How to Use Tea Pets

Описание: Welcome back to beyond the bag. Today we are taking a look at Tea pets. A novelty that has taken the tea world by storm in the last couple of years. Specifically, What are they? Where do they come from? and how do I use them?

Tea pets are small figures made from special porous clay. Most of the time they are of animals corresponding to the Chinese zodiac but they can also be folk characters, mythical creatures, or anything else you can imagine. Tea pets are an integral part of some traditional tea ceremonies originating in China. They are also a friend to sip tea with if you don't have anyone else to enjoy good steeping with. According to legend, the different figures can bring you good fortune in certain areas as well as improve your luck.

This is little guy is my pig tea pet, Chestnut. Traditionally, pigs are a symbol of general wealth and good fortune, however, his adorableness was the primary reason I chose him.

Now, how to take care of or use a tea pet. Somewhat like a normal pet, a tea pet needs to be fed. Specifically, fed with nice warm tea. To feed pour the hot tea over the entirety of the surface of the clay. Over time as you do this, the clay will begin to absorb some of the tea. The color of the clay will begin to shift and develop a pleasant aroma of the teas you drink most often. A certain semi-glossy finish will also begin to manifest on the exterior of the tea pet. This is the sign of a well-loved and cherished tea pet that the owner has invested in for quite some time. The old tea masters attest that the tea pet has no soul when you first get it but after much careful attention, the gloss finish is a sign the pet has developed one.

Anyway, that is the basics of tea pets. I am well aware there is a lot of cultural traditions around the use of tea pets, that I did not cover in this video. I will also leave some links in the description if you want to do further research of your own. If you are looking for something to spice up your tea shelf or never want to have to drink alone again, I would recommend picking one of these little guys up. Cheers!

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Further Info on Tea Pets:
https://theteacupoflife.com/2017/05/w...
https://www.teamuse.com/article_20081...
https://pathofcha.com/blogs/all-about...