From a Dehua workshop
This set began on a damp morning in Dehua, Fujian, across two days of visits to three small porcelain workshops. The search was for a 30ml cup that would not just meet the gongfu standard but do it with a quiet, confident thinness — without wobble, without warping, and with a lip fine enough to go unnoticed. The workshop eventually chosen has been making teaware for three generations, using local kaolin and firing to 1,300°C. Their slip-casting technique ensures consistent wall thickness across every cup, so that when six are stacked, they sit perfectly aligned. This batch was selected after testing thermal shock resistance and hand-feel on a dozen prototypes. Each cup holds exactly 30ml when filled to the rim, leaving room for the tea’s aroma to gather above the liquor. The cups arrive wrapped in unbleached tissue, with a simple paper card showing the Dehua maker’s stamp. They are meant for sessions where the tea, not the cup, is the focus — a tool that disappears in the hand.