It's All About Tea — teaware

Jian Zhan pottery is the perfection of Chinese black porcelain. It was an inseparable part of tea culture in the Song Dynasty, however it slowly gave way to Yixing teaware. It continued to prosper in Japan, where it is known as Tenmoku. Nowadays, it is a national treasure in Japan and many local pottery artists in China are hard at work to remake this once forgotten part of the Chinese tea ceremony. Jian ware is not only teaware, it is an art form and an important part of history. One we can get lost in for hours just by looking at its cosmic-like glaze. (Read more)

While not being limited to animals, tea pets are small clay figures used during gong fu cha for various purposes. Most often, they are used by tea drinkers as decoration, but also for good luck, or to test water for the right temperature.

Tea pets have a long history, dating back to the Yuan Dynasty (13th century China). Tea pets are not only used for aesthetic purposes. Their meanings and positioning are actually closely intertwined with feng shui. (Read more)

We all love a cup of hot frothy matcha tea. 

The best thing about it is — as long as you have all the right utensils, it's super easy to make at home. For a small fraction of what you would be paying at a cafe, you can whisk yourself up a cup of hot matcha, iced matcha, matcha latte, or even a matcha cocktail!

So what are the five indispensable tools that any matcha lover needs? (Read more)

As much variations as there are within tea categories, it is the same with teaware. It is to no surprise that there is an ideal teapot or gaiwan for each type of tea there is. Many find these through experimenting on their own, while some knowledge is more widespread. However, in general there are a few things that are best to keep in mind when choosing the right teaware for a particular type of tea. Whether it's for gong fu or more casual tea drinking. (Read more)

Yixing teaware has gained immense popularity. By many it is considered the only possible option for gong fu style tea, beating porcelain, glass, and even other clay types. However, the steep price has tea drinkers questioning if it's really superior to other types of unglazed clay teapots. (Read more)