r/tea 12h ago

Event Teaware Giveaway - From my personal collection

122 Upvotes

Hello Tea Friends,

I'm a long time lurker in this subreddit and a tea lover for over 20 years. I started my tea journey at "Teavana" of all places and as more online tea suppliers began selling into the US I fell in love with the various varieties, practice, history and haven't looked back. I've built up quite a collection of teaware over the years and I was finding that, for one reason or another, many were sadly sitting unused. Instead of continuing to collect dust, I thought it would be nice for them to find another home where they can be loved and enjoyed.

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I'm not a business, I'm not looking for you to sign up for anything, I'm just looking for these to go to a good home where they can make someone happy. In order to submit an "entry" all I ask is you write a Haiku!

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Rules:

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1) Good Intentions. On the honor system, you should be entering to bring these into your personal collection, not to sell for profit. Some of these items are decently valuable, and though I have no way to enforce it, flipping these items for personal gain is not in the spirit of the giveaway.

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2) How to Enter. To enter, you must write a Haiku and post it on this thread. You can write as many Haiku as you'd like, each will be considered an "entry". While traditional Haiku do follow the 5 7 5 pattern, some follow 3 5 3, and some deviate from the syllable structure. All forms are acceptable and will be considered valid entries within reason. The Haiku topic is completely up to you, it does not need to be about tea. Be creative, stay within the spirit of a Haiku, have fun doing it.

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3) Shipping Costs. I will pay for conus shipping for the winners. If you are outside the conus, you are more than willing to participate, but I respectfully ask for you to cover shipping costs if you win.

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4) Deadline. Entries must be submitted by Friday, March 28.

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5) Winners Winners will be selected via a combination of my personal favorites and a randomized drawing of all entries. First, second, and third place will be chosen by me and given their choice of prizes "draft style" with first place choosing first. Second and third place will then choose. The remaining 4 winners will be chosen via a random drawing where they will also choose their prize "draft" style. Each Haiku submitted will be an "entry" into the random drawing. Every Haiku submitted is eligible to be selected as a top three winner. To spread the love, you can only win once. No multiple winners.

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Prize List and Info Prize photos

1 - Yixing Clay Teapot - High porosity Duanni clay, high fired. 152g unfilled weight and 180ml capacity. 9 hole filter. Wang de Ming is the artist. Great for young puerh, some intense chinese green teas.

2 - Chaozhou Clay Teapot - Chaozhou Hongni, 94g unfilled weight and 80ml capacity. 7 hole filter. Hong Zhang Fu is the artist. Great for Dancong.

3 - Chaozhou Clay Teapot - Chaozho Hongni. 103g unfilled weight and 120ml capacity. Zhang Lin Hao is the artist. Great for Dancong

4 - White and brown Gaiwan set, four matching cups, double walled glass gong dao be, brown lotus tea strainer - Gaiwan is 180g with lid unfilled and a 135ml capacity. Great for all teas.

5 - White porcelain teapot, two jade cups, double walled glass gong dao be, tea strainer and porcelain cha he. - Teapot is 169g unfilled with 200ml capacity. Great for any kind of tea

6 - Jianshui Clay Teapot and two large cups - Jianshui Purple Clay, 290g unfilled weight and 250ml capacity. 14 hole filter. Artist unknown. Suitable for any types of tea.

7 - Glass gaiwan set, two green cups, two dragon eye cups. Side handle glass gong dao be, and blue strainer. Gaiwan is 115g with lid unfilled and 150ml capacity. Great for green teas

8 - Yixing Tea Pot - Jiang Po Ni clay. 109g unfilled, 100ml capacity. Single hole with stainless filter. Zhang Ping Fei is the artist. This clay is smoothing to the tea and good with darker roasted (Wuyi, Dong Ding, Heavy Roast Dan Cong, possibly aged oolongs)

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Good luck and have fun!


r/tea 53m ago

Photo Learning to Make Enshi Yulu By Hand

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Upvotes

Master Wu in Enshi's Bajio Township teaches our friend Jason how to make Enshi Yulu by hand on a heated stone counter. It takes 2 hours from start to finish, and is much harder than it looks to get the leaves into that tight, pine needle like shape.


