This post is all about teaware

With the widespread availability of tea knowledge and frequent information exchanges online, tea drinkers' demands on teaware have not only increased but diversified. Gradually we are witnessing a revival/ reinventions of  teaware item. 

Crafted glazed Korean ceramic cups, pair of two, 38 USD

Blanc de Chine 'White from China' tea cups, 19 USD each

 The items that you find in my shop have been almost exclusively sought out from various locations. Along the way, I have also met people and professionals who share my love for teaware and the creation of unique pottery pieces. They continue to inspire me to write about anything to do with the vast and deep topic of tea.

Ivory white tea display plate - leaf design, 13 USD each

Hongni (red clay) Yixing teapot 1970s, 380 USD

As our bodies renew themselves with the coming of spring, I thought this to be an opportune blog entry to  include select pieces of teaware items (as requested) that add to your pleasure of designing and drinking from Cha Xis (茶席).

Floral & fauna pewter saucers, set of five, 280 USD

Japanese dark green teaboat with painted scene, 38 USD each

Tropical colours absorbent tea cloth - 23 USD each

To order, please email: missteadelight@gmail.com.

Old Beijing street performers

I have just added a few items to my online shop and thought I would share a photo of one of them here: 4 men with 5 string instruments performing in a cross-linked fashion. With one hand playing on his instrument and the other reaching out for the next musical instrument, they perform in a neatly coordinated manner.

This set of two gaiwans reflects everyday, entertaining art forms of the past that are limited to select tea houses in China today and reminisced by older generations of Beijingers. They are now available in my teaware collection to anyone who is keen to bring home a piece of old Beijing.

天 Heaven , 人 man and 地 earth gaiwan

A gaiwan is a tea cup used for the infusion and consumption of tea. Invented during the Ming Dynasty, a gaiwan consists of a lid, a bowl and a saucer symbolising heaven, man and earth. The lid concentrates all heavenly smells of good tea at every steeping. 

This ivory white beauty comes adorned with nine beautifully fragile butterflies.

Exquisitely hand-painted and made from bone china, this gaiwan weighs 213 g and has a filling capacity of 166 ml that is perfect for ball sized oolong leaves to unfurl.

Three sets have been added to my teaware collection.

Blogeintrag auf Deutsch:  Gaiwan - 天 Himmel, 人 Mensch und 地 Erde

Wie man weißen Tee aus Silber-Nadeln bereitet

Weißer Tee ist einer der insgesamt am wenigsten oxidierten Teesorten. Fast ausschließlich in der Provinz Fujian in China kultiviert und geerntet, ist weißer Tee das Produkt aus den zartesten Knospen und jungen Blättern der Camellia Sinesis. Nur die jungen Teeblätter mit viel feinem Haar (Pekoe) werden verwendet, um qualitativ hochwertigen weißen Tee mit viel Pekoe herzustellen.

 Im Vergleich zu anderen Teesorten sind die Verarbeitungsschritte bei der Herstellung weißen Tees relativ einfach. Die Blätter dürfen unter der Sonne verdorren, bevor sie an der Luft getrocknet werden, um eine weitere Oxidation zu verhindern. Deshalb ist weißer Tee ist sehr reich an Antioxidanten.  

Um diesen Tee zu kochen, brauchen Sie:

1. einen Gaiwan aus Porzellan

2. hochwertigen weißen Tee von einem zuverlässigen Anbieter

3. Teetassen, um die schönen Farben des weißen Tees zu genießen.

Während der Arbeit würde ich aber in der Regel auf diesen "Schnickschnack" verzichten und nur einen Gaiwan verwenden.

Vorheizen des Gaiwans wird immer empfohlen, um einen optimal gekochten Tee zu gewährleisten. Nach dem Vorheizen Ihres Gaiwans, gießen Sie auch heißes Wasser in die Tassen, um sie zu erwärmen und auf die nächsten Schritte vorzubereiten. Das verbleibende Wasser brauchen Sie nicht mehr.

Je nach Größe Ihres Gaiwans, sollten Sie die richtige Menge an Blättern verwenden, damit es genug Platz für die Teeblätter gibt, sich vollständig zu öffnen und ihre maximalen Aromen abzugeben. Füllen Sie den Gaiwan nur bis etwa 80% mit siedendem Wasser, gefüllt, damit der Gaiwan nicht zu heiß wird und noch problemlos hantiert werden kann. Da die Blätter so delikat sind, würde ich empfehlen, das siedende Wasser direkt auf die Blätter zu gießen. Das siedende Wasser sollte idealerweise auf die Wände des Gaiwans gegossen werden, bevor es in Kontakt mit den Blättern kommt. Darüber hinaus verwendet man einen Gaiwan aus dünnem Porzellan, damit die Wärme abgeführt werden kann.

