Best Supporting Teaware(s)!

[debunix]

the round tea tray from Mirka does its duty wonderfully at the office....

I am curious are these trays heavy? Can you pick them up with one hand? Or ....

I can pick it up with one hand, if it is empty--after a day of overflow and some deliberate pot-warming pours, it's too heavy. I prefer to carry it with both hands, however, because it is a bit unwieldy, being large enough that there is a high risk of me banging it into things if I'm casually handling it one handed. The larger oval piece is too heavy for one-handed pickup, and though the inset tray is light enough to handle one handed, I usually use two hands, again as a precaution against careless handling and breakage.

[tingjunkie]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but quick question! I also have the little 40ml bluey and I have the dreaded water ring from doing exactly that. Would buffing the pot with a tea towl fix this?

Like TIM said, it's good practice to give your pots a rubdown after use anyway. If there is a stubborn ring though, I'd brew some tea with the pot, pour some of the hot tea on a tea towel, and rub the tea in while the pot is nice and hot (not too hot to hold of course). That should take care of the ring.

[victoria3]

I am curious are these trays heavy? Can you pick them up with one hand? Or ....

I can pick it up with one hand, if it is empty--after a day of overflow and some deliberate pot-warming pours, it's too heavy. I prefer to carry it with both hands, however, because it is a bit unwieldy, being large enough that there is a high risk of me banging it into things if I'm casually handling it one handed. The larger oval piece is too heavy for one-handed pickup, and though the inset tray is light enough to handle one handed, I usually use two hands, again as a precaution against careless handling and breakage.

I finally made time to take some pictures of my set up. I like moving my tea around so use very light wooden trays. The wood is from the Philippines possibly Acacia. I gave them mineral oil baths so the water rolls off. These are a perfect size at 13" (32cm) for small or large set ups. Also, I'm exploring handwoven natural fabrics used to rest tea ware onto, to cushion any noise and to absorb occasional drips.

Philippine-Wood-Tray-w_180ml-Kyusu.jpg (45.41 KiB) Viewed 2186 times

Philippine-Wood-Trays_Acacia-.jpg (23.21 KiB) Viewed 2186 times

Acacia-Tray-w-600ml-Kyusu.jpg (77.62 KiB) Viewed 2186 times

[Evan Draper]

Victoria, that looks great! I would love to drink with that setup. I like the durability of a wood plate but mine is nowhere near as cool looking. I use mineral oil but maybe not enough....

[victoria3]

Evan thanks, I applied a thick coat of mineral oil to the wood, rubbing it in and then letting the pieces rest vertically rotating them for 10 days or so until all the oil was absorbed. Now my plan is to reapply a thin coat every few months. I could have applied shellac or lacquer but went for a more naked look although it will require more oversight.

[Hannah]

Well, after 2 years of wanting one I finally caved...

Ebony tea tray from Dragon Tea House!

I normally use bowls but it gets pretty annoying for me and plus I think this is nicer for when people come over for tea

For $95 with free shipping, I couldn't resist!

http://goo.gl/YCSOl

[futurebird]

I love tea trays that drain... they are the best.

What are the charters in the center? the first is the archaic "cha"

anyone know what the other is?

[Hannah]

I have a small tray which drains, its handy but can sometimes get tedious if I can't find an appropriate spot for the drain tube (sometimes it works with a bowl but can get messy!)

No idea on the characters but I'd love to know!

[Poohblah]

I love tea trays that drain... they are the best.

What are the charters in the center? the first is the archaic "cha"

anyone know what the other is?

The other character is chī 喫 (variant of 吃). Altogether 吃茶 - "to consume tea"

[Evan Draper]

I love tea trays that drain... they are the best.

What are the charters in the center? the first is the archaic "cha"

anyone know what the other is?

The other character is chī 喫 (variant of 吃). Altogether 吃茶 - "to consume tea"

Whoa, dragon tray -- it's a tea eater!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qGZ_DRU23o

[Hannah]

Whoa, dragon tray -- it's a tea eater!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qGZ_DRU23o

That made my day!!!

[Chip]

Time for a thread resurrection for the oft overlooked best supporting teawares.

Two mainstays brought to light in this and the next post. .

This Kamakura-Bori Obon (Wood tray from Kamakura) is being used almost daily right now. It is old, but in good condition ... but broken in enough that I do not worry about damaging it with daily use. I have purchased "perfect pieces" but seem to refrain from using them for fear of damaging them.

[Chip]

Next, a Greenwood Studio Yuzamashi. This one has a very nice almost "soft" organic feel to it all the way down to its hand-formed/pinched/tebineri feetsies. The appearance of the exterior reminds me of stretched muscle fibers from anatomy class ...

I use this virtually everyday currently.





For the intuitively challenged, nice ridges run all over the inside giving me hints to how much water I am using.



...

[debunix]

The Yuzamashi looks like a tactile delight.

Mine are probably my most-used pieces of teaware, because they live out on the tea trays and just never get put 'away'.

Sticklers for tradition should look away before reading this next bit: I use mine mostly for adding a bit of cold water to a cup of tea that is too hot to drink. Sometimes I need to drink that tea quickly because I have to dash off to the next task and can't wait for the tea to cool naturally, sometimes I'm just too thirsty to cope with sips, and sometimes it's a tea whose flavor degrades rapidly after infusion (e.g., young sheng puerhs). So I may brew the tea a little more concentrated than I otherwise would--longer infusion/more tea in the pot--knowing I will be adding a dollop of cooler water at the end.

They're often in the background of cups or brewing vessels I'm trying to feature, but rarely take a bow themselves

[ethan]

chip & debunix, Great trays! I often put my teaware on plastic trays. For practical reasons & for more pleasant appearance I started using tea towels, possibly the most over-looked supporting teaware.