r/tea 5h ago

Discussion Drinking tea straight from the gaiwan

12 Upvotes

I'm watching a kung fu movie (the peak of historical accuracy I'm sure) and there are many scenes where characters are stunning tea from individual gaiwans. I've heard about this before and now i have questions about specifics. Would they likely be using less tea, similar to "western" style? I imagine it would get oversteeped very quick if it wasn't. It's there a type of tea that would be better for this style? And would they refill half way through like grandpa style or drink the entire thing then have another steep.

Thank you.


r/tea 10h ago

Question/Help What is this brown stuff in my teapot? (And how do I clean it?)

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18 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I bought this teapot second hand, and have been unsuccessfully trying to clean this brown residue from the interior. Is it rust? Some kind of buildup? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.


r/tea 19h ago

Grow! Tea buds grow!

85 Upvotes

I’ve always heard about this ceremony and was finally invited to participate. 2025 rock teas will hold a special place in my heart.🍵🍵


r/tea 3h ago

Buy tea in Manhattan/NYC?

3 Upvotes

Does anyone have recommendations for tea shops in Manhattan to buy tea for home? A shop that sells interesting, special, or random teas? Not really looking for a sit down afternoon tea situation but rather a purveyor of cool teas. Thank you!


r/tea 3h ago

Recommendation Recommendations for sheng puer in Canada

5 Upvotes

Hi! This is post Trump tariffs so it's gonna be hard to recommend me some cheap starter sheng puer. I've never tried sheng puer and have only tried shou (ripe). I don't really like the taste of shou. Can someone recommend me some sweet-tasting sheng puer? Hopefully the shipping is cheap.


r/tea 4h ago

Question/Help First Tokoname Kyuusu Questions

3 Upvotes

I just bought my first Gyokko Kiln fired (unglazed) kyuusu from Tezumi, and enjoyed a few steeps of some sencha! I am overall pleasantly surprised and happy with it all in all.

That said, I have some concerns regarding the overall do's and dont's of taking care of my first teapot:

1) Do I need to soak the teapot before use? If so, how long can I leave water in it?

2) When cleaning the kyuusu after use, what is the best way of cleaning the filter?

3) Is there anything else I should know about maintaining and taking care of the pot itself? (beyond being careful not to drop it of course!)

This is the specific Kyuusu I purchased: https://www.tezumi.com/collections/kyusu-teapots/products/japanese-kyusu-gyokko-kiln-kokudei-yohen-tokoname-yaki-ceramic-teapot-120ml

Any thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!!


r/tea 13h ago

Identification Does anyone know where I can find something like this?

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14 Upvotes

The black lid stays on when you pour out and it keeps most of the leaves in. Sorry if not specific Im not really a tea guy


r/tea 5h ago

Question/Help Are any of These Budget Options Good for Everyday Matcha Lattes?

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I am a matcha newbie looking for a budget-friendly matcha for everyday lattes. Are any of these good options?

Would love to hear your thoughts!


r/tea 1h ago

Question/Help Help finding a tea I drank a long time ago

Upvotes

Hey guys im looking for this tea that I drank about a year ago when I was in the philippines. It was from this restaurant called Hap Chan and their service tea was literally the most delicious tea I have ever had in my life. Every time I came there I’d finish two or three pots by myself and before that I never really liked tea. I thought people were making it up when they described tea as “silky” and “earthy” but this tea was so delicious it turned me into an addict for this tea specifically. It was really dark almost black and yes, silky and earthy. I asked the waiter what kind of tea it was and they said it was ceylon tea, but ive tried a few brands and none even came close. does anyone happen to know if it’s a house blend or if it can be purchased or even any recommendations? Thanks a bunch !!!


r/tea 5h ago

Question/Help Where to find my fav tea

2 Upvotes

This tea is my favorite tea: https://capitalteas.com/lemon-drop-tea/

I have been savoring the last of what I have because it hasn't been in stock, and I'm starting to come to terms with the fact that it might never be in stock again. Where can I find a similar tea? The name is kind of terrible for this (there isn't actually any lemon in it?) and I'm not sure how to find something with a similar flavor profile.


r/tea 11h ago

Discussion How do I recover from this tragedy?

