A friend of mine

visited someone's home where the host served him two cups, a tall one and a short one. The taller Cup contained Tea while the shorter one was empty. Feeling puzzled but too shy to ask, he picked up the taller cup and drank it all in one go. Upon finishing, he noticed the host's expression turned awkward, and an uncomfortable silence ensued for about half a minute.

Chayou laughed upon hearing this, and my friend asked, “What just happened?!”

In fact, most people don't know the proper use of these two cups!

The taller and shorter cups mentioned earlier are called aroma cups and tasting cups, respectively, in the world of tea. They look like these:

In daily Tea drinking, we usually only use the tasting cup.

The aroma cup is typically used during tea art performances or very professional tea-tasting events.

What's the difference between these two cups?

The tasting cup is the one used for Drinking Tea.

It has a short body and a wide mouth, which helps dissipate heat and cool down the tea, making it more comfortable to drink.

The aroma cup is used for smelling the tea's aroma.

It has a tall, straight body with a narrow mouth, which helps retain the aroma within the cup. Before drinking, one can first smell the tea's aroma, although this is a more refined practice.

How do you use these two cups?

First scenario: No saucer is needed.

The host pours tea into the aroma cup, then covers it with the tasting cup. Using their right hand, they pick up both cups, bring them to chest level, and flip them over. Then, using their left hand, they take the cups, with the right hand providing support, and place them in front of the guest. This entire movement is smooth and elegant, often seen in tea art performances.

The guest should hold the tasting cup with one hand and carefully remove the aroma cup with the other. After smelling the aroma, they can then lift the tasting cup to drink the tea.

Second scenario: A saucer is required.

The saucer should be long enough to hold both cups. The host pours tea into the aroma cup and presents the aroma cup and the empty tasting cup on the saucer to the guest. The guest simply pours the tea from the aroma cup into the tasting cup, smells the aroma, and then drinks the tea.

When pouring additional servings, unless specifically requested by the guest, the host may pour directly into the tasting cup instead of the aroma cup.

How exactly do you smell the aroma?

There are two methods for smelling the aroma: one involves gently waving the aroma cup with one hand near your nose, and the other involves rubbing the cup with both hands.

The reason for these methods is that the aroma in the cup can be slightly hot, and waving it around reduces the risk of burning your nose.

Additionally, human olfactory sensitivity lasts only about three seconds, so continuous smelling can lead to fatigue. By waving the cup and alternating between inhaling the tea's aroma and fresh air, the aroma can be perceived more accurately.

Learning how to use these two cups is not only a matter of Etiquette but also enhances the tea-drinking experience, making you appear more professional.

Next time, remember not to drink from the aroma cup!

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