How important is your teaware collection and what does it bring to your tea sessions?

I have 2 yixing pots, 2 ru porcelain pots (200ml), a few gaiwans, and 2 ceramic teapots (450ml) from Zero Japan. that is all. bought a few small teacups at a local Chinese shop, use them quite often. Rest of my teaware is ‘normal’ (teaglass, mugs in all shapes and sizes…. and teacups I brought back from England. And some bright coloured, hand-painted mugs from my kids that i cherish

I love brewing gong-fu.

I can’t begin to explain how big a role the teaware plays in the way we drink tea. Sure I drink tea in a glass cup grandpa style sometimes, but its nothing like brewing gong-fu with my two other partners of our company. A lot of decisions surrounding our company had even been made sat around a bamboo gong-fu tea table (quite possibly tea-drunk) and the CEO doing the honors serving from a custom-made Yixing clay pot.

To sum up, its like a nice Burgundy glass for a Pinot Noir, a copita nosing glass for a Scotch, a snifter for a Cognac etc.- tea deserves simple and purposeful teaware at least occasionally to really enjoy it :)

It’s not a vital thing, for me, but I do really enjoy drinking tea from either of my two very nice Gaiwans. Brewing with lots of leaf and doing lots of short infusions produces a style of tea that really suits me. Plus, the way you only produce small quantities and enjoy it slowly is also good – it helps me to relax and just enjoy some of the simpler things :-)

(For much the same reason, I’m looking to get 1 small Yixing pot. I’ve seen an affordable one in an appropriate style for the tea I’m aiming to use it with, so I may get it over the next month. It’s not just for the aesthetics – it’s about enjoying the tea and the tea-drinking experience.)

Of course, I’m still very attached to my beloved infuser basket and it will always be my go-to for black or white teas, or for when I’m travelling and need something quick/easy!

I have a mismatched white and blue tea cup collection. I follow the following self-imposed guidelines:
• no two cups should be the same
• vintage/ornate cups exist side by side with very modern/minimal cups
• they all have to be white and blue (the right kind of blue), and no other colors
• nothing should be very expensive

I completely agree with you, TheTeaFairy, that drinking tea in nice teaware does taste better!

I have a real hagi and raku problem! I also love the beauty of imperfections or ugliness. Some of the pieces that I think are the most gorgeous are ones that others would find ugly. I love the feel and weight of those pieces in my hands and also the feel of the grooves and bumps while I drink the tea.

I definitely agree with MissLena, I find gongfu sessions very relaxing. To me, they make me slow down and appreciate the tea, no matter what else is going on.

I have a lot of different pieces for a lot of different purposes, so much so that I pretty much use teawares as decorations in every room in my house but will take the piece off of display to drink from it.

We have a household collection of interesting mugs and I have a few favorites, but since I’m the only tea drinker my main “teaware” consists of my favorite tea-ball for home and my travel thermos (with steeping basket) for commutes. They’re both simple, but going through the steps of making tea-for-one is a relaxing way to start the morning and I don’t really need anything fancier.

(Although there is a teapot around somewhere that mainly gets used when my sibling visits.)

I have a cute elephant-shaped teapot and more mugs than any person should own. I love collecting them when I go on trips. I also got a lot as gifts at my tea-themed surprise bridal shower during the summer (I have the nicest friends). My collection is nothing too sophisticated, but it makes the tea drinking experience a very happy one.

For me, the only tea dependent on it’s wares is matcha. I cannot drink matcha unless I’ve got an appropriate chawan for it. sighs I actually haven’t had a bowl of matcha since my last chawan (shallow white summer bowl) was broken.

SO, no usucha for me until I meet some new chawans. I’ve been looking, but haven’t found anything that feels right in the hand yet.

For all other teas I enjoy the ritual and the indulgence of specialty wares, but am just as likely to drink and enjoy the tea grandpa style or standard western style. The only thing I insist on is that the leaves have room. No infusers things for me.

Well. Teaware. Yeah. I might have a wee problem there. Enabling Fairies and Hobbits and Sasrys.

But yes, I think it most definitely enhances the teas experience and beautiful teaware makes my heart happy.

When I see photos on here of the beautiful teapots, cups and setups, I just love it. I do enjoy tea in my yixing, small porcelain pots , and my fancy cups. Most times however, it’s just me and my mug with the stainless steel infuser. Life is busy and pulling out teapots all the time means more dishes, more clean up, more time to have tea (which I don’t always have).