Pair of Qing Dynasty tea cups

[hop_goblin]

Here are a couple of Qing Dynasty cups, a gift from of Aaron Fisher - Enjoy

I also just purchased a Wen Ge 'cultural revolution' YiXing teapot but you will have to tune in to my blog for those pics.. Will post soon.

Size appox 35ml

[hop_goblin]

love blue & white porcelain

do you plan on using them for daily drinking ?

Indeed~ I am a tea drinker and not a collector! Tea Masters suggest that old tea cups make the tea smoother. It is a different experience when I drink tea out of them. Hard to explain.

[TokyoB]

Where is your blog?

[teaskeptic]

Tea Masters suggest that old tea cups make the tea smoother. It is a different experience when I drink tea out of them. Hard to explain.

I believe it's called the placebo effect :p

[brandon]

Different cups make different tea, from size, to shape, to materials.
Placebo or not, old Chinese tea ware is made of superior materials, much of which is extinct today.

Love the cups.

[entropyembrace]

You can see in the stains that they've been absorbing something from the many cups of tea they've held over the years too.

And I guess you could call it placebo effect but there is always something special about holding a piece of history in your hands that I'm sure helps create a headspace conductive to fully enjoying the tea!

Afterall it's through our very subjective senses that we experience tea and handling special tea ware will tune your mind and help you to fully experience the tea. It doesn't have to be historical to be special either, I felt something special steeping with a teapot my Mom took out of storage to give to me....and it felt awful when I dropped that pot...but I guess that's the ups and downs of life.

[hpulley]

I agree completely about using it rather than putting it under glass! Great to hear others are using the antiques.

I too prefer antiques for most of what I buy except for the bamboo stuff where new seems to be a safer bet. Anything pottery or metalware or glass seems better when made before though I wonder what will be on eBay in 100 years?

So, who wants to do a double blind test or new vs. antique tea ware to answer the question once and for all, is it a real effort or placebo? Anyone need a thesis for school?

[Chip]

Very nice Hop. I hope they bring you many years of enjoyment!

I think you have to hold it and drink from it to more fully understand the dynamics involved.

[ABx]

I believe it's called the placebo effect :p

You must be short on experience (I'm kidding around, I mean no offense.)

Tea is going to taste different as it cools, which can also affect the aroma, and the shape of the cup can make a difference in how the aroma rises from the liquid (if it didn't then we wouldn't have so many different kinds of wine glasses). Also keep in mind that the majority of what we experience as taste is actually smell. The shape is also going to be a factor because it can change where your nose is in relation to the rest of the cup.

Different cups can definitely have an affect on the tea, even though it's not going to change the tea itself. I have some cups that bring totally different aspects to the forefront, making it smell noticeably different.

Since antique cups are very likely made differently, and definitely with different clay, it's not unreasonable to think that they would change the tea slightly. It's not going to make it taste and smell like a completely different tea, but it can and will have an effect that can sometimes be noticeable.

[Intuit]

The shape is different (from many modern counterparts) and its influence on aroma and cooling rate might explain the effects noted. I would think fine crazing of the glaze would afford a bit of absorption of slightly bitter components.

You wouldn't be drinking subpar teas out of these elegant cups, eh?

Our aesthetic senses play a role in enjoyment of teas. That is why we often will pay a pretty penny for quality teaware that is as pleasing to the eye as well as elegant in functional design.

[hop_goblin]

Well, I am of the opinion that older teaware was made differently with the use of different materials. As a result, there will certainly be differences in their performance when compaired to contemporary teawares. Furthermore, it is difficult for people in the west who are grounded in western philosophy to understand the concepts of qi which is said to be much stronger in materials of the past. Even if it a placebo effect, who cares. Perception is reality! Btw, why does grandma's old cast iron skillet make the best fried chicken? Hmmmmm??

[teaskeptic]

I am not knocking the placebo effect! I completely agree that older, classical, antique ware will actually make your experience more enjoyable.

Don't you think that your experience would be more enjoyable if you simply believed that you were using antiques, but actually weren't? I'm not saying this is the case here at all. Hop knows his stuff and so does Aaron. I just think that the placebo effect always has a negative connotation with it, and that we could be using it to our advantage if we got over that. I think this is an issue that can come up with almost anything Chinese.