When modern people refer to “tea utensils,” they mainly mean Teapots, tea cups, and other drinking utensils. This differs from the broader concept of ancient “tea utensils.”

In the book Records of Yunxi's Friends written by Fan Shu in the Tang Dynasty, it is said that “Lu Yu created twenty-four tea utensils.” In his Treatise on Tea, Lu Yu meticulously designed twenty-four tools suitable for brewing and tasting tea. Actually, there were many more ancient tea utensils than just these twenty-four; here are some of the main ones introduced briefly.

Tea Basket: “Tea basket” refers to a box or cage-like container. In a poem titled “Tea Basket” by the Tang poet Lu Jiumeng, we find the lines “A golden knife splits green bamboo, woven like slanted waves,” indicating that a “tea basket” was a bamboo-made utensil with a slanted weave pattern.

Tea Stove: In ancient times, a fire stove (charcoal stove) was used for boiling water for tea, and since the Tang Dynasty, such stoves have been commonly referred to as “tea stoves.”

Tea Dryer: In ancient times, the tool used for drying tea leaves was called a “tea dryer.” A tea dryer was made of bamboo and wrapped with reed leaves (leaves of the reed bamboo), which helped to moderate the heat and prevent the tea from being scorched. Tea placed on the tea dryer required gentle heat to avoid damaging its color and aroma.

Wind Stove: Used for lighting a fire to boil tea, wind stoves could be made of iron or clay.

Sieve: Made of woven bamboo, square in shape, used for picking tea leaves.

Basket: A bamboo basket or wooden box used to hold charcoal, often reinforced with rattan, resembling a bamboo chest when the lid and bottom are closed.

Charcoal Mallet: A hexagonal iron tool about one foot long, similar to an ancient weapon known as a meteor hammer, primarily used for breaking up charcoal.

Firing Tongs: Also known as fire tongs. Round and straight, with a flat top, used for handling charcoal. Often made of iron or wrought copper.

Cauldron: Used for boiling water and brewing tea, typically made of iron, but during the Tang Dynasty, there were also porcelain and stone versions, and wealthier households might use Silver cauldrons.

Sieve and Caddy: The sieve is used for sifting tea, and the caddy is for storing tea.

Tea Kettle: The teapot, ancient literati believed the process of tasting tea—first bitter, then sweet—resembled the gradual transition from a dormant winter to spring, hence the name “tea kettle” for the vessel used for brewing tea.

Water Filter Bag: Used to filter water for boiling tea, made of copper, wood, or bamboo.

Bamboo Basket: Charcoal, traditionally used as fuel for boiling tea, was usually stored in a bamboo basket. In ancient times, the residences of nobles or wealthy officials were referred to as “mansion compounds,” leading to the term “black mansion” for the black bamboo baskets used to carry charcoal.

Singing Spring: Originally referring to “trickling, singing spring water,” this term came to specifically denote a teakettle.

Water Basin: A porcelain jar or earthenware pot used to store water for washing utensils.

Tea Washing Basin: An ancient tool for washing tea utensils before brewing tea.

Wooden Cutting Board: A wooden chopping block used as a tool for crushing charcoal.

Tool Box: A square, woven bamboo box used for storing tea utensils.

Ladle: Most often made from a gourd, used for scooping water.

Blowpipe: A blowpipe used to start the fire in the stove, essential for street vendors selling tea.

Waste Receptacle: A container for holding used tea leaves and wastewater.

Tasting Bowl: Tea bowls, as Drinking Tea was also referred to as “eating tea” or “tasting tea,” so the bowls, cups, and glasses used for serving fragrant tea were called “tasting bowls.”

Nesting Cups: Sets of tea cups.

Paper Bag: Paper bags used to store tea cakes.

Mortar: A mortar made of solid wood with a groove in the middle where a pestle could roll back and forth to crush tea cakes.

Duster: A small dusting brush made of feathers, used after grinding tea to sweep away tea powder.

Salt Box: A porcelain box used to store salt (since salt was added to tea during the Tang Dynasty).

Among these tea utensils, the most important were those used for grinding, boiling, whisking, brewing, and drinking tea, while others served auxiliary functions. With the flourishing development of modern tea art, new tea utensils have also been created, such as aroma cups, communal cups, and tea strainers.

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