Teaware facts for kids

English teaware, perfect for a tea party!

A beautiful Chawan (tea bowl) from ancient China, used for tea ceremonies.

Teaware is all the cool stuff you use to make and drink tea! Think of it as a special collection of tools and dishes. What kind of teaware you use depends on the type of tea you're making and where you are in the world. For example, a tea ceremony uses very specific items and is super important in many cultures, especially in places like Europe and East Asia. When you have a full set of matching teaware, it's called a tea set.

What is Teaware Made Of?

Teaware can be made from many different materials. In Japan, you might find teapots made of iron. In China, porcelain and clay are very popular. You can also find teaware made from bamboo and other woods. Some of the most famous teapots come from Yixing in eastern China. These are called Yixing clay teapots and are known for their special clay. Another famous teapot, the Brown Betty, was first made from red clay found in Britain.

Main Parts of a Tea Set

Here are some of the most common items you'll find in a tea set:

Teaware (often part of a Tea set)

	Teapot	This is where you put the tea leaves and hot water to make the tea.
	Tea kettle	You use this to boil the water before you pour it into the teapot.
	Teacup	These are the small cups you drink your hot tea from after it's ready. There are many different kinds of tea cups!
	Tea tray	This helps you carry all your teaware. It also catches any spills so your table stays clean.
	Tea strainer	This little tool helps you take out the tea leaves from your tea so you don't drink them.
	Tea ball (infuser)	This is a small metal ball or basket that holds tea leaves while they steep in the water. You can easily take it out when your tea is ready.
	Tea bag	A tea bag is another way to hold tea leaves in the water, just like a tea ball.
	Teabag holder / coaster	This is a small dish or mat where you can put your used tea bag or tea ball.
	Tea caddy	This is a special container used to store your tea leaves and keep them fresh.
	Tea cosy	This is a knitted cover that you put over your teapot to keep the tea warm after it's made.

Other Teaware Items

Sometimes, people use different items instead of traditional teacups, like a Mug or a Coffee cup. In East Asia, you might see a Chawan, which is a special tea bowl. For matcha (a type of green tea), a Chaki is used to hold the tea powder. There are also many Japanese tea utensils used in their tea ceremonies, and a Tea draining tray is often used for the Chinese Gongfu tea ceremony.

Ancient Tea Sets

People have been enjoying tea for a very long time, and they've always had special tools for it!

Lu Yu's Tea Set

A brazier, like the one Lu Yu might have used to boil water for tea.

The Classic of Tea|Lu Yu was a very famous Chinese writer who lived a long time ago (in the 8th century). He wrote a book called The Classic of Tea, which describes how to make tea and what tools you need. Here are some of the items he mentioned:

The Twelve Tea Pieces for the Elderly

Beautiful Song Dynasty Chinese teaware, showing some of the tools used long ago.

Another ancient list of tea tools comes from a writer known as "Shen An Laoren" (meaning "the elderly" or "old man Shen An"). He also described 12 important tea pieces:

1. Brazier (風爐)
2. Crushing block (砧椎)
3. Crushing roller (碾)
4. Stone mill (石磨) - for grinding tea
5. Gourd scooper (瓢)
6. Sieve box (羅合)
7. Brush (札)
8. Bowl basket (畚)
9. Bowl (碗)
10. Water vessel (水方)
11. Tea whisk (茶筅) - for mixing tea
12. Tea cloth (巾)

You might notice that many of these items are similar to what Lu Yu mentioned! The stone mill and tea whisk were two new items on this list that Lu Yu didn't include in his famous book.