Glazed
This graceful 140ml turquoise Gaiwan depicts white cranes — a symbol of longevity and peace in Chinese culture. When using a small tea infuser like a gaiwan, tea is brewed in concentrated quantities. This allows for full extraction of the tea's qualities. The glazed ceramic gaiwan is perfect for any type of tea.
This 170ml Iron-Gilded Aged Clay Houhin features an antique bronze finish and retro elegance. Made from aged Dehua clay with a gilded iron glaze, it enhances tea's sweetness and aroma. The high-temperature reduction firing process gives it a distinctive and textured appearance.
This 120ml Arita-Yaki Porcelain Houhin Teapot is especially well-suited for brewing Japanese green teas. The blue splashes on the surface are done in the Fukizumi style (吹墨), where the color is applied by flicking the glaze with the fingers, creating an organic pattern that feels spontaneous. No two pieces turn out the same!
This 120ml Silver-Lined Houhin Teapot is especially well-suited for brewing Japanese green teas. The vessel, made of famous Arita-Yaki Porcelain, is hand-carved using the Tobikanna technique (飛鉋) – a method of decorating the surface with rhythmic, fine markings. After carving, a layer of silver is brushed onto the surface, and the piece is fired again. Silver is known to affect the taste of water, making the water softer, which brings out the tea's natural sweetness. Each piece is carved by hand, so no two are exactly alike.
This beautiful Gong Fu Tea Set depicts white cranes — a symbol of peace and longevity in Chinese culture. Throughout imperial times, cranes were depicted on the robes of officials to represent their rank. The greatest outcome of Chinese tea cannot be expected without a proper Gong Fu Cha Set.
This Gong Fu travel set comprises a gaiwan and cups made with top-tier Kaolin clay from Dehua, Fujian. The components of the Travel Set pack perfectly into one another. The pouch is sturdy, compact, light, and easy to carry. The ideal set for Gong Fu Cha on the go.
The Jianzhan glaze is not only stunningly beautiful. Rich in iron, it makes tea taste sweeter and more rounded. The cup's shape is called "Flower Bud". Flower bud represents new beginnings, hope and potential – the promise of growth and transformation. This cup is handmade by Yang Jia Jang, an Inheritor of Intangible Cultural Heritage and a National First-Level potter.
This 50ml emerald Gong Fu Teacup depicts white cranes — a symbol of peace and longevity in traditional Chinese culture. The inside remains white — this allows us to admire the various colors of the tea brew.
A deep, wide chawan provides enough room for the chasen to move back and forth effortlessly, producing froth and dissolving the matcha powder. While traditional Hagi is often known for its milky white or loquat-colored glazes, this chawan features a Celadon glaze, resulting in a vibrant turquoise-blue with a dense network of fine lines called Kannyu (貫入)
A deep and wide chawan provides enough room for the chasen to effortlessly move back and forth to produce froth and dissolve the matcha powder. The term Akafuki (赤吹) refers to the red spray or blush of glaze across the bowl. On this bowl, it shifts in tone from deep crimson to dark burgundy, fading into the dark of traditional Tenmoku ware. The color seems to change depending on the light and angle.
Handmade by Rito Aoshima in the Shitoro-Yaki pottery style, this 400ml Katakuchi Chawan is perfect for making matcha the traditional way and moving it into smaller cups. When using a traditional chawan, the tea does not pour easily. Katakuchi Chawan lets you whisk your matcha and then cleanly pour it into other containers. It's excellent for sharing matcha with guests.
This matcha set includes a wide and tall matcha bowl crafted in the Hagi Celadon style, a bamboo whisk (chasen), and a bamboo scoop (chashaku). It's a beautiful and practical setup for preparing matcha the traditional way, with ample space to whisk properly and tools that do the job efficiently.
This matcha set is designed around a Tenmoku-style chawan – a deep, wide bowl with a rich, dark glaze – a blend of Tenmoku tradition and modern Japanese pottery design. The wide, 350ml bowl gives your chasen room to move, allowing you to mix the matcha evenly, while the deep glaze lets you appreciate the color and sheen of the foam.
This beautifully 200ml glazed Cha Hai depicts white cranes — a symbol of peace and longevity in Chinese culture. Throughout imperial times in China, cranes were depicted on the robes of officials to represent their rank. We use this vessel to control the strength of the brew during Gong Fu tea ceremonies.
