To brew tea, one glass or a simple bowl is fully sufficient, but not all of us are wandering monks without any possessions. Preparing tea can be made easier and more enjoyable with various accessories! Most of these items are optional, yet each one is useful in its own way. I have described only traditional Chinese utensils, so you won’t find a stopwatch, thermos, thermometer, or scale on the list, nor even a speaker to play the famous “Dialogue of Fisherman and Woodcutter” performed by Master Lin Youren — something, in my opinion, essential.
茶盘Chapan (tea tray) – this is the stage where the tea brewing performance takes place. The tray, most often wooden, conceals beneath it a basin into which all the poured and spilled water can drain. If we want to brew tea multiple times, cooling the water, warming the ceramics, and pouring the infusion between vessels, the chapan becomes essential. This item is not only practical, but it also provides context, uniting all the objects into one tea landscape and defining its boundaries.
茶船 Chachuan (tea boat) – the ceramic equivalent of a tea tray, a round bowl with a pedestal that elevates the vessels above the spilled water. It serves the same function as a chapan but is significantly smaller—holding only the teapot, sometimes also tiny cups. Therefore, it is suitable for a more minimalist approach, allowing for the elegant preparation of tea with more delicate movements, without splashing water everywhere.
茶杯 Chabei (teacup) – cups can have a variety of shapes and forms. In tall and narrow ones, the tea smells more distinctly, while in wide and shallow ones, it cools down more quickly. Small cups can serve a larger group of people, while larger ones allow the tea to warm the entire throat. Regardless of the size, it is said that a cup should be emptied in three sips: the first sip for the mind, the second sip for the body, and the third sip for the soul.
茶碗 Chawan (tea bowl) – differs from a cup in size. A cup can be held with three fingers, while a chawan takes up the entire hand—often grasped with both. A chawan is already suitable for brewing tea: no need for pouring! Just add the leaves, pour in the water, and drink. Let your teeth or lips act as the strainer.
茶壺 Chahu (teapot) – one can talk about teapots for hours. Their material, age, shape, size, and even the experiences they’ve been through influence the taste of the tea. The teapot sets the rhythm for everything, deciding the character of the tea session. It is the most central element of the tea stage, the beating heart of the ceremony.
盖碗 Gaiwan (lidded bowl) – instead of a teapot, you can use a more versatile vessel—a bowl with a lid, which tilts gently downwards during pouring so that the infusion can flow out, leaving the leaves inside. Gaiwans are famous for burning beginners’ fingers! The correct grip solves this problem—you can hold the gaiwan with the whole hand, thumb on the top of the lid, and the rest of the hand on the base, or hold it with three fingers, thumb and middle finger gripping the edges of the walls, and bent index finger holding the lid.
茶海 Chahai (sea of tea) – a glass or ceramic pitcher, also known as the “fairness cup” (Gongdaobei). It allows for an even distribution of the tea’s strength: if pouring directly from the teapot into cups, the first person would receive a milder tea than the last. It is also useful for cooling water and—if it is glass—enables the shared appreciation of the infusion.
茶荷 Chahe (lotus for tea presentation) – a ceramic dish in the shape of a flower, used for displaying tea leaves. The white porcelain highlights their beauty, accentuating every detail.
茶布 Chabu (tea cloth) or 桌布zhoubu – if tea has a landscape, then chabu is its grass. This long and beautiful fabric unfolds on the ground, rocks, or table to place the chapan and cups on, or—in the case of “dry brewing”—all items, preferably on appropriate coasters. The chabu lends otherworldly reverence to tea, elevating the act of it’s drinking to the realm of festive ceremony. It reliably introduces neatness, gravity, order, and focus. Another variation of zhoubu is 桌旗 zhouqi, an elegant narrow strip of fabric running through the middle of the table.
杯垫 Beidian (tea cup coaster) – coasters not only protect tables from tea stains but also organize the space—thanks to them, everyone knows where to place their cup. When setting it down, we feel and hear the nature of the material: clay, bamboo, wood, and metal provide entirely different experiences!
茶巾 Chajin (tea towel) – everyone spills tea! For practical reasons, tea towels are most often dark in color.
This is only the first part, there are twomore surprisingparts ahead. I wrote this article in March 2021, I am uploading it now, after more than two years. I promise you won’t have to wait so long for the next parts!
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