Tea straining mug that is. Being a big fan of grampa style, I recently bought this mug from Yunnansourcing:
http://yunnansourcing.com/en/yixing-cla ... 340ml.html
When I ordered it I wasn't expecting much, but it seems like it's pretty good quality. I had thought the brown highlights would be some sort of glazing, but after peering at the inside of the mug, and the pinholes in the knob at the top and the handle (both of which are hollow) it seems like it really is two different colored clays.
I had also sort of assumed that this was a product made for the tourist industry, or maybe the foreign market for tea and coffee drinkers looking for something with an Asian theme, but from the packaging it seems clear this was made by a company that specializes in gift items for the Chinese market. Is there actually a tradition of drinking out of mugs like this in China? I know a lot of people think mugs with built in strainers are kind of a dumb gimmick, and I suppose a lot of them are, but I really like drinking out of this thing. I love it either way, and am not invested in wanting to be told that this is some kind of "genuine cultural item from China!" but I am curious about it. Would you find something like this in a typical Chinese person's home, or is it the sort of white elephant gift that goes on a shelf? I always understood a lot of people in China just throw some leaves in whatever's handy and drink out of that.
Re: What can you tell me about my mug?
kind of a cool product design. looks like it would do a good job of catching most leaves as you sip (except for errant floaters).
how annoying is it to rinse the leaves out when you're done though?
how annoying is it to rinse the leaves out when you're done though?
Re: What can you tell me about my mug?
It's not that hard to get the leaves out. It takes two or three rinses to shake them free. If I'm feeling impatient I pull most of them out with small tongs first. I think the filter rings are mostly there to let you do an initial rinse of the leaves. Once the leaves are well steeped they stay at the bottom of the cup pretty well anyway, and with grampa style you don't generally drink below about half way before topping off with more hot water. If you want to add leaves later, the filter rings do let you drain the mug completely, which you kind of have to do in order to get a decent steep. When the leaves are nearly spent I also usually pull them above the rings with the tongs so the hot water can get under them and finish them off. By that time they are so fully expanded most of them stay above the rings and don't float. All in all, I'm very happy with the mug. I just have to keep an eye on my roommate who keeps trying to put her coffee in it.
Re: What can you tell me about my mug?
You find mugs like that all over China. And yes they are absolutely in use, just not by tea aficionados. Yours looks ok. I prefer porcelain or ceramic to fake Yixing clay myself. I've never seen a filter like the one in yours though. Mine have baskets you can lift out.
As long as you enjoy drinking out of it and it doesn't taste bad, nothing else matters
As long as you enjoy drinking out of it and it doesn't taste bad, nothing else matters