History of Tea | Hello Tea Cup

An Expert Guide to De Zhong Teapots: History & Features

teasenz — Mon, 16 Sep 2024 09:04:05 +0000

“De Zhong” refers to a classic Yixing teapot shape, crafted by the esteemed potter Shao Daheng. It’s inspired by an ancient percussion instrument “zhong”, resulting in a cylindrical teapot body, which gives it a sense of stability. An Yixing teapot is a type of traditional Chinese teapot made from clay found in the Yixing region of Jiangsu province, China. These teapots are highly prized by tea enthusiasts for their unique clay composition and ability to enhance the flavor of tea. They are known for their simple designs, as well as their functionality in brewing tea. The history of Yixing teapots can be traced back to the Song Dynasty (960-1279), but it was during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that they gained popularity among the wealthy class. It was during this time that skilled craftsmen began perfecting […]

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A Tea Poem: On A Cold Night

teasenz — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 13:12:09 +0000

China is both the “land of tea” and the “land of poetry”, which is why the subject of tea has long been infused into poetry. From the earliest days of tea poetry to the present, over the course of 1,700 years, poets and scholars have composed thousands of beautiful tea poems. From this long list, we have selected and translated one ancient tea poem that provide a glimpse into the tea culture and lifestyle of the past. The poem was written by poet Du Lei of Song dynasty. The words used in the poem are simple and natural, and scenes described are vivid and timeless. Also read: Tea Culture during the Song Dynasty Poem: On A Cold Night (Translated) On a cold night when a guest came, I served tea as wine. The water was […]

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China’s Dragon Kiln: Meaning & History

Sonia — Sat, 15 May 2021 15:16:13 +0000

In China, the art of Ceramics is known as the art of “clay and fire”. That’s not a surprise, knowing that the kiln is a critical piece of equipment for firing ceramics. The most fascinating kind of kiln is without doubt the Chinese dragon kilns (long yao 龙窑). It’s a traditional form of kiln before industrial ovens existed. Even today, such a kiln produces still superior, unrivalled quality ceramics. Now is a good time to further understand the meaning, history and workings of such a kiln, given that Teasenz recently launched a dragon kiln fired Yixing tea pot. Dragon Kiln Meaning You may wonder: how did it get the name “dragon” kiln? First, it is cylinder-shaped and long. Most of the dragon kilns were built on sloping hillsides and were between 30-80 metres in length. Secondly, the kiln […]

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Decoding Tea Culture in the Song Dynasty

Sonia — Tue, 07 Jan 2020 10:33:12 +0000

The Song dynasty (960-1279) features an amazingly rich tea culture. Tea during this period involves many aspects such as politics, economy, literature and social customs. With the prosperity of the tea industry, everyone – the nobles, scholars, and common people, all had access to tea. This is one of the famous quotes by Wu Zimu from Southern Song dynasty. Nowadays, it’s one of the favorite quotes among tea enthousiasts in China. What was the tea culture like in the Song dynasty? How did the tea culture flourish then? Read further to find out! Song Dynasty Tea Drinking Method Dian Cha: The Rise of Matcha Different from the Tang dynasty’s (618 to 907) tea cooking method, during the Song dynasty, the way of tea drinking was changed into “dian cha”. Most of the tea in the […]

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Sri Lanka Tea History: Discover Ceylon Tea Culture & Types

teasenz — Fri, 21 Jun 2019 10:03:23 +0000

History of Sri Lanka is fascinating as the country itself. Many years ago, the country had a strong culture and heritage and it was ruled by the kings for many generations. Far back in the 16th century, the country was invaded by many foreign forces that came looking for spices, gems, and such other treasures. The Colonial Past From the 16th century, the country has been invaded by the Portuguese, Dutch and by the British. Like many other Asian countries, Sri Lanka also faced the fate of becoming a British colony in 1815s and the country was named as “Ceylon” by then. The tea culture of Sri Lanka was started back then when the coffee plantations of the country started to wipe out due to a fungal disease. In 1839 British brought a tea plant from […]

