There is a wide variety of tea types around the world, and drinking tea is all about achieving a perfect balance of color, fragrance, and taste. The type of teaware used also has an impact on the tea-drinking experience.
When it comes to teaware, there are many options available, including ceramic, porcelain, glass, metal, jade, wood, and more! However, the most commonly used are glass cups and ceramic cups!
The History of Teacup
According to many historical materials and physical evidence, tea sets first appeared in China during the Han Dynasty. Although the original stone glass appeared in West Asia, North Africa, and other regions about 4,000 years ago, it was not used for drinking tea.
By the Tang Dynasty, tea had become a daily beverage for Chinese people, and more attention was paid to the taste of tea drinking. Tea sets became indispensable utensils.
In the Qing Dynasty, porcelain and purple clay pot were the main situation, and the types of tea sets had made great progress. In this period, Chinese tea sets were introduced into Europe one after another.
Up to now with the development of science and technology, there are more and more kinds of tea sets.
The Effect of Material on Tea Temperature and Aroma
Ceramic cups are made of clay fired at high temperatures, have high density, and have poor thermal conductivity, which helps slow down heat loss. Narrow mouth design to reduce heat loss, suitable for slow tea. The pore structure of the cup body absorbs and slowly releases the tea aroma, and the tea aroma gradually increases with the increase of use time. The thermal insulation effect also prolongs the volatilization time of tea aroma and avoids rapid loss.
The glass has high light transmittance, which can clearly observe the tea spread and the color of the tea soup. It is suitable for green tea, silver needle, and other ornamental teas. However, due to the thin wall of the cup and small heat capacity, the heat is easy to radiate through the mouth of the cup or lose through hand contact. Fast cooling may weaken the tea taste, and the low temperature inhibits the volatilizing of the aroma.
Tea Drinking Guide
Ceramic cups are usually suitable for most types of tea, such as black tea, green tea, oolong tea, etc., and can maintain the taste and temperature of the tea well. Ceramic cups fired at high temperatures have strong durability, but poor-quality products may have the risk of poor thermal shock and easy hidden cracking. Glazed cups should be washed in time, and breathable materials such as purple sand need to be regularly and deeply removed to avoid tea dirt affecting the taste. It can be optimized for different kinds of tea - fermented tea is suitable for coarse pottery micro-oxidation soft tea soup, and high-flavor oolong tea is preferred to white porcelain lock fragrance and fresh.
With its high light transmission and flawless clarity, the glass has become the preferred carrier for ornamental tea drinks, especially for white tea, jasmine tea and cold brew green tea, which pay attention to visual aesthetics. The transparent wall of the glass completely presents the graceful posture of bud and leaf spreading. With the cold brewing process, the volatile substances of fruit and fruit aroma can be locked synchronously, while avoiding the cloudy color caused by the accelerated oxidation of tea polyphenols at high temperature. For the hot drink scene, it is recommended to choose high borosilicate heat-resistant glass, which can not only appreciate the phenomenon of green tea buds dancing in 80℃ water, but also reduce the heat loss through the double-layer vacuum structure, taking into account aesthetic expression and practical functions.
How to Choose the Size of the Teacup Mouth?
First of all, we should know that the mouth shape of the teacup and the aroma of the tea are related. Different mouth shapes will affect the contact area of the tea soup and the air, thus affecting the aroma of the tea.
Generally speaking, the mouth shape of a teacup can be divided into the following types:
1. Large cup: The caliber of this tea cup is much larger than the bottom, which can allow the tea soup to fully contact the air,suitable for drinking semi-fermented or post-fermented tea such as oolong tea, Pu 'er tea, because the large cup can promote the oxidation and fermentation of the tea, thus enhancing the aroma and taste of the tea soup.
2. Medium cup: The caliber of this tea cup is not much different from the bottom, it can make the tea soup maintain a moderate contact area, suitable for drinking black tea, black tea and other fragrant tea, because the medium cup can maintain the temperature and aroma of the tea soup, so that you feel the mellow and sweet of the tea.
3. Small cup: The caliber of this tea cup is smaller than the bottom, which can reduce the contact between the tea and the air, suitable for drinking green tea, white tea and other fragrant tea, because the small cup can retain the fragrance and refreshing of the tea.
Tea Ware Guide: Six Key Steps to Brew Tea Like a Pro
1.Warm cup: First boil a pot of boiling water, and then wash the tea set with boiling water, the purpose is to health and clean, while preheating the tea set, make the tea taste more fragrant, pour the boiling water into each cup, and then pour the water.
2. Adding Tea Leaves: Place the dry tea leaves into the vessel (gaiwan, glass cup, or teapot). Pay attention to the amount of tea used, as different types of tea require different amounts.
3.Wake up tea: some pressed tea needs to be washed first to make water fully contact with tea, wash tea speed should be fast, and then quickly pour water, black tea, green tea, new white tea, yellow tea can not wash tea.
4. Brewing: Pour water in a continuous motion, moving up and down three times—this technique is known as the "Phoenix Three Nods." The swirling water helps release the tea's aroma. Ensure the water flow remains steady without interruption. Different types of tea require different pouring techniques.
5. Pouring the Tea: First, slightly open the lid at an angle and then close it firmly. Hold the teapot at a 90-degree angle, relax your arm, and pour out the tea smoothly. Once most of the tea has been poured, perform a final tilt to release any remaining tea, preventing over-steeping and bitterness.
6. Dividing tea: The Chinese pay attention to "the wine should be full, the tea pour seven points", so the general tea pour only seven points full, the tea pour is low, that is, the spout is close to the rim of the cup, one is to prevent the tea from cooling too fast, the second is to prevent the fragrance from dissipating.
