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This item is a handcrafted ceramic tea set featuring a marbled, high-temperature crystalline or mineral glaze in shades of green, brown, and red, complete with a matching teapot, small teacups, a tiered presentation or warming base, and a lidded container.
This traditional Chinese Gongfu (Kung Fu) tea set has a dual-purpose water-drainage and warming basin. It is cleverly engineered to nest completely inside itself for storage or travel, but its individual pieces serve very specific roles during a traditional tea ceremony.
How It Works & What the Basin is For
• The Slotted Flower Lid: This acts as a drainage platform. During a traditional tea ceremony, it is common practice to rinse the teaware with boiling water or discard the first brief wash of tea leaves. You pour the excess water right over the top, and it drains safely through the flower slots into the basin below.
• Warming and Temperature Control: Yes, the basin is absolutely meant for warming! To use it for this purpose, you pour boiling water directly into the bottom basin and put the slotted lid on top. Resting your small tasting cups on the lid lets the rising steam keep your cups perfectly hot before you pour the tea.
• Self-Contained Storage (Nesting): As shown in your photos, the teapot drops right into the main basin, the slotted lid covers it, and the small teacups rest neatly inside the top indentation. The large patterned dome lid goes over the entire setup to secure it into a single, compact unit.
