It's All About Tea — yixing

If you are on the path of brewing loose leaf teas and learning Gong Fu Cha, you have undoubtedly heard of yixing clay teapots. You start browsing the subject and find bits and pieces of information that are often conflicting and leave you even more confused. 

We hope that this article will help you better understand yixing clay and figure out what type of yixing teapot you need, why you need it, and what to pay attention to when shopping for one. (Read more)

When choosing the right teaware for our tea ceremony, we may be faced with a common pondering. Porcelain or glazed stoneware? Or perhaps a non-glazed ceramic material like Yixing clay? Ultimately there exist many different types of clay, and on top of that, glazes that influence the final look of the teaware and even the taste of tea. 

This post will discuss all ceramic teaware and how its unique composition can alter the final tea drinking experience. You can use this guide to choose the right teaware for yourself or friends or simply get acquainted with the different pottery styles. (Read more)

Any tea advice blog you turn to will say the same thing. Never use soap to wash your teaware. This is absolutely correct. Soaps and detergents can impart unfavorable flavors on delicate teaware. Usually, a quick rinse with hot water should suffice. However, what about those times that our teaware needs a little extra cleaning? (Read more)

Learning the sophisticated art of gong fu cha, we begin to understand the subtleties involved. First, we learn that tea is alive. And only by treating tea properly, preparing it the way it deserves, we are granted an impeccable, sweet, and aromatic brew.

Then we learn about teaware. We understand how to take care of the teaware — with care and never using dish soap. Gently drying after each use. We also learn that teaware is alive, particularly the clay from which the teaware is made.

A Yixing teapot is not just about the clay's porosity, the way it looks, the name, or even the way it makes your tea taste. It is all about the way you take care of it. If not correctly taken care of, a Yixing teapot is just about as useful as a run-of-the-mill ceramic teapot. (Read more)

The aroma cups are an essential part of gong fu cha stemming from Taiwan and Fujian province, China. Although it is not known precisely when they were first created, they became prevalent in 1980s Taiwan. When we drink tea, contrary to common belief, most of the experience comes from the smell and not the taste itself. Try drinking your favorite tea when you are sick with a stuffy nose and you will surely notice the difference! Aroma cups are used precisely for smelling the brewed tea with all its delicious delicateness! (Read more)