Lin's Tea Tray (Travel version)

[Tead Off]

Speaking of travel stuff, I'd been considering this:

http://www.jkteashop.com/bamboo-tea-tab ... p-516.html

and

http://www.jkteashop.com/hand-painted-b ... p-767.html

For visiting and events and stuff. Might interest others.

M.

The problem with these sort of bamboo tea tables is that they will sooner or later crack, especially when drying out

I think this would depend on the climate that you live in. I have a couple of bamboo trays that have stood up for the last 8+ years. Maybe Bangkok is one of those places where they can survive, or it might depend on the quality of the trays. There are certainly different levels of craftsmanship and finish.

[theredbaron]

Speaking of travel stuff, I'd been considering this:

http://www.jkteashop.com/bamboo-tea-tab ... p-516.html

and

http://www.jkteashop.com/hand-painted-b ... p-767.html

For visiting and events and stuff. Might interest others.

M.

The problem with these sort of bamboo tea tables is that they will sooner or later crack, especially when drying out

I think this would depend on the climate that you live in. I have a couple of bamboo trays that have stood up for the last 8+ years. Maybe Bangkok is one of those places where they can survive, or it might depend on the quality of the trays. There are certainly different levels of craftsmanship and finish.

Maybe the more expensive Taiwanese ones are better, but i have several cracked cheap Chinese ones. Mostly happens when you haven not used them for a while, and they dried out completely.

[Tead Off]

Speaking of travel stuff, I'd been considering this:

http://www.jkteashop.com/bamboo-tea-tab ... p-516.html

and

http://www.jkteashop.com/hand-painted-b ... p-767.html

For visiting and events and stuff. Might interest others.

M.

The problem with these sort of bamboo tea tables is that they will sooner or later crack, especially when drying out

I think this would depend on the climate that you live in. I have a couple of bamboo trays that have stood up for the last 8+ years. Maybe Bangkok is one of those places where they can survive, or it might depend on the quality of the trays. There are certainly different levels of craftsmanship and finish.

Maybe the more expensive Taiwanese ones are better, but i have several cracked cheap Chinese ones. Mostly happens when you haven not used them for a while, and they dried out completely.

Mine are both bought from Chinese sources. They have sat on the shelf for years at a time. No visible change. I think a lot depends on the sealing that is used for 'waterproofing', and the quality/dryness of the bamboo. This would be extremely hard to find out with most vendors.

[Bok]

Maybe it also has to do with climate change. If you buy something wooden (or bamboo) from Asia, that wood has been worked and put together in a certain humidity and temperature. Once you change the surroundings and it is all over sudden in a say, European, dry climate with large temperature shifts over a day and year, that wood can disform quite easily.

Have a few friend which made bad experiences with bringing back wooden items from Asia…

[Tead Off]

Maybe it also has to do with climate change. If you buy something wooden (or bamboo) from Asia, that wood has been worked and put together in a certain humidity and temperature. Once you change the surroundings and it is all over sudden in a say, European, dry climate with large temperature shifts over a day and year, that wood can disform quite easily.

Have a few friend which made bad experiences with bringing back wooden items from Asia…

I mentioned that in my first post. That is the primary concern. However, these trays are not meant to last a lifetime, and even in the humid climate of SE Asia, they will ultimately degrade unless kept in a stable environment which is nearly impossible here unless one uses aircon 24/7.

[Bok]

My wife’s family has one of those Lin’s trays (a slightly larger one I think), holds up pretty well to the water, especially as it is immediately drained with those plastic tubes. One has to lift up the clay dish though after using to let everything dry. If not, it will get mouldy with the asian climate. That dish also breaks easily (can be fixed with two component epoxy).

I personally do not like those trays with the ugly plastic tubes (which get very nasty after some time), leading into a plastic water bin, destroys the whole experience for me, visually and accustically.

But – it is practical, especially around Chinese New Year, when one has to entertain large parties with a cuppa