The Story of Tea

by Mary Lou Heiss

  ARTISTIC YIXING TEAPOTS

  Since the Song dynasty, artists have fashioned these simple teapots by hand from clay deposits found in the vicinity of the town of Yixing near Lake Tai in Jiangsu Province. These skillfully made unglazed small teapots represent one of China’s most practical art forms. Early clay teapots were slightly larger than later teapots, and at first their shapes were made into simple rounds or pots that featured geometric, faceted sides. Later, in the Ming and Qing dynasties, teapot artists began to make smaller teapots specifically for brewing oolong teas. The scholar class of tea literati delighted in these teapots, and artists fueled their interest by fashioning teapots that incorporated such nature themes as flowers, fruits, bamboo, and animals into their teapot designs. Over time different schools of teapot artists developed, just as landscape painters represented different schools of thought and technique.

  In the twenty-first century contemporary Chinese artists have turned back to spare, simple shapes that feature contour, texture, and a soft sheen finish. These artists are respecting tradition while elevating the teapots to a new level of sophistication. It is as Confucius said: “To search the old is to find the new.” Zisha clay is found in a range of natural earth tones—red, yellow, rose-brown, light brown, purple-red, and black—according to the earth pigments in the clay. Most teapots are rubbed with a piece of water buffalo horn to smooth and burnish the surface of the teapot both inside and out, and the pots are signed with the chop mark of the potter on the bottom of the teapot as well as on the lid.

  Two contemporary Yixing teapots (the green melon teapot and the Chinese bamboo steamer teapot) are featured with reproductions modeled after two famous Yixing teapots. The magnolia blossom teapot (the original is in the Falstaff House Museum of Tea Ware in Hong Kong) was made by the artist Shi Dabin who lived during the reign of the eighth Ming emperor Wanli (r. 1573–1620). The original version of the large bridge-handle Yixing teapot was excavated in a burial site in the twentieth century and thought to date from 1533, the time of the sixth Ming emperor Jiajing (r. 1522–1567).

  Despite their fragile appearance, Yixing teapots offer the user a practical tool for brewing tea. Zisha clay can tolerate near boiling water without cracking, the color of the teapot does not fade or change, and the clay does not impart or retain any odor. The lids fit tightly to expose the leaf to the beneficial heat and steam of the water. The surface of the teapots gain a fine patina with repeated use, and with careful handling, they will last a lifetime. Bear in mind that there are four levels of price for Yixing teapots, which are determined by the fame of the potter who made it, the intricacy of the design or style, the fineness of the clay, and the amount of surface smoothing and polishing the pot received.

  The first category is comprised of the largest production of clay teapots—the basic, simple wares that fetch about $10 to $15 in China. Next come the standard pots, also in the large production category but offering more style and flair, which range from $35 to $60. These are followed by the collectors’ pots, pieces crafted by well-known artists from traditional designs or modern interpretations, which can sell from $150 to $800 apiece. Finally, it is not uncommon in China to see antique teapots for sale, which can fetch prices of $3,000 and higher.

  But no matter the price, the purpose of a Yixing teapot is for steeping tea. When purchasing one of these teapots, look for a lid that fits snugly and for teapots that have a smooth finish inside and out. The intrigue with these clay teapots lies in the fact that over time the inside of the teapot begins to absorb the flavor of the tea brewed in it. Do as the Chinese do and reserve a different teapot for green tea and for oolong tea, and never use these teapots to brew scented or flavored tea such as Earl Grey or jasmine. It is not uncommon to see antique teapots that are fifty, eighty, even a hundred years old in Chinese shops that show no discernable ware or age marks.

  But please beware of new “yellow” clay teapots coming from China. These teapots are oversized and clunky, and the spiritual opposite of a graceful, timeless Yixing teapot. These faux teapots are popping up in shops in Chinatown in New York and San Francisco, and they usually appear in the shape of bamboo shoots or stalks of bamboo, dragons, or Chinese coins. Although they are interesting, they are clumsy and made from rough, crude clay that gives off a strong, unpleasant odor, which will taint the flavor of your tea. A true zisha teapot never adulterates the flavor or aroma of the tea, and the smooth, hard clay does not have a discernable aroma.