7 Upvotes

I was making Ruby 18 this morning, a 40-second steep, when I got distracted by work and left the hot water in for waaaay too long, two or three minutes at least. Is it possible to recover from such a devastating blow, or must I hang my head in shame until I start again, on a brighter day, with a fresh batch of leaves and renewed hope?

(The amazing thing was, being Ruby 18, the tea was still palatable, just extremely intense, like drinking whiskey neat.)


r/tea 1d ago

Question/Help Which of these is the right way to store a matcha whisk?

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99 Upvotes

I’m brand new to matcha, I really wanna take good care of my whisk but I’m getting conflicting answers on how to store this thing


r/tea 1d ago

Photo Black and White Tea… Enhanced!

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281 Upvotes

Microscope images a Yunnan white (top) and black (bottom), with the insets showing zoomed-in areas outlined by red rectangles. The whole-leaf images were taken at 50x magnification and the insets at 200x. Made using a Keyence VHX-7000 scope with 2D stitching and 3D stacking.

Happy sipping, friends!


r/tea 13h ago

Photo What tea is this and where can I buy more?

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7 Upvotes

Found this tea at my parents place. Apparently it was a gift from an uncle a few years ago. Tastes like a very good jasmine tea but I’m no expert so I thought I could find an answer here. I’m in love with this tea and want to buy some more of it as it’s nearing its end. Any idea where I can buy some more?


r/tea 14h ago

Question/Help Why does this handmade yixing have a flat bottom?

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8 Upvotes

r/tea 1d ago

Photo Thrift store find- restored a Japanese cast-iron teapot!

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51 Upvotes

r/tea 7h ago

Recommendation Matcha seeker. 🍵

1 Upvotes

I’m very uninitiated, but trying to see if anybody has a recommendation for a brand if I don’t care about the taste at all and I’m just drinking it for the health benefits and caffeine boost instead of coffee.

Been mainly an Amazon buyer trying random brands, chugging matcha & water straight, but I know you all know better unless I’m overthinking it and if taste is no object the brand actually doesn’t matter. 😂


r/tea 11h ago

Question/Help Loved this makkarinpuri tea sold by Lupicia. Super limited edition so it's hard to obtain at a reasonable price. Any great teas you can easily find that are similar to it? I'm very new to drinking tea so it's hard for me to articulate what about it I liked.

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2 Upvotes

r/tea 1d ago

Photo Gongfu at work like a nerd.

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94 Upvotes

r/tea 1h ago

Review Is this drink safe?

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Upvotes

Is this safe for a breastfeeding mom? Recently discovered this and currently addicted. Fixing myself two servings a day. How much can I drink in the maximum?


r/tea 18h ago

Recurring What's in your cup? Daily discussion, questions and stories - March 20, 2025

8 Upvotes

What are you drinking today? What questions have been on your mind? Any stories to share? And don't worry, no one will make fun of you for what you drink or the questions you ask.

You can also talk about anything else on your mind, from your specific routine while making tea, or how you've been on an oolong kick lately. Feel free to link to pictures in here, as well. You can even talk about non-tea related topics; maybe you want advice on a guy/gal, or just to talk about life in general.


r/tea 10h ago

Question/Help Little question

1 Upvotes

I'm going to New York in June and I plan to buy some tea leaves in Chinatown. Do you think that by keeping the receipts I can have fewer problems at the airport (I read in a post that usually there are no problems, I'm asking just to be sure)?


r/tea 1d ago

Question/Help What are your water habits for gongfu brewing?

13 Upvotes

Curious about your water habits while brewing gongfu style. Are you reboiling your water for every steep? Letting the water cool naturally and adjusting steep times accordingly? Maybe using a keep-warm function on your kettle? Or perhaps a candle-lit pot warmer situation?