Kung Fu Cha Teapots - A Chinese New Year Discussion

Kung Hei Fa Choi and Happy Chinese Tiger Year!

All the best Chinese wishes to all of you and your family!

During the New Year celebrations here, my friends and I had a discussion about teapots.

In particular, the question that was asked was:

Why do people collect so many different pots for tea making?

And here's the answers that unfolded:

· The most obvious perhaps: because people appreciate the beauty in teapots, the fine craftsmanship, the aesthetic beauty which complements their home and lifestyle.

· Different materials lead to different performance. If we make the very same tea, with pots from different materials, the taste will be different.

· The shape of the teapot can also affect the taste. Different shaped pots even though made with the same material can still effect different taste.

· The very same pot (same batch product), used versus unused will produce different tastes.

· Of course the aged tea pot in general will be much better than new pots for tea making.

· China produces so many different types of tea, and different kinds of teapots. Allowing for each individual's taste, and preference, and our understanding of how taste can vary depending on the kind of teapot, we can begin to understand the nature of the tea lover, ever-exploring, trying new teas, and in the process trying and buying new pots. There is a real happiness that can be achieved if one follows the path of tea lover and explorer!

For more discussion, drop me an email at george@kungfucha.net  : )

And coming soon, I will share photographs of "How a Teapot changes over time with use". Interested!? Come back to visit us soon!

Cheers,

George