  Zisha teapots find their way into teapot collections around the world, and whether one purchases them here or in China, the choice of designs seems delightfully endless. If you find yourself in Hong Kong, be sure to visit the Flagstaff House Museum of Tea Wares. In addition to housing the K. S. Lo Collection of Yixing teapots that features historical antique teapots made by master potters, the museum has a terrific selection of tea books (most are in English and Chinese), gaiwans, teapots, wooden tea scoops, and many other intriguing tea accessories. Plan your visit as we did and after visiting the museum stop in next door at the teahouse for some tasty dim sum and a soothing pot of tea before heading back out onto the bustling streets of Hong Kong.

  GONG FU TEA SERVICE

  In China gong fu tea preparation fits the concept behind the name. It is a skillful, labor-intensive practice designed to allow tea drinkers to appreciate the prolonged flavor and distinctive aroma of fine oolong teas. The skill of the tea master preparing and dispensing the tea is also observed and appreciated. The roots of gong fu tea service began in Guangdong Province, close to the border with Fujian Province. Specifically designed for use with big leafy oolong teas, such as Fenghuang Don Cong, gong fu tea service is also performed in Yunnan for tasting costly, aged pu-erh tea, the perfect vehicle to showcase the broad dayeh leaf that these teas are made from.

  Gong fu uses small Yixing clay teapots to brew the tea, which is then dispensed into tiny clay cups. Small teapots and cups fulfill the Asian experience that allows tea drinkers to enjoy the changing flavor of the tea over the course of multiple infusions of the same leaf. Tall “aroma” cups are also used to capture the fragrance of these oolongs, which adds to the sensory appreciation of the tea by creating anticipation for the flavor that will follow. Depending on the type of leaf used, the number of infusions can be quite numerous. In Dali, Yunnan, we were treated to a gong fu tasting of an old pu-erh tea that yielded thirty flavorful infusions. By that time we had reached our limit of how much tea we could consume, but the leaf still had flavor to give.

  When performing gong fu, it is necessary to wash the cups and teapots for the guests while seated at the table with them. Gong fu tea trays or water catch basins are specifically designed to catch this overflow water and keep the water from spilling all over the table. Traditional gong fu tea sets come with a clay or ceramic washing bowl (cha chuan) as well as a round clay or ceramic platform that is fit with a removable water-draining plate, which rests on top. Modern gong fu sets utilize attractive and decorative wooden or bamboo draining trays that feature a built-in plastic slide-out tray for catching the wash water. Either way, one needs to have a way to pour hot water over the teapot and rinse the cups while seated.

  An elegantly carved wooden tea washing table arranged for a gaiwan-style tea tasting. The underside of the gaiwan lid captures the aroma of the tea and it is passed around from guest to guest in place of individual aroma cups.

  In addition, for gong fu tea service one also needs: one set of wooden tools for handling the wet and dry tea leaves, a tea measuring scoop, a tea presentation bowl for displaying the selected tea leaf and for guiding the tea into the teapot, a small Yixing teapot, a small strainer, a tea-dispensing pitcher for pouring the brewed tea, one tall narrow “aroma” cup (wen xiang bei) and a short wide “drinking” cup (cha bei) for each participant, and one little clay tray to hold the two cups for each guest.

  Conducting gong fu. All of the senses are engaged in gong fu, so it is essential to allow your guests to see and smell t
he dried tea leaf, to see and smell the wet tea leaf, and to smell and taste the brewed tea. And of course, for your guests to appreciate the skills of the tea master or host, gong fu is performed in front of your guests for their pleasure. Dexterity in executing the steps of gong fu is important to its concept and principle.

  Have your tea table set with all of the tools and equipment that you will need. As host, you will be sitting and the etiquette does not make allowances for getting up to fetch forgotten items. Once your guests are seated, the initial procedure requires that you prepare the cups, teapot, and tea-dispensing pitcher by washing them with hot water (to respectfully cleanse and purify them in anticipation of the tea) before your begin. Follow these steps when performing a gong fu tea service:

  Put the teapot into the clay tea boat and place all of the cups that you will need on the teapot platform (ideally four teacups and four aroma cups or fewer).

