Teaware

Pialas — 茶杯 (Cha Bei) — small cups for drinking tea. Choose by instinct, but keep the details in mind: clay cups can 'remember' their tea, while porcelain reflects aroma off the walls and makes it more expressive. Shape also matters: tall, narrow cups cool slowly and concentrate aroma at the bottom, while wide, open cups cool faster and suit heavily fermented teas brewed with boiling water. Read more about choosing ware in the blog, but the best thing is to collect a set of cups and share tea with friends.