 Falls sich Luftblasen auf der Oberfläche ansammeln, drücken Sie sie vorsichtig mit dem Deckel zum Außenrand des Gaiwans, bevor Sie den Deckel aufsetzen. Da die Blätter sich bereits in getrockneter Form schnell öffnen, zieht der Tee schnell. Als Leitfaden gebe ich 40 Sekunden an, aber auch hier gelten keine festen Regeln.

Dall Ergebnis ist ein Tee in einer hellen, orangenen Farbe. Der Tee duftet herbstlich und schmeckt sehr süß, mit einem noch süßeren Nachgeschmack.

Article in English: How to prepare white tea - silver needles

Teaware

Hongni (red clay) yixing teapot 1970s, 380 USD

We ship worldwide. How to order? 
 Email: missteadelight@gmail.com

Floral and fauna pewter saucers, set of five

Teapot
- Hongni (red clay) yixing teapot 1970s

 Tea cups

- Celadon tea cups

- Crafted glazed Korean ceramic cups

 

Sakura-shaped Kyoware, set of three, 21 USD

Saucers

- A pair of sun and moon Yixing saucers 

- Sakura-shaped saucers, Kyoware
- Floral and fauna pewter saucers, set of five

Multi-purpose giant tea cloth in wave design (Measures ~ 120 by 200 cm)

Tea display plates

- Sea green porcelain tea plate  
- Ivory white tea display plate in leaf design
 

Pewter tea display plate, made in the 1970s-80s, 19 USD each

Water/ tea bowls and tea boats
- Handmade craquelure blush chawan with a two-toned peach and beige coloured glaze 
- Waste water/ cup rinsing bowl from Lin's ceramic studio 
- Japanese dark green teaboat with painted scene
- Double fish celadon tea boat

Tropical colours absorbent tea cloth, 19 USD each

Chaxi accessories  
- Kimono silk tea cloth in silver grey or gold weaving (Measures ~ 65 by 9.7 cm)
- Hand-painted tropical colours absorbent tea cloth (Measures ~ 34 by 103 cm) 

Waste water bowl

A touch of Antiquity 
- Watch this space!

How to prepare white tea - silver needles 白毫银针

White tea is one of the least oxidised teas in the whole spectrum of tea types. Grown and harvested almost exclusively in the Fujian province of China, white tea is the product of the most delicate buds and young leaves of the Camellia sinesis plant. Only those young tea leaves with much fine hair (pekoe) are plucked to produce good-quality white tea with lots of pekoe.

The processing steps involved in manufacturing white tea are relatively simple as compared to other types of tea. The leaves are allowed to wither under the sun before they are air dried to prevent further oxidation. This is why white tea is very rich in antioxidants.

 To brew this tea, you will need:
1. a porcelain gaiwan, 2. high quality white tea from a trusted vendor, 3. tea cups, to enjoy the beautiful colours of a white tea infusion. When at work, I usually would drink form the gaiwan without these "frills".

Preheating the gaiwan is always recommended to ensure an optimum brew. After preheating your gaiwan, pour some of the hot water into your cups to warm them as you get ready for the next few steps. Discard the remaining used water.

Depending on the size of your gaiwan, the right amount of leaves should allow enough room for the tea leaves to open fully to release their maximum flavours. Add boiling water to just about 80% full so that the gaiwan will not be too hot to handle after the infusion. As these are delicate leaves, I do not recommend pouring hot water directly onto the leaves. The hot water should ideally hit the walls of the gaiwan first before coming into contact with the leaves. In addition, a thin-walled porcelain gaiwan is used to help diffuse the heat.

If you find bubbles accumulating on the surface, gently push them to the sides of the gaiwan with its lid before replacing the lid. As they are rather open leaves already in their dried form, infusion time is short. To quantify, I would say, approximately 40 seconds. No hard and fast rules apply here.

The infusion is light tangerine in colour. The tea smells beautifully of autumn leaves and tastes very sweet with an even sweeter aftertaste.

Blogeintrag auf Deutsch: Wie man weißen Tee aus Silber-Nadeln bereitet

Lu Xun's thoughts about tea

"Lu Xun (鲁迅) was the name that Zhou Shuren (周树人) wrote under in as a major force in early 20th Century Chinese culture. Born in 1881, he is often considered the founder of modern Chinese literature as a writer of fiction, poetry, criticism and essays."

What I like here is his down-to-earth attitude towards tea as a beverage and a part of his daily routine. Tea to him is a pursuit of respect for nature and simplicity. In this poem, he briefly concluded one of his tea brewing experiences and found the gaiwan to be the most suitable vessel for brewing quality tea leaves. "The infusion is clear and sweet, lightly fragrant with a hint of bitter sweetness."