Intro, tea cups and deepening the art of tea

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Oct 11th, '18, 23:23
Posts: 1
Joined: Oct 11th, '18, 22:54

Intro, tea cups and deepening the art of tea

by Pol » Oct 11th, '18, 23:23

I'm pleased to have found this community with so many resources. I'll share a little of how I got into tea, where my journey is taking me and opening up recommendations for tea cups.

I've learned about loose leaf tea roughly 7 years ago from a colleague. When I visited him he offered me my first loose leaf tea. I was surprised by the multiple infusions but even more by the frank heart-felt conversations we had over a warm cup.

A few years later, my brother surprised me one evening by offering tea. There was something calming about the experience which allowed us to open up and share more of ourselves.

Although I enjoyed these experiences, I had not personally delved into the world of tea until roughly 3 years ago. I visited a local tea shop and became more interested by the flavors and complexities it offered. I accumulated several teas and would drink them occasionally using the Gaiwan method.

More recently, I felt drawn to learn and enjoy the art of tea in a more conscious way. I see this as a portal into self-knowing and embracing the world around me. After moving away from my home town and the tea house that I visited, I recently returned and enjoyed a tea ceremony with my mother.

I've been slowing down the way that I drink tea. Watching the leaves, meditating in between cups, enjoying the pour, the smells and the flavors. I've been combining it with meditation and short yoga asanas.

As I continue to explore tea as a form of spiritual practice and dedication I rejoice at participating in this community. I'll end my sharing here as to avoid a long-winded tale.

On a final note, I am looking for smaller cups for transferring tea from my Gaiwan to my pitcher and ultimately the cup. Up until now I've been using a Gaiwan to pour into another Gaiwan and just acquired a pitcher. I appreciated the process of using a smaller cup, roughly 60 ml for making multiple pours with a single Gaiwan infusion.

Although I mostly drink by myself as others around me do not particularly enjoy tea, I would like to have a few cups to share the experience and host others when the opportunity will present itself.

Is there any recommendations on where to get beautiful tea cups, in the 50 - 75 ml format?