Tea - crafts

In China where tea drinking originated, tea was and still is brewed and drunk all in one cup. Teapots, in the sense of a pot used to infuse the tea and then pour it out, are a European invention. Teapots are made using a variety of materials such as terracotta, porcelain and silver. At first, tea was expensive in Britain, and those rich enough to drink it kept it under lock and key in tea caddies. As tea became cheaper, teapots became larger and shapes changed rapidly with fashion.

Teapots, cups and caddies

A photograph of a wooden tea cup from Daejeeling from Kew's Economic Botany Collection.

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Image: Not all tea cups are elaborate, this wooden tea cup from Darjeeling is very simple.

China is best known for teapot production, especially porcelain. However, South Asia does produce tea sets using many materials like silver, brass and ceramics. In Pakistan there is a large production of glazed earthenware teapots and small cups without handles for drinking qahwa tea (tea with cardamom, cinnamon, saffron and almonds). Some traditional crafts such as copper work in India have been adapted to meet demand for more modern items like tea pots. Yet at the same time many other traditional South Asian crafts are in danger of dying out, such as the blue pottery of Delhi.