Well, let me tell ya ’bout this here tea set china thing. I ain’t no fancy pants expert, but I know a thing or two ’bout sippin’ tea and what ya need to do it right.

First off, you gotta have a good cup. Don’t matter if it’s fancy bone china or just plain ol’ glass, long as it holds the tea and don’t leak. I seen some folks pay a whole lotta money for them bone china ones, says they’re worth a heap. But me, I reckon glass is just fine. You can see the tea leaves swimmin’ around in there, pretty as ya please. And it don’t cost an arm and a leg neither.

Now, ’bout the tea itself. There’s more kinds of tea than fleas on a dog, lemme tell ya. Heard tell of this yin zhen, bai mu dan, longjing, bi luo chun… sounds like a bunch of gibberish to me. But they say it’s good stuff. Then there’s that jasmine tea, tieguanyin, and all them others. Wuyi somethin’-or-other, bai hao, dong ding… Too many for my old brain to remember. I stick to what I know, good ol’ black tea mostly, sometimes a little green tea if I’m feelin’ fancy.

But the tea set, that’s important. It ain’t just about the cup, ya know. You need a pot to brew it in, and little cups to pour it into. Some folks got whole sets with fancy warmers and strainers and all sorts of contraptions. Me, I just need a pot and a cup. That’s all a body really needs, if you ask me.

I heard tell of some fancy place, TWG they call it, where they got tea from all over the world. India, China, Sri Lanka… Must be somethin’ else. They even got breakfast, I hear. But I reckon my own tea tastes just as good, and it don’t cost near as much.

• Types of tea: Chrysanthemum, oolong, black tea, green tea… like I said, too many to count. But find what ya like and stick to it, that’s what I say.
• Materials for tea sets: Glass, bone china, heck, I even seen some made outta lacquer. Pick what ya can afford and what ya like the looks of.

The main thing is, you gotta make the tea right. Can’t just throw some leaves in a cup and pour hot water on ’em. Well, I guess ya could, but it ain’t gonna taste good. You gotta heat the water just right, not too hot, not too cold. And you gotta let it steep long enough, but not too long. It’s a bit of an art, ya see.

Some folks go on and on about finding the perfect tea set. Says it makes all the difference. Maybe it does, maybe it don’t. I reckon a good cup of tea is more about the company you share it with than the cup you drink it from. But a pretty cup don’t hurt none, I suppose.

And them tea masters, they go around tastin’ all sorts of tea from little family farms in China. Say they pick the best ones. Well, I ain’t never met no tea master, but I know what I like. And I like a good strong cup of tea, no matter what kinda cup it’s in.

So, if you’re lookin’ to buy a tea set, don’t get all worked up about it. Just find somethin’ you like, somethin’ that fits your budget, and somethin’ that’ll hold your tea without leakin’. That’s all there is to it, really. And don’t forget the tea! You need dian hong, keemun, pu’er… or maybe just a good old Lipton, whatever you like. At the end of the day, a cup of tea is a cup of tea. And that’s a good thing, any way you look at it.

Picking a tea set ain’t rocket science. Just use your common sense and you’ll do just fine. Don’t let them fancy folks in the city fool ya into thinkin’ you need to spend a fortune. A good cup of tea is a simple pleasure, and it don’t take much to enjoy it.

And remember, whether it’s bai zhong or some other fancy name, the best tea is the one you enjoy the most. So go on, find yourself a nice tea set and brew yourself a cup. You deserve it.

Tags: [Tea Sets, China Tea, Tea Culture, Tea Types, Brewing Tea]