Tea Pot Sets: The Evolution of
Tea Culture

I was in a major retail store looking for tea pot sets and was told that spring/summer is not the season for them. Well, I didn't know there was a season. It could be just this one store...coffee is served all year!

As tea culture evolved from century to century, so did what was used to brew, serve, and drink it with. They have been transformed throughout the years from practical items to finely decorated and crafted porcelain pots.

Chinese Culture

• Ewers may have been used to serve water and to hold tea. I know, I did not know what an "ewer" was either. It is from the 14th century and is a container or jug for holding water.

Japanese Culture

• The Japanese tea ceremony has often been credited with the evolution of beautifully decorated porcelain pots to serve cups of matcha, a type of green tea, used even today.
• As this ceremony evolved into use in the Japanese game of Tocha in which the origin of the brew must be identified, Japanese society began to compete with each other over the presentation of beautiful tea pots and accessories.

European Culture

• Although England attempted to produce clever designs for use with brewing and serving, their quality of clay and craftsmanship could not withstand the heat. In Germany around 1700, craftsmen started to use porcelain which withstood heat and could also be decorated.

American Culture

• The earliest evidence of tea pots in America dates to the time of the early colonists who brought their supplies over with them from Europe. In the beginning, they all were made from silver before making the transition to porcelain tea sets.

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