It's All About Tea — teaware

Centuries ago, tetsubin were used solely for boiling water.

Nowadays they have gained immense popularity outside of Japan. We find them in many restaurants, cafes, and homes. Not only are these cast iron teapots aesthetically pleasing to the eye, with their simple zen like form; but they are also great at keeping our tea warm. (Read more)

Aside from their steep price tag, we’re talking $500 plus for one teapot, what is it that has people buying silver teapots for gong fu cha? With Yixing clay, porcelain, glass, and cast iron, there's plenty of teaware to choose from. So is the pure silver teapot really worth it? (Read more)

Gong fu cha refers to the Chinese tea ceremony, and it translates as “skillfully making tea”. Chanoyu, on the other hand, is the Japanese tea ceremony which literally translates as “hot water for tea”. What are some of the biggest differences between the two? (Read more)

The Japanese tea ceremony has a long and interesting history. Throughout the decades it has evolved from an expensive and lavish gathering, to a tea ritual that focusses on simplicity and nature. With it, the tea utensils have also evolved. When entering a Japanese tea house we may find a variety of tea ceremony utensils, each holding their own history and purpose. Not a step goes unnoticed. (Read more)

Whenever we are faced with the harsh reality of our favorite teapot that we painstakingly brought back from Japan breaking, we must ask ourselves the following question:

"Out with the old" or do I try repairing it?

For many merely throwing it away is not an option. Especially if the piece of teaware has a lot of meaning to us or if we just recently acquired it.

A quick search online and you will see kintsugi as the number one suggested method of repairing pottery. But is it really worth it? (Read more)