Lindsay said

What is this?

Ok, so I inherited this super cute little tea set from my grandmother. It has been sitting on a shelf since I got it, and I suspect she also never used it. She liked to travel, so she might have picked it up during her travels at some point. Here’s a picture:
http://imgur.com/71GL4Ee

I included the pen for scale to show how little it is. The cups, if you fill them right to the almost-overflowing, hold about 2 tbsp (60ml). The teapot holds about 10-11 tbsp (150-165ml).

Searching online for tiny tea sets brings up some links to children’s tea sets, so I’m wondering if that is what this is. Or are some asian tea sets normally this tiny? I’m also wondering if I could use this to experiment with gongfu style brewing.

Any thoughts? :)

10 Replies
Inkling said

I have no idea what it’s for, but it sure is adorable! What a fun family treasure! :)

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That definitely looks like it can work for gong fu brewing. I would just make sure I’d have a cha hai to go along with it. Very nice.

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Cwyn said

The cups are tasting cup size. I would say the pot could be used with aged oolong, the tea would be very strong so the small cups would be plenty as water is added to freshen the brew.

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Dexter said

It’s beautiful!!!

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Family mystery! My vote is that it was used as a doll set, whether or not the set was intended as such. But that’s just me guessing. It’s entirely possible it’s “real”. I think what happened is that your grandmother went on a grand adventure and got mixed up in a scifi adventure that included a shrink ray and priceless artifacts stored in a portable curiosity box.

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CherryJam said

I have been served green (or jasmine) tea in small cups like this at yum cha restaurants. Looks too good to be a children’s toy tea set.

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AllanK said

It looks like a small Chinese gongfu teaset. The shape of the pot is familiar and used by the Chinese. I have a pot with the same shape, different design though. I would wager it is a small teaset designed for gongfu tea, not a children’s teaset. Look at the similarites to this one.
http://instagram.com/p/sdZWVxzDR0/?modal=true
Both pots are the same shape and same size. Definitely for gongfu tea. Now you can brew gongfu style.

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Angrboda said

Don’t rule out that could be a children’s play-set just because it appears to be made out of china. As a child my mum had toy cups, saucers and plates all made of china. Gold rim and everything. I played with it at my grandparents’ house as well when I was little. I would serve “coffee” (cola) in it sometimes. Wasn’t always allowed due to the washing up. Unfortunately nobody knows what has become of it. We think they forgot it in the loft when they sold that house. Anyway, it’s entirely possible that Chinese children could have miniature gong-fu sets to play with. Toys weren’t always made of plastic and this might be quite old.

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When I was a tiny thing I also had a super fancy tiny tea set like that (Mine had roses on it, would have preferred the blue :P ) my mom found it for me at a flea market and I loved it, it was missing a cup though!

You could also use it as a super fancy soy sauce set!

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Uniquity said

Like everyone else, I dunno if it was meant for kids or adults with gongfu brewing, but I say try it out for whichever suits you! I know sometimes people worry about the possibility of hazardous materials in teapots of unknown origin, but I don’t tend to be one of them so I would give it a go. As a kid, I always preferred glassware over plastic and mostly my family indulged me in it. I still feel that way, and realize that sometimes things get broken but life is too short not to enjoy precious things.

I frequently ate ice cream and sorbet from a wine glass as a kid. Still do! :)

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