Aromatics: Teacup Shape & Material

[cwj]

That's interesting Victoria.
My porcelain aroma cups are collecting dust atop my tea cabinet, and for some reason I've never considered using my glassware. I have so many snifters, and crystal glasses of all shapes and sizes...I just may give them a try
Plus I imagine that they would look quite stunning when filled with beautiful tea, such as in your photo.

Indeed, I've been using glass bar ware for a while. The aroma lasts for quite a while in the vessel after tea is gone. My cups are much smaller at home though so don't hold as much aroma as the brandy snifter. Here are a couple of shots in action with green teas;
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11862&hilit=Living+tea&start=4215

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14327&p=290624&hili ... an#p290624

Oh nice, thanks! Love the kyusu in the second photo by the way. Is the one in the first pic porcelain? Looks great as well.
I've begun my quest for a kyusu recently...looking up everything I can about them. In the end though it'll come down to how much $ I am able to spend on a pot that I may not need, but that I really want to have

[victoria3]

That's interesting Victoria.
My porcelain aroma cups are collecting dust atop my tea cabinet, and for some reason I've never considered using my glassware. I have so many snifters, and crystal glasses of all shapes and sizes...I just may give them a try
Plus I imagine that they would look quite stunning when filled with beautiful tea, such as in your photo.

Indeed, I've been using glass bar ware for a while. The aroma lasts for quite a while in the vessel after tea is gone. My cups are much smaller at home though so don't hold as much aroma as the brandy snifter. Here are a couple of shots in action with green teas;
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11862&hilit=Living+tea&start=4215

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14327&p=290624&hili ... an#p290624

Oh nice, thanks! Love the kyusu in the second photo by the way. Is the one in the first pic porcelain? Looks great as well.
I've begun my quest for a kyusu recently...looking up everything I can about them. In the end though it'll come down to how much $ I am able to spend on a pot that I may not need, but that I really want to have

The first link has two pictures that I posted; one a porcelain kyusu by Seifu Yohei bought at auction, and the other a red clay Shimizu Ken Nosaka kyusu without namamigaki purchased from ferg another teachater. Occasionally members post great items for sale here.

The second link is my red clay Tokoname twisted spout kyusu by Yamada Jozan III or Fugetsu- purchased on eBay, I think from Tomoidak, who often has nice kyusu.

Artistic Nippon and Hojo are great sites for new handcrafted kyusu.

[kuánglóng]

Once we're at it ... I had my buddy over last night - we drank the same teas from the same cups, some chinese porcelain from the 80s; both of us noticed that the leng xiang in my cup smelled significantly stronger, different and stayed there longer.

[victoria3]

Once we're at it ... I had my buddy over last night - we drank the same teas from the same cups, some chinese porcelain from the 80s; both of us noticed that the leng xiang in my cup smelled significantly stronger, different and stayed there longer.

It makes sense that the glaze used would make a big difference in aromatics. Possibly the closer to glass more so expelling tiny aromatic particles... The glass brandy snifter enhances/holds aroma really well. Are your cups any of these shapes?

[victoria3]

I have found that aroma lasts the longest in glazed porcelain. It also gives the most nose-feedback while drinking, apart from sniffing the empty cup.

I can’t be bothered with fragrance cups, unless I am buying and tasting new teas. What lingers in the empty cup is usually enough for me. I have seen fragrance cups with a more bell-like shape where the aroma lingered much longer.

I tend not to use porcelain cups with certain more tricky teas in order to smoothen them out. Usually wood-fired cups.

I use a glass gaiwan for most teas, but somehow do not like to drink from it. Glass feels more suitable for cold things for me. Highly subjective impression. I have a fractured surface glass gaiwan that shows the colours of the brew brilliantly due to the reflections on the uneven surface. Better than with white porcelain which is never truly white, always off-white or blueish – thus altering the colours.

One material I absolutely hate as it noticeably alters the taste in a bad way is the glazes that Lin’s ceramics use. Both teapots and teaware perform terribly in my experience. Lots of people use it in Taiwan as it is a popular gift and they are in most shopping centers, so I have had plenty different types to test. Nice shapes, but performance is bad.

Same goes for a lot of European teaware, which are often using glazes which are not really suitable for tea.

As far as shape goes, the thinner the more pleasurable the experience seems to be (for me). Also how the lips interact with the rim of the cup has a lot of influence.

Personally I prefer tallish cups, the wide ones let heat and other things escape to quickly for my taste.

Bok, knowing that you drink a lot of LiShan to me it makes sense that you prefer thin porcelain with a focus on the rim, this is why I also enjoy Seifu Yohei's cup so much. But now that I compare it to the brandy snifter/wine decanter I notice my favorite cup doesn't intensify aroma in such a significant way.
p.s. I also notice both with roasted DongDing and LiShan the lingering aroma left in the cup is dense and very sweet...

[kuánglóng]

Once we're at it ... I had my buddy over last night - we drank the same teas from the same cups, some chinese porcelain from the 80s; both of us noticed that the leng xiang in my cup smelled significantly stronger, different and stayed there longer.

It makes sense that the glaze used would make a big difference in aromatics. Possibly the closer to glass more so expelling tiny aromatic particles... The glass brandy snifter enhances/holds aroma really well. Are your cups any of these shapes?

It's close to the right one in the first row - half-cylindrical (diameter 50mm, height 30mm).