茶寵 Tea Pet — Yixing Clay

A tea pet (茶寵, chá chǒng — literally 'tea darling') is a small clay figurine that lives on the tea tray and is fed tea during every session. Pour your rinse water over it. Let overflow from the pot run across its surface. In the Chinese tea tradition, this is not decorative — it is part of the practice: the tea pet accumulates the session and changes slowly over months and years. Tea pets are cast from Yixing zisha clay (宜興紫砂) — the same unglazed purple, red or green clay used for the finest Chinese teapots. Zisha is porous at a microscopic level: it absorbs the tea's oils, tannins and minerals into the clay body. Over time the surface deepens in colour, develops a warm sheen called bao jian (寶劍光, 'treasure mirror shine'), and takes on the aromatic trace of every tea it has been fed. Classic forms each carry meaning: the frog (招財蟾蜍) calls wealth; the laughing buddha brings ease; the ox brings diligence; the fish signals abundance. The premium set includes three or four complementary pieces in a gift box. Every piece is hand-finished by Yixing artisans. Worldwide delivery.