Samovar Style

For this piece I tapped into my Soviet roots and made a Samovar inspired tea set.  For those unfamiliar with the Russian style of drinking tea, a Samovar is a large vessel that keeps water hot and is paired with a teapot where the leaves are left to steep for a long time.  The over-steeped tea is called the zavarka.  You add a bit of tea from the zavarka to your cup and the rest is filled with water from the kettle to taste.  Usually it looks something like this:

And mine looks like this:

One-Handed Gaiwan

My next ceramic piece was inspired while having some tea and reading a book.  I chose a porcelain gaiwan for my drinking vessel, however gaiwans are meant to be used with two hands and I wanted one free hand for reading.  I tried to use the gaiwan with just one hand, but it was less than ideal as it wasn't really made to be used that way.  So I decided to go to the studio and make one that was.

Tripot

My newest finished piece is a 'tripot'.  Inspired from a design by product designer Matthew Pauk, it is a three-legged pot that allows for space underneath to place a tea candle for keeping the tea hot. 

A New Hobby

Last October I decided to take a pottery class at Japanese run Overland Club.  They offer open-ended lessons where the student decides what they want to work on, and the sensei helps only as much or as little as needed.  After completing my first teapot, I was in love:

How to Shop for a Tea-Lover

Tea makes a fantastic gift for birthdays and holidays for just about anybody, but if you're shopping for a self-proclaimed tea-lover (teaist, tea connoisseur, tea hobbyist, tea master, etc.)  then the choice to buy them tea can be a bit risky, especially if you know less about tea than they do.  The last thing you want to do is buy a gift that remains tucked away in a cupboard, unused and growing stale.

As a tea vendor, some of my 'favourite' questions gift-shopping customers have asked me include, "What's a really good tea?" and "What should I get someone who likes tea?"  Even if the person you're shopping for 'loves' tea it doesn't mean that they like the same tea as I do.  Don't let this dissuade you, one of the reasons why we love the ceremony of gift-giving is to see our loved ones smile when they get something that they really, really like.  With just a little bit of effort (and some help from our guide) you can get the perfect tea gift.  Here's how.

Breaking the Rules

Preparing your tea with the right amount of leaf, temperature and time is paramount to making a good pot of tea.  Using appropriate teaware can also help shape the tea's flavour to perfection.  But this post isn't about following established traditions and etiquette, it's about breaking them.  Below are four methods of making your tea that your sensei or shifu won't teach you. 

My Apologies for the Instagrams

I keep forgetting to bring my DSLR to the tea room with me.  As a result, the only pics I have are ones taken with Instagram on my ipod or Daphne's iphone.  I have to admit, it's an addictive app for taking pictures.

Our menu and catalogue (as you can see, I can't agree on which spelling I prefer) posing with a cup of Wild Purple tea:

You can't quite see here, but there is a little boy squatting in front of our fish pond and stealing our goldfish with a plastic cup.  There's plenty of fish in there, so I think we can let this slide:

Daphne, editing and translating a big project while sipping on a pot of Gyokuro Hoshino.  The Instagram filter doesn't do either of them justice:

Precariously balancing glass teaware filled with Yunnan Gold Buds on rocks for the sake of good photography:

I'll try to get over my Instagram addiction and bring my DSLR next time.  I'll try.