Is Teaware Important?

Is Teaware Important?

In traditional Chinese tea culture, there is no aspect of the tea service that goes unnoticed…

From the water temperature, to the amount of tea leaves, and even to the type of vessel used to steep the tea… 

Each component is carefully considered and chosen. 

So this begs the question: What type of teaware should we use?

Every type of tea is different and unique. So really this is determined by your own preference and intuition. 

However if you’re looking for a good place to start, here are some general guidelines: 

• Porcelain Teaware is an excellent choice for ANY type of tea. Whether the porcelain is glazed or unglazed, it doesn’t strongly influence the taste of your tea. Because it’s essentially non-porous, it’s very easy to clean.It has good heat retention and is always a great choice if you’re unsure. 
  

• Glass Teaware is another excellent choice for ANY tea. It also doesn’t impact the taste of your tea. It’s also very easy to observe the tea and determine the right steeping time visually. Therefore this is a great choice if you’re a beginner to steeping tea. Additionally it’s very easy to clean and won’t stain easily. The downside is that it has the least heat retention, so it’s less ideal for higher oxidized teas.

• Unglazed Clay Teaware will influence the taste of your tea. This teaware is porous and over time will continue to change and improve with time. Some popular Chinese clay types are Yixing, Nixing, Chaozhou, Jianshui, and others. These are typically reserved for more oxidized types of teas, like oolongs, red teas, hei chas and others. Additionally the high heat retention makes it a great choice for higher oxidized teas which require a higher water temperature. These are arguably the best choice for higher oxidized teas, but because of the porosity, they should be devoted to a single type of tea. 

So to summarize… 

If you’ve got a variety of different types of tea and/or you’re a beginner to steeping tea…

Porcelain and glass are the best options and the most versatile. 

I hope this answers some questions, and feel free to reply to this email to let us know what you’d like to hear more of. 

Talk soon, 

P.S. Are you in need of any teaware? 

>>>Click here to see our selection of glass and porcelain teaware