tea.equipment · sampling channel Encyclopedia · School · Atlas · Pu-erh · Equipment EN · RU · · · FR · ES · AR
tea.equipment Cart (0)
dry
wet
liquor
plantation

home · cups-and-cup-sets

Cups & cup sets

Aroma + sipping cup pair set

*Wén Xiāng Bēi*

闻香杯

A porcelain duo for the gongfu ceremony — the tall cup captures and concentrates aroma before the tea is decanted into the sipping cup, allowing the drinker to appreciate fragrance separately from taste.

$38USD · 90 g

Weight
90 g
Processing
Wheel-thrown Dehua porcelain, clear glaze, high-fired to 1300°C for vitreous, thin walls.
Sourced by

Sourced from a Dehua porcelain workshop

This set comes from a family-run workshop in Dehua county, Fujian, a region celebrated for its pure kaolin clays and luminous white porcelain. Michael Zhan, our procurement specialist, spent three days visiting potters in the autumn of 2023, searching for a duo that balanced tradition with practical refinement. The workshop uses locally mined clay, wheel-thrown and trimmed to gossamer thinness before a single clear glaze is applied. Fired to 1300°C, the porcelain becomes vitreous, almost translucent, with a white surface that allows the liquor’s colour to shine.

Michael tested several prototypes with a Mí Lán Xiāng dancong oolong, a tea whose honey-orchid aroma demands a tall, narrow cup to concentrate and layer its scent. The set you hold is the result of those trials — proportions that amplify fragrance without over-insulating the sipping cup, and a shape that feels natural in the hand. Each pair is inspected on-site for imperfections, then packed in a fitted cloth pouch. With everyday use, the cups develop a fine patina of tea oils, deepening their connection to your own ceremony.

The leaf, brewed

Why the aroma cup matters

dry leaf

The tall cup’s slender interior concentrates volatile aromatics; the sipping cup’s wide mouth allows liquor to spread across the palate.

wet leaf

After a quick rinse with hot water, both cups warm and become receptive to the tea’s first infusion.

liquor

Pouring into the tall cup, then covering with the sipping cup and inverting — the liquor fills the short cup, leaving a fragrant film inside the tall cup.

aroma

The tall cup releases layered notes — floral, honeyed, roasted — depending on the tea, offering a dedicated olfactory tasting before the first sip.

taste

The sipping cup’s form guides liquor to the tip of the tongue, then to the sides, enhancing sweetness and the perception of texture.

finish

Return to the now-empty aroma cup; its residual scent prolongs the aftertaste and deepens the memory of the tea.

Brewing

A method, not a recipe.

Method
Gongfu aroma cup ritual
Ratio
Fill tall cup 2/3 full
Water temp
95–100°C (adjust for tea type)
First infusion
10–20 seconds steeping, then decant
Subsequent
Repeat for each infusion; extend decant time by 5 seconds per steep.

Warm both cups with hot water first. Place the sipping cup over the aroma cup, invert in one smooth motion, then lift the tall cup slowly to release fragrance before drinking.

Sourced by

Michael Zhan

Procurement & Sourcing Specialist (China)

Full profile →