  Fill the teapot with hot water. Pour additional hot water over the outside of the covered teapot. Let the teapot sit in the water while you move on to washing the cups. Pour equal amounts of hot water into each of the aroma cups and drinking cups, allowing excess water to overflow and drain away.

  Using the tongs from the tool set, pick up the first cup by the lip and drain the water into the tea platform. Turn the cup sideways and roll the sides of the cup in the water in the second cup to wash the cup. Drain the water from the second cup and repeat the washing in the third cup. Repeat by washing the third cup in the fourth cup. After draining the water from the fourth cup, remove the teapot from the tea boat and set the teapot on a discretely folded tea towel to dry the bottom. Rinse the last cup with water from the teapot.

  In a similar manner rinse each of the aroma cups and the tea-dispensing pitcher.

  Scoop the necessary amount of oolong tea into the tea presentation bowl and show the tea to each of your guests, beginning with the most senior member. Initiate a short discussion about the tea and its origin and its expected virtues of flavor and style.

  Carefully slide the tea into the teapot with one of the tea tools (fill the teapot to approximately three-quarters capacity) and set the teapot back into the clay tea boat. Fill the pot to overflowing with hot water. Set the lid in place and pour the additional hot water over the teapot. Let the pot sit for about one minute.

  Lift the teapot from the bowl and set the teapot on a discretely folded tea towel to dry off the bottom. Lift the teapot and pour an equal amount of tea into each teacup. It is important to do this correctly: do not simply fill each cup one at a time. Rather, use a swift motion to quickly dispense the tea in a continuous stream by moving the teapot back and forth over all of the cups until the cups are filled equally and all of the tea has been dispensed from the pot. By doing so, the tea in each cup will taste the same; that is, no single cup will contain the weakest portion or strongest portion of tea, and the tea will all be the same temperature.

  Pick up each cup with the tongs and discard this first infusion of tea. This first infusion, known as “foot tea” in China, is only for rinsing and preparing the tea leaf. Fill the teapot again with hot water, pour the additional hot water over the covered teapot, and allow the tea to brew for one minute.

  Decant this second infusion of tea into the tea-dispensing pitcher or pour from the teapot into the tall aroma cups using the same decanting technique just described. After the aroma cups are filled, place the drinking cup over the top of the aroma cup and, while holding them tightly together, flip each set over so that the contents from the aroma cup drains into the drinking cup. Leave the cups in this position and place the cups on the individual trays and hand one to each of your guests.

  Invite your guests to carefully lift out the aroma cup and enjoy the delightful fragrance of the tea that lingers in the cup. After appreciating the tea’s perfume, the guests are invited to sip the tea from the drinking cups.

  Use this opportunity to discard the rinse water in your clay bowl; do this as discretely as possible and without a lot of fuss. (In China a bucket is kept under the table for this use.) After your guests have drunk the first cup of tea, reinfuse the leaf as many times as the tea continues to deliver delicious flavor. Depending on the type of oolong tea used, this may be as many as fifteen to thirty times. You may choose to continue filling the aroma cup each time or not.

  Using a modern gong fu tea set. The steps are essentially the same; the only difference is that a wooden or bamboo tea tray with a built-in catch basin takes the place of both the clay or ceramic tea bowl and the tea platform. Place your cups, teapot, and dispensing pitcher on the tray and follow the rinsing instructions as just described. The excess water will drain into the catch basin attached underneath the tray; just be aware of the size of the catch basin. Proceed with the remaining steps of the tea service.

  Tea Culture in Japan

  When thinking of Japanese ceramics, two images come to mind: the first is of richly decorated hard-paste porcelains, vibrant in color and sumptuous in design, executed with precise and exacting workmanship. Collectors of Japanese porcelain seek fine examples from the famous porcelain centers—Arita, Hirado, Imari, Kakiemon, Kutani, and Satsuma. Japan’s history of porcelain making can be dated to the beginning of the seventeenth century in Arita, on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan. Today lovely porcelain teapots and teacups continue to be made in Japan and are available in a range of prices and styles. Porcelain is sleek and cool, and remains immutable and constant. Conversely, the second image is of traditionally made pottery tea bowls and teacups made from hand-thrown stoneware and fired in wood-burning kilns. Their simple style is fetching and seductive, and the sometimes rough texture and forceful feeling of these humble teacups resonates with Japanese tea drinkers.