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Yixing Zisha Artists And Different Levels

Sonia — Thu, 07 Feb 2019 11:36:23 +0000

If you ask Chinese people what the most prominent tea vessel is in China, most of them will give you the answer “Zisha teapot”. Zisha teapot, made of purple clay unique to Yixing, is also known as Yixing teapot. The special properties of Zisha (purple clay) make it an excellent material for teapots. For example, the porous nature of Zisha teapots not only preserves the full aroma and flavour of the tea, but also enhances them! No wonder Yixing ware is still popular since it first made its name in China, which was nearly 5 centuries ago. The First Yixing Zisha Artist The first recorded Zisha production appeared in the 16th Century, by an artist called Gong Chun (供春). As the first known Zisha artist, he popularized Zisha teapots with distinct style. It was during the Zhengde period of the Ming […]

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The Five Great Kilns Of The Song Dynasty

Sonia — Sat, 01 Dec 2018 02:23:44 +0000

The term “Five Great Kilns” (Chinese: 五大名窑, wu da ming yao) was first mentioned in a book of imperial collections of the Ming dynasty. It referred to the five kilns that were famous for their production of Chinese ceramics during the Song dynasty (960–1279). They are respectively Ruyao, Junyao, Guanyao, Dingyao and Geyao. The character 窑 (yao) means both ceramic kilns or wares. Before their existence, ceramics were made mostly for practical use. The Five Great Kilns started a new era of making ceramic wares that were practical and ornamental at the same time. The distinctive characteristics of the products of each kiln was highly esteemed and reproduced after. In this article we introduce and discuss of type of kiln. Ru Ware (Ruyao) Ruyao only existed for twenty years towards the end of Northern Song […]

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The ‘Gong Dao Bei’ (Fairness Pitcher) Was Originally Made for Liquor

Sonia — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 14:54:04 +0000

When we prepare tea the ceremonial way, a tea pitcher is a must. This pitcher is also known as ‘Gong Dao Bei’ (fairness cup). In modern times, this tool makes sure the tea flavor is distributed evenly among each served cup. What even long-time tea lovers don’t know is that the Gong Dao Bei, was also the name of a special kind of cup for liquor in ancient China. It’s a completely different cup! Yet, ‘fairness’ is still the theme behind it. The Design: Dragon Head Cup The design of the liquor Gong Dao Bei is unique. It’s also called the “Dragon Head Cup”, because there is a porcelain dragon head along with the neck attached at the inner bottom of the cup. There is a small 3mm hole at the inner bottom of the […]

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The History of Tea: Video by TED

teasenz — Fri, 09 Mar 2018 12:54:21 +0000

This is a really fun video that explains the history of tea in a nutshell. It covers the full history starting from how Shen Nong discovered tea, how Japanese monks brought the tea to Japan, and how Robert Fortune smuggled tea seeds to India for cultivation. The video offers a very good summary of tea history with a focus on tea trade and how the rest of the world discovered tea. However, it does leave out some important parts of history, especially when it comes to the history of tea in China itself, such as the Ancient Tea Horse Route and how tea culture flourished during the Tang Dynasty.

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Cheese Tea?? Give It a Try If You Haven’t Already! (With Recipe)

Sonia — Sat, 10 Feb 2018 11:54:48 +0000

I’m not sure if everyone noticed it, but cheese tea has been a hit among the young generation over the past few years. Here in China, if there’s a long queue on the street or in a mall, it’s most likely in front of a cheese tea shop. And what are people getting? Hashtag #SayCheeseTea! Apparently it’s also trending overseas like the US and the UK, and all over social media too. The Washington Post calls this drink the ‘Instagram worthy‘ food trend, while the the UK Independant newspaper says: “Cheese tea is a thing, and it’s coming to the UK“. It sounds strange, isn’t it? Cheese with wine, yes. But cheese with tea? And basically there’s no cheese in the mainstream Chinese diet, how did the idea of mixing cheese with the traditional drink […]

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