This 125ml Gong Dao Bei embodies a simple yet profound aesthetic of wabi-sabi (侘び寂び) that embraces the beauty of impermanence and simplicity. The abstract white splash on a dark, almost black background creates a striking and elegant visual contrast. The bright interior adds a beautiful contrast and highlights the rich colors of your tea, making each brewing session a visually engaging experience.
A Cha He is otherwise known as a 'tea box' — a vessel for tea introduction. According to the Chinese tea ceremony tradition, we first look at the tea in the cha he and then 'deep face' into it. We inhale, exhale, and inhale once more, deeply through the nose. It allows for the ceremony participants to evaluate the tea that they will be drinking.
This beautifully glazed tea strainer makes a perfect addition to the "White Crane" Gong Fu Tea Set and to any Gong Fu Tea Session. Thanks to the fine silk net, the filter helps capture the tiniest tea leaf particles, resulting in a clear tea brew.
This Tea Pond is a nod to the masterpiece of Chinese calligraphy, 'Lanting Xu' – "Orchid Pavilion Preface". Aside from being a beautiful vessel for holding a teapot or cups, it's a reminder of the contemplative nature of tea, the fleeting beauty of gatherings, and the nature of existence.
A Kusenaoshi is used for drying and for storing Chasen, matcha whisk. It helps to maintain the proper shape of Chasen and protects the fine tines from breakage.
About Teaware [+]
Gong Fu Cha (工夫茶) is a practice of making tea with skill, patience, and attention – 工夫 (Gong Fu) meaning the time and effort invested in mastering a craft. The teaware is not incidental to that practice. The material of the vessel, its size, its porosity, and its heat retention all shape what ends up in the cup. Choosing the right teaware for a particular tea is part of the craft itself.
Our teaware spans the major traditions of Chinese and Japanese tea practice – from Chaozhou clay stove and Yixing ZiSha teapots to Japanese Kyusu and Chawan. Browse by category, or read on for guidance on pairing teaware with tea type.
What Is Gong Fu Cha?
Gong Fu Cha is the Chinese practice of brewing tea in small, concentrated quantities using a high leaf-to-water ratio and short, repeated infusions. The same leaves are steeped multiple times. Each infusion reveals something different about the tea.
What Is a Gong Fu Tea Set?
A complete Gong Fu tea set typically includes a small teapot or gaiwan, a Cha Hai (茶海 – Fairness Pitcher), and teacups. A full setup may also include a tea tray (Cha Pan – 茶盘), tea tools (Cha Dao – 茶道), and a tea pet (茶宠 – Cha Chong). Having a complete set is not essential – many practitioners start with just a gaiwan, Cha Hai, and a few cups.
What Is a Tea Pet?
A tea pet (茶宠 – Cha Chong) is a small clay figurine that lives on the tea tray and receives the leftover tea during the session – rinse water, first steep, the last drops from the Cha Hai. Over time, an unglazed clay or porous stone tea pet absorbs the tea's oils and develops its own patina.
Gong Fu Tea Cups
In Chinese, the small drinking cups used in Gong Fu Cha are called Pin Ming Bei (品茗杯 – Tasting Cups). In the West, "Gong Fu teacup" is more widely used. Standard Gong Fu cups range from 30–90ml – small enough to concentrate aroma and encourage multiple short steepings.
Aroma Cups
Aroma cups (闻香杯 – Wen Xiang Bei) come in sets of two: a tall, slender cup and a short, wide tasting cup. Tea is poured into the tall aroma cup, which is then covered with the tasting cup and flipped. The tea moves to the tasting cup, and the aroma cup – still warm – is lifted and inhaled. This practice is most common with aromatic Taiwanese oolongs, though it works with any fragrant tea.
Yixing ZiSha (宜兴紫砂) – The Most Famous Chinese Clay
Yixing clay (ZiSha – 紫砂) comes from Yixing county in Jiangsu province. Its breathable micro-structure and steady heat retention soften some of the harsher edges in the tea, producing a rounder, smoother cup. Because unglazed Yixing clay is porous, it gradually absorbs trace amounts of tea over time – seasoning the vessel and allowing a subtle interaction between clay and liquor that deepens with each session. For this reason, many practitioners keep Yixing teapots dedicated to a single tea type or family.
