Tea Boat
Black Rosewood

Rosewood

SKU
5540
Traditional tea boat made from black-brown rosewood. Use of dark heartwood; particularly high-quality workmanship. Medium-sized, for smaller and larger tea ceremonies. With finely crafted grooves for draining excess water.
  • Crafted from one piece of rosewood
  • Only the dark, precious heartwood was used
  • High-quality, elaborate workmanship
  • Very robust
  • A fabric bag for safe transport is included in the delivery
  • Dimensions: 34cm x 14cm x 4cm
€169.90

Delivery : 1–3 business days

Incl. VAT, excl. Shipping

SKU
5540
In stock

Product details

One of the stars of our range, crafted from particularly high-quality rosewood. Since only the precious heartwood was used, the tea boat is much more robust than similar pieces. Nevertheless, the tea boat radiates great value and appears very noble. Due to the high quality, the wood was handled with extreme care and attention. The carpenter's workshop has specialised in the production of tea boats for many years. All grooves are carved by hand and the drain of the tea boat is sealed with a plug. If necessary, it can be removed and replaced with the rubber hose that is also included. The tea water can thus be drained into another container during the ceremony. The tea boat is supplied with a custom-fit fabric bag in which the tea boat can be transported safely and comfortably.

Tea boat 茶船 (cháchuán)
The tea boat is an indispensable component of the Chinese gong fu cha tea ceremony. The central function of the tea boat is to catch the copious excess water from the ceremony. During the Chinese tea ceremony, water is not just used to steep tea, but also for the ceremonial cleansing and warming of the utensils. For more details, see the "Uses" tab.

Care & Cleaning

After use, separate the lid from the tray and rinse with clean water. Wipe with a cloth and leave out to dry.

Uses

Instructions for the Chinese Gong Fu Cha (工夫茶) Tea Ceremony

According to tradition, the Chinese tea ceremony is about making tea in the best possible way. This philosophy is reflected in the term "gong fu cha" itself, which can be roughly translated as "making tea with skill". One of the many aspects of this special form of tea preparation is minimising as much as possible the heat loss between heated water and the resulting tea. The main method of retaining heat is the repeated dousing of cup and teapot with hot water.

The tea boat primarily serves to collect excess water. The relatively large size of the tea boat compared to other utensils in the ceremony and well as its special function transform the tea boat into a kind of "stage" at the centre of events.

To prepare the tea, we recommend using a small Chinese teapot, ideally a gaiwan or a teapot made from Yixing clay. If preparing tea for multiple guests, a cha hai (decanter) may also be used. While a cha hai is also suitable for use in a solo tea ceremony, the cup used as a cha hai should have a volume of at least 150ml. When using just a single drinking cup for the ceremony, it is also important that this cup has a volume equivalent to or greater than the teapot. It is important that the tea is completely drained from the pot for each infusion so that the drinker can distinctly enjoy the changing flavour of the tea from infusion to infusion.

1. Step: Preparation

The tea boat should be placed on a stable surface such as a table. The teapot (or gaiwan) as well as drinking cup or cha hai are then placed on the tea boat. If using a saucer rather than a tea boat, only place the teapot on the saucer.

2. Step: Ceremonial Cleansing and Pre-Heating

The teapot (including lid) is doused with boiling hot water. Thereafter teapot and drinking cups are half-filled with the hot water. This water should then be poured out into either the teapot or the jian shui. This stage demonstratively cleanses the vessels and simultaneously warms them for the tea.

3. Step: Awakening the Tea

Add tea leaves to the teapot. For a gong fu cha tea ceremony, a generous portion of tea leaves are used and should fill 1/3 or 1/2 of the teapot. For such a large quantity of leaves, it is important to steep the leaves for very short periods many times. When using tea leaves in a compressed shape such as rolled oolong or pu erh, the leaves should be briefly coated with water for just a few seconds before pouring out the water in the tea boat or jian shui. This intermediate step helps to open up the leaves so that the first infusion is more aromatic. "Awakening" the tea may also be appropriate for other kinds of Chinese tea, but more likely for ceremonial purposes than for flavour.

4. Step: Preparing the Tea

The teapot is first doused with hot water and then filled. The drinking cups or cha hai are then filled with hot water, which is then poured into the tea boat or jian shui. The tea may then be poured into the cups or cha hai and enjoyed. This procedure is repeated for each infusion. The steeping time increases each time until the tea begins to lose its flavour. Good quality oolong and pu erh can be used up to 10 times, while aged teas may last even longer.

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