Artisan Journal

What Was a Song Dynasty Tea Duel? The Rules of China's Most Elegant Competition

What Was a Song Dynasty Tea Duel? The Rules of ...

A Song Dynasty tea duel was a competition in whisked-tea artistry: contestants whipped tea into white foam and judged who made it whitest, finest and longest-lasting — and dark Jian...

What Was a Song Dynasty Tea Duel? The Rules of ...

A Song Dynasty tea duel was a competition in whisked-tea artistry: contestants whipped tea into white foam and judged who made it whitest, finest and longest-lasting — and dark Jian...

How to Hold and Drink From a Jian Zhan: Gongfu Tea Etiquette, Explained

How to Hold and Drink From a Jian Zhan: Gongfu ...

Hold a Jian Zhan with three fingers — thumb and forefinger on the rim, middle finger under the foot — and let the heavy iron body steady your hand. Here's...

How to Hold and Drink From a Jian Zhan: Gongfu ...

Hold a Jian Zhan with three fingers — thumb and forefinger on the rim, middle finger under the foot — and let the heavy iron body steady your hand. Here's...

Oil Spot vs Hare's Fur vs Partridge Feather: Which Jian Zhan Glaze Should You Collect?

Oil Spot vs Hare's Fur vs Partridge Feather: Wh...

Oil spots, hare's fur and partridge feathers are born from the same 1300°C firing — the difference is how iron crystallizes. Here's how to read each pattern and choose the...

Oil Spot vs Hare's Fur vs Partridge Feather: Wh...

Oil spots, hare's fur and partridge feathers are born from the same 1300°C firing — the difference is how iron crystallizes. Here's how to read each pattern and choose the...

Whisking matcha in a matte black tenmoku chawan tea bowl with bamboo chasen whisk, traditional tea ceremony style

Can You Use Jian Zhan for Matcha? The Ancient T...

Yes — Jian Zhan (called tenmoku in Japan) is the historic ancestor of the matcha bowl: wide, thick-walled and heat-retaining, it was made for whisking and drinking powdered tea.

Can You Use Jian Zhan for Matcha? The Ancient T...

Yes — Jian Zhan (called tenmoku in Japan) is the historic ancestor of the matcha bowl: wide, thick-walled and heat-retaining, it was made for whisking and drinking powdered tea.

Pouring amber tea into a handcrafted Jian Zhan cup - golden crystalline oil spot glaze catching the light, Jingdezhen tenmoku ware

Does Jian Zhan Change the Taste of Your Tea? Wh...

A Jian Zhan keeps tea warmer, smoother and more aromatic — it changes the temperature and mouthfeel of your tea, and with it, how you perceive flavor.

Does Jian Zhan Change the Taste of Your Tea? Wh...

A Jian Zhan keeps tea warmer, smoother and more aromatic — it changes the temperature and mouthfeel of your tea, and with it, how you perceive flavor.

Jian Zhan glaze guide - educational chart of hare's fur, oil spot and partridge feather glazes with classic tenmoku bowl shapes from Jingdezhen

What Is Jian Zhan? The Complete Guide to China'...

Jian Zhan is a hand-built iron-clay tea bowl fired at 1300°C, famous for oil-spot, hare's-fur and partridge-feather glazes that form naturally in the kiln — here's everything a beginner needs...

What Is Jian Zhan? The Complete Guide to China'...

Jian Zhan is a hand-built iron-clay tea bowl fired at 1300°C, famous for oil-spot, hare's-fur and partridge-feather glazes that form naturally in the kiln — here's everything a beginner needs...