  Avid collectors of Japanese teawares are drawn to pieces that have appealing simplicity, a rustic, uneven form and style, and earthy, muted colors and glazes. These pieces exude a naturalistic feeling and show the hand of the maker in their shape and design. In their humble simplicity of form and craftsmanship their beauty and cultural connection lie. Pottery, not porcelain, changes and “wears” over time, developing a patina and character that adds to the beauty and personality of the piece. Japan reveres the ancient traditions of handmade pottery and celebrates living ceramic artists perhaps more than any other country. These teacups and tea bowls, no matter how humble in appearance, can cost many hundreds of dollars and will be passed down to successive generations. For more everyday needs, Japan also has many ceramics factories that manufacture mass-produced teawares suitable for everyday use in homes, restaurants, and teashops. These colorful and good-looking items are available at a fraction of the cost of fine porcelain or handcrafted pottery, and are widely available in the United States.

  A wood-fired pottery tea set crafted by contemporary Kyoto ceramic artist Ken Nagai. The rustic, hand-formed teapot is modeled after a nineteenth-century skirted-style tetsubin, a Japanese cast-iron water kettle. The design is full of clever details; for example, the tiny ceramic knob on the lid spins and makes a little noise—a nod to the tinkling sound that the knob on a tetsubin lid makes when water is boiling.

  THE LINK WITH CHINESE TEA CULTURE

  Traditional Japanese tea bowls underscore the link that Japanese tea culture has with Chinese tea culture. Japan’s culture of tea drinking began during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura periods (1192–1333), the time of China’s Song dynasty (960–1279). While tea drinking was initially enjoyed by priests and the aristocracy, its popularity eventually spread to the warrior classes. As Japanese tea drinkers adopted the culture of tea drinking, they also sought to use tea utensils and simple yet elegant tea bowls that were made in China.

  The Sanage pottery kilns in Aichi prefecture were known for making utilitarian pottery for nearly eight hundred years, from the fifth century to the fourteenth century. In the early thirteenth century much of this pottery production relocated to Seto, where production began to imitate China’s white and green celadon
pottery. By the end of that century, Seto had become famous for the technique of ash-fired glazed pottery; it was here that the craftsman tradition of handcrafted pottery began in Japan. It is said that a potter named Kato Shirozaemon Kagemasa (1169–1249) returned from visiting the Buddhist temples of Mount Tianmu in Zhejiang, China. He established a pottery kiln in Seto and began to make uncomplicated tea bowls that featured shiny, dark brown glazes with distinctive foot rings in the shape and style of tenmoku tea bowls that he had seen in China. Over time hundreds of potters settled in Seto. Collectively this region became famous for some of Japan’s most distinctive handmade pottery, and by the end of the fourteenth century, the ceramic teawares from Seto were second only to China’s in quality.

  During Japan’s late Muromachi period (1336–1573) tea culture began to spread throughout Japan through the port of Sakai (modern-day Osaka), but it was not until the Momoyama period (1568–1600) that Japan’s unique tea culture found its own voice. Influences from China, Korea, and Vietnam introduced beautiful and interesting teawares and utensils to Japan, which were quickly snapped up by wealthy businessmen who paid handsomely for these objects. Many of these items, such as tea jars and tea bowls, eventually became part of Japanese tea practice or influenced shapes and styles of tea caddies, teacups, and teapots to come. But the Japanese borrowed and adapted from Chinese and Korean tea cultures and refined tea drinking to a sublime art. They embellished it with customs and practices uniquely their own and named their highest form of tea drinking practice Chanoyu. Tea bowels influenced by the style of Korean Ido ware began to take on a distinctly Japanese look in the Momoyama period. Unglazed stoneware in earth tones began the tradition of drinking bowls that featured rough textures and asymmetrical shapes with uneven rims. Tea bowls were given a wide bottom bt a narrow foot and walls with bulging hips that tipped inward near the top.