Starter Gongfu Tea Set
This is an affordable tea set for beginning tea lovers. It includes all the essential items for Gongfu style or regular tea drinking. This is also a superior Yixing clay tea set that combines art with practical usage. For centuries, the aesthetic Yixing teawares are known to be the best vessel for brewing tea. They are famous at home and abroad.
With continued usage the porous and unglazed teawares will absorb the aroma and flavors of your tea. It is said that if you use a Yixing teapot for many years, you can brew tea by just pouring boiling water into the empty pot. The exceptionally strong purple clay pottery will also increases in luster and color with repeated use. They have the ability to withstand high temperatures and are slow to conduct heat; therefore, the handle remains comfortably cool even when pouring very hot tea.
These items are smaller than modern teapots and teacups because the tradition Chinese tea preparation method consists of many servings from one tea sitting. The entire contents of each brew can be quickly emptied after each infusion. This assures that the tea is served without the bitterness that may occur when tea leaves are left to steep too long. This tea set includes: brewing teapot (150ml or 5.1 fl oz), pouring teapot (150ml or 5.1 fl oz), 6 aroma cups (1.5" dia, 2" height), 6 drinking cups (2.25" dia, 1.75" height), and 1 preparation tray (8 3/4" x 5 x 1 1/2").
You cannot be a tea connoisseur without owning this item in your collection. We have made this luxurious tea set affordable for most tea lovers. Comes ready in a gift box lined with satin.
Produced from CNCA-certified factories, meets FDA standards.
Related items:
• Click here for a tea utensil kit.
• Click here for additional gongfu tea trays.
I do not have an appropriate strainer..
It came in a large briefcase with custom foam inserts, which was also impressive. However, the case was made so cheaply that it made the tea set seem chintzy at first. Once I got it out, though, it was very adorable and useable.
Some of the other reviews complain about how small the cups are, but that's the way traditional Gongfu tea sets are. It came with instructions on how to season the tea set (which was very easy), and how to perform a traditional Gongfu tea ceremony.
This is definitely a starter set. I plan on gradually replacing each component of this set over time, but it's a great way to start learning about the art of Gongfu tea preparation.
If you think you might use all six place settings at once, I recommend purchasing a larger tray as the tray that comes with it can only serve 2 or 3 at a time.
One last thing: the teapot is normally supposed to be able to sit upside down in the vessel to allow excess tea to drain out so as not to ruin the leaves for a second steeping. I found that this teapot does not do this well: the lid slides down and falls off, and the teapot itself hangs too low inside the vessel so that it touches the tea. I'm very glad I purchased the tools to go with this, or else I wouldn't have the funnel/bowl it comes with to remedy this situation.
