Tea Ware

The vessel changes how a tea brews. Compare gaiwan, Yixing clay, glass and porcelain pots, and learn which suits green, oolong and black tea.

A gaiwan gives fast control and shows the leaf; a teapot holds heat and suits larger groups. Compare both by tea type, skill and convenience.

A tea tray catches waste water and holds the session together. Sizes, materials and drainage, and whether a beginner needs one at all.

The tea ware a beginner needs is three things and a scale. What to buy first, and what a boxed set sells you that you will never use.

Cup shape, wall thickness and material change what you taste. Why thin porcelain suits most tea, when a thick wall helps, and which cups to skip.

Yixing（宜兴）pots are unglazed clay pots from Jiangsu, seasoned to one category of tea. What the clay does, and what to avoid when buying one.