teaware).
- Since Jian pottery is fired at very high temperatures, the glaze is vitrified and doesn't readily absorb flavors and odors, unlike Yixing pottery. You can use your teacups with any type of tea.
- Don't leave tea in the cup for over 8 hours. While tea generally helps the glaze become more luminous, leaving it in the cup for extended periods can create a dirty layer that may be hard to remove.
As you see, taking care of Jian teacups is quite simple! As long as you follow these steps, your teacups' glaze will gradually become more radiant. From time to time, you can enjoy tea ceremonies with your Jian ware outside, in the sun. The shining sun rays will illuminate the beauty of the cup even more. It will be impossible to look away from the beautiful teaware!