Tea Time Treasures: A Sweet Starter Guide to Practical Tea Utensils

1. Teapot: The primary function of a teapot is to brew tea. For beginners, a small teapot is recommended as it's less likely to cause burns. You can also choose a gaiwan or a purple clay teapot.
2. Tasting Tea Cups: These are used for enjoying the tea and typically come in sets including a host cup and guest cups.
3. Scent Cups: Scent cups are similar in size to tasting cups and are used to appreciate the aroma of the tea. They are usually made of porcelain with a taller design to better capture and retain the fragrance.
4. Tea Pitcher(Fair Cup): A pitcher is used to ensure the tea's consistency and to make pouring easier. If you're worried about the cup being too hot, choose one with a handle. A spout shaped like an eagle's beak is ideal for smooth pouring.
   How to Use: After brewing the tea in the teapot, pour the tea into the fair cup, often through a filter to catch any tea leaves. The size of the fair cup should match the number of people drinking tea. For larger groups, use a bigger fair cup to hold tea from multiple brews. For smaller groups, a smaller fair cup ensures the tea doesn’t become bitter from over-brewing.
5. Tea Container: It's recommended to place a sealed bag inside the container to keep out odors and moisture. Store the tea container in a cool, dry place. Avoid tin canisters with visible weld seams, as the solder might leave an odor that can mix with the tea.
6. Teapot Stand: A teapot stand prevents the teapot from sitting in water for too long and helps keep the tea area clean and organized, especially when using the dry brewing method.
7. Kettle: A kettle is used to boil water for brewing tea. Nowadays, glass kettles are quite popular.
8. Tea Scoop: The tea scoop is used to measure the right amount of tea leaves, ensuring accuracy. It's usually made of bamboo or wood and is used to transfer tea leaves from the canister to the teapot.
9. Tea Tweezers: Tea tweezers are used to remove tea residue from the teapot and can also be used to hold cups while rinsing them, keeping everything clean and preventing burns.
10. Tea Strainer: The tea strainer, often a small round funnel, is placed on the teapot's mouth to catch any tea leaves when pouring the tea.

Tools to Avoid (As a beginner!!)

1. Tea Tray: While a tea tray can hold various tea accessories and offer heat insulation and drainage, it tends to be bulky.
2. High Tea Cups: Tall, slender tea cups look elegant but are less stable and prone to tipping over. Shorter cups are more practical.
3. Tea Ceremony Tool Decoration: tea canisters, tea scoops, tea tweezers, tea spoons, tea needles, and tea strainers. These tools often have overlapping functions and, if you're not familiar with how to use them, they might end up gathering dust.

Key Takeaways

When buying tea utensils as a beginner, prioritize convenience and enjoyment. You don't need overly specialized tools right away. Choose tea utensils you genuinely like, otherwise, they might end up unused. Honestly, the simplest and most practical setup is just a teapot and a cup. This is all you need to start your journey into the world of tea.