Tea cups, since the inception of tea tasting, have willingly become supporting players. They may be solitary or paired, orbiting around Teapots and other tea wares, sometimes overlooked as minor details within the realm of tea utensils. Yet, small as they are, they conceal boundless beauty and are the most intimately connected to our daily lives among all utensils.
A tiny teacup holds infinite mysteries. It is not only an indispensable piece of tea ware but also imbues the act of tea tasting with beauty and pleasure. From the selection of clay, the shaping of the Cup, the application of glaze, to the firing in a kiln, every step in the making of a teacup is filled with profound knowledge. The fusion of tea and cup, the gentle touch of skin against rim, adds an extra layer of enjoyment for the tea taster. China's long-standing culture of tea tasting, along with the praise and eulogies sung by literati through the ages, has endowed the teacup with deep cultural significance.
A teacup can be used for tea tasting, but it can also stand as an independent work of art, leaving room for a dialogue between the cup and the tea during tasting: a thin-walled cup retains fragrance, from hot to cold, as the tea aroma rises gently from the body of the cup; a thick-walled cup provides a steady warmth, lingering on and on… Looking at cups in this way adds a layer of practical enjoyment! In the intricate world of refined tea tasting, each cup contains different elements before its creation, leading to various “variables.” The variables in cups interact with the differences in tea varieties, and a seemingly simple cup can be wonderfully diverse!
The subtleties of tea tasting begin with the cup. brewing the same type of tea in different cups produces varying colors and flavors, leading to vastly different experiences. A teacup is merely an external symbol; the joy of tea tasting lies in the inner attraction.
Appraising and playing with cups, one feels the taste gather at the lip and the rim of the cup. How moved is the tea taster at that moment? Intimate contact between skin and teacup reveals the grandeur hidden behind the cup. To truly appreciate this, one must first set aside preconceived notions about possession. Start with “visual appraisal”: observe the shape, color, decoration, and texture of a cup, feel its emanating charm, and trigger sensory associations. By objectively assessing the era of a cup, one can skillfully integrate the refined cultures of past dynasties into the cup, entering the realm of tea appreciation.
Appreciation happens as the skin caresses the rim of the cup, lost in thought over the cup or the tea. When holding the cup and silently contemplating, there must be a marvelous method to reach true appreciation. Appreciate the tea, appreciate the cup, nurture the cup. The pleasures of tea always come wrapped in countless external symbols, ultimately finding their way into the heart and soul, just like a teacup.
The Teacups we hold in our hands vary in material and appearance, and each tea drinker has a reason for choosing a particular cup. Each cup also has the opportunity to meet its owner. Sometimes, it is the allure of a glaze, the appeal of a shape, the surprise of enhancing the tea flavor, or the smoothness and melding sensation when touched by hand and lips…