Welcome to my new blog focusing on tea. I have a number of articles planned for the next couple of months, including an exploration of pu-erh, reviews of the dreaded English tea, an attempt to find some good tea shops in Manchester and a look at different tea cultures so be sure to come back to see how the site develops.
Now on to the first review:
Jing Tea Master Gongfu Tea Set
This was bought for me as a present from my wife as I have had my eye on it for a while. I own a few pieces of Chinese teaware that I have picked up over the years but I have never owned a complete tea set like this before.
There are two versions of the set available, one is just the basic tea set while the more expensive Master set includes a bamboo water tray. It is the Master one that is being reviewed here.
The tea set includes a small glass teapot, two double-walled glass cups and a small jug. All these items can be used to make a perfect cup of tea with a degree of control that I was really looking for; brewing the tea in the teapot and then decanting it into the jug means that you do not have to worry about the tea becoming stewed and bitter, while the size of the tea pot is perfect for one or two people. The small cups provide a great way to taste the tea and the double wall design keeps your fingers protected from the heat. The fun thing about using this tea set is brewing Oolong teas in the gongfu chadao(工夫茶道) style. This roughly translates as The Way of Skillful Tea. See Wikipedia or Jing have a video on their site with the basics.
One thing that really surprised me about this teaset is how light and delicate it all feels. Being made of glass I expected the pieces to be heavy but instead they have hardly any weight at all and encourage the drinker to focus on a sensitivity to the tea. Unfortunately, the tea set is as fragile as it looks and, on arrival, the teapot lid was broken. Jing were very fast in replacing it and all credit to them for their customer service. Since then I have also lost one of the tea cups as it accidentally fell from the tray onto a kitchen surface and smashed. Buying a couple of spares is definitely recommended.
Despite this slight problem it is a great set and I love using it. The clarity of the glass allows an insight into enjoying the tea that a porcelain set can never really match. I am looking forward to trying out some of the speciality flowering teas with it soon.
The tea tray is a good size for the set and of a sturdy and modern design. It is great value for money when bought with the set and if you are interested in brewing in the gongfu style it is essential.
Overall I can see myself continuing to use the set for many years to come and would highly recommend it.
The glass gongfu set is available from Jing Tea at: http://jingtea.com/teaware/tea-sets/glass-gong-fu-set
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