The main ZiSha clay types:
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Zi Ni (紫泥 – Purple Clay): The most classic and versatile. Breathable, with balanced heat retention. Suited to pu-erh, aged teas, and oolongs.
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Zhu Ni (朱泥 – Red Clay): Fine-grained and less porous than Zi Ni, characteristic red-to-vermilion color. Favored for high-fragrance teas.
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Duan Ni (段泥 – Layered Clay): Stronger sand structure, more absorbent than Zi Ni, softens bitterness and astringency. Color ranges from golden beige to light yellow.
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Lu Ni (绿泥 – Green Clay): Named for the pale green color of the raw ore. After firing, it becomes pale yellow to beige depending on the temperature. A rare clay with excellent breathability.
Unglazed Yixing teaware should never be cleaned with detergent – water only.
Jianzhan (建盏 – Tenmoku)
Jianzhan (建盏) is Chinese black porcelain from Jianyang, Fujian, originating in the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). The high iron oxide content in the glaze gives Jianzhan its distinctive deep black to iridescent blue-black tones, and has a practical effect on the tea: when hot water contacts the iron-rich glaze, iron ions are released that soften the water, neutralize tannins, and produce a noticeably smoother, sweeter mouthfeel. Jianzhan is particularly well-suited to pu-erh, dark oolongs, and black tea. For reference comparison, pair your Jianzhan cup with a neutral porcelain or glass vessel and taste side by side.
Teapots and Gaiwans
There are two primary brewing vessels in Gong Fu Cha: the teapot and the gaiwan.
A gaiwan (盖碗 – lidded bowl) consists of a bowl, lid, and (sometimes) saucer. Both gaiwan and Chinese Gong Fu teapots are small – typically 80–200ml – and made from clay, porcelain, or glass.
Choosing Teaware by Tea Type
White Tea Young white tea is delicate. Use thin-walled porcelain or glass – neutral vessels that won't overpower subtle florals. Yixing clay is not recommended for young whites; it can mask the tea's delicacy. Aged white tea, however, benefits from thick-walled vessels and handles Yixing well.
Green Tea and Yellow Tea Thin porcelain or glass works best. Green tea is temperature-sensitive and benefits from quick pouring – choose a teapot with a fast-flowing spout.
Light Oolong Tightly rolled lightly oxidized oolongs (Taiwanese high mountain, Anxi Tie Guan Yin) need room to expand. Use a tall, round teapot or gaiwan. Porcelain or glass preferred; porous clay is workable but less ideal.
Wuyi Rock Tea and Dan Cong Oolong Dark, roasted, strip-leaf oolongs suit flat, short teapots with thick walls. Porous clay – particularly Yixing Zhu Ni and Chaozhou Hong Ni – is the traditional choice: the clay rounds out robust flavors and accumulates the aromatic oils over time.
Black Tea (红茶 – Hong Cha) Chinese black tea handles high temperatures well. Thick-walled teapots and Yixing clay suit most styles. Exception: highly smoky teas like Lapsang Souchong are best brewed in porcelain or glass so the smoke doesn't permanently season the clay.
Raw Pu-erh (生普洱 – Sheng), Ripe Pu-erh (熟普洱 – Shou), Hei Cha (黑茶) Porous, heat-retaining clay teapots that absorb excessive bitterness and astringency and integrate the earthy, woody character of the tea.
Japanese Tea
Matcha (抹茶) requires a chawan (茶碗 – tea bowl), a chasen (茶筅 – bamboo whisk), a chashaku (茶杓 – bamboo scoop), and a matcha sifter. The chawan must be wide enough for the whisk to move freely.
Kyusu (急須) A traditional Japanese side-handle teapot made from clay. The built-in mesh filter holds back fine Japanese leaves. Used for sencha, genmaicha, hojicha, and most everyday Japanese green teas.
Shiboridashi (絞り出し) or Houhin (宝瓶) Similar to a gaiwan in form but with a built-in spout filter. The lid acts as a strainer during pouring. Ideal for low-temperature, umami-rich teas like gyokuro and premium sencha.
Tetsubin (鉄瓶) A traditional Japanese cast-iron kettle, used for boiling and holding water. The modern version – the Tetsu-Kyusu – is enamel-coated inside and can be used for brewing. Do not place on a stove.