If you’ve ever participated in a traditional Chinese tea ceremony (Gong Fu Cha), you might’ve noticed a small clay or ceramic creature sitting somewhere atop the tea tray, slowly slurping up tea alongside the tea master. This is what we call a tea pet.
A tea pet is a small clay figure or ceramic animal, placed atop the tea tray during the tea ceremony.
Although not limited to animals, tea pets are small clay figures used during Gong Fu Cha for various purposes. Although tea masters mostly use them as decoration, some also have them for good luck. Some of these "pets" can even test water for the right temperature!
Tea Pet History
Clay tea pets originated in Yixing during the Yuan dynasty (around the 13th century), and further evolved in the Ming and Qing dynasties. Yixing is well known for its clay (ZiSha) and the teaware made from it. Similar to the zisha teapots, the little creatures made of yixing clay are porous and unglazed. They are very absorbent of water.
Gong Fu Cha: How to Take Care of A Tea Pet
A folk metaphor says that when we adopt a tea pet it has no soul. Pouring tea over it (which has a soul), in turn, gives the pet a soul.
During the gongfu tea ceremony, we constantly nourish our pets by pouring leftover tea over them. This can be the hot water we used to warm up the teaware, the water used to rinse the tea leaves, or any leftover steeped tea.
When pouring the leftover tea over the tea pet, we make sure it is completely covered. The tea pet will absorb the tea, including the color and aroma. Over time the clay will develop its unique scent.
In many cases, tea lovers have tea pets for good luck. These are most commonly pigs, toads, elephants, dragons, as well as certain Buddhist characters.
Tea Pets For Getting The Tea Water Temperature Perfect
There are also other purposes for these little statues. One of these include checking if the water is hot enough throughout the ceremony. For this purpose, the “pee-pee boy” is by far the most popular tea pet.
Some tea pets have a small hole. Tea masters use these to check the water temperature. In the case of pee-pee boy, we immerse him in cold water to fill him halfway, then pour hot water over him. If the water is hot enough, pee-pee boy will start peeing. The hotter the water, the further he will pee.
Of course, pee-pee boy is not the only way to check the water temperature. Nowadays, certain variations, like water-spitting toads, dragons, and gourds, to name a few, also exist.
No matter what purpose you choose to adopt one of these tea pets for, it is undeniably a valuable part of gong fu cha. Certainly, it adds a distinct character to each ceremony. And remember! These guys are picky creatures; they only prefer to drink quality loose-leaf tea.
Note: Please take care of your tea pet similarly to a Yixing teapot. You may rinse it with water, but do not use soap or detergent. 