Tea setup in small apartment

[teanon]

I'm curious if anyone has found a good way to sustain their gong fu addiction in a small apartment. I have a small (but lovely) studio in Manhattan and while I want to keep my big tea table out, I'm constantly stepping over it or shoving it to one side. I've already kicked a pot accidentally. It also just takes up too much room.

So if anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them

[Poohblah]

You don't need a tray. That's the biggest space-saving tip I can offer. If you need something to contain messes, a small towel or chamois works fine.

[Herb_Master]

How about a nest of tables.

When tea is on, have all 3 tables in use, when tea is not on the agenda keep them nested.


I have visited many teashops where the kettle is lower down behind the table. So if you are right handed, I would suggest the smallest to be on your right with Kettle and water Jug.

Large one in front of you for the major operations.

Mid size on your left, with tea canisters etc - or waste bowl.

[JRS22]

'Small' in Manhattan is usually smaller than people from most other places can conceive of. You may not have room for a tea table, but do you have any table at all? Let us know what surface you'll be using and it should be easier to come up with a functioning set-up.

[Tao]

This is how i set in my place:
A small table from Ikea,
A Bamboo Tray,
A Bamboo bucket for hold the waste water,
A Japanese Cast Iron Kettle,
A Gaiwan (you can steep any tea in it),
A Yixing Teapot as a serving cup,
A bush for clean tray,
A filter (Use the Yixing pot's lid as a filter holder)
Six Cup
and have some nice tea.

[IPT]

That is a nice little setup Tao! You could use an attractive trunk as a table as well, and store your tea and tea ware inside of it when not in use. That might help keep things out of the way.

[fdrx]

another small setup with a zojirushi boiler :
(this brand make smaller boilers too!)

[phoenixK]

This is how i set in my place:
A small table from Ikea,
A Bamboo Tray,
A Bamboo bucket for hold the waste water,
A Japanese Cast Iron Kettle,
A Gaiwan (you can steep any tea in it),
A Yixing Teapot as a serving cup,
A bush for clean tray,
A filter (Use the Yixing pot's lid as a filter holder)
Six Cup
and have some nice tea.

Do you find that the cast iron keeps the water hot enough for multiple infusions? Or do you place the kettle on a flame of some sorts?

[Tao]

That is a nice little setup Tao! You could use an attractive trunk as a table as well, and store your tea and tea ware inside of it when not in use. That might help keep things out of the way.

It is a good idea. Thanks

[Tao]

The cast iron works very well for multiple, it can keep water hot at least 20 minutes, which means when you open the lid, you will see lots of steam, usually when i finish one tea, there is still some water left in the kettle, then i added more water boiling again.

[/quote]Do find that the cast iron keeps the water hot enough for multiple infusions? Or do you place the kettle on a flame of some sorts?[/quote]

[gingkoseto]

Space is a reason why I'm reluctant to move to a big city

This reminds me of an online forum discussion I saw a few years ago - NYC studio dwellers show the photos of their apartment. I remember there were lots of creative ideas. One example I remember is, a guy uses a board to cover his sink to give rise to his dinner table and desk