As the saying goes, “If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well.”
At the Tea table, having a few handy tools will naturally make brewing tea more skillful and effortless.
The “Six Gentlemen of Tea” are six essential utensils on a traditional tea setting and are also commonly seen in our daily tea life.
The “Six Gentlemen of Tea,” also known as the six tea implements, include the tea tube, tea funnel, tea needle, tea tongs, tea scoop, and tea spoon.
Tea Tube: Also known as a tea utensil bottle, it resembles a pen holder or vase and is used to store the other “five gentlemen” for organizing and tidiness.
Tea Funnel: Shaped like a funnel, it can be placed over the narrow mouth of some teapots to assist in adding tea leaves.
Tea Needle: As its name suggests, it looks like a needle with one end being pointed, useful for clearing the spout, moving tea leaves, or breaking up Compressed tea cakes.
Tea Tongs: In formal settings, these are used for washing and serving cups. They can also be used for handling compressed tea and removing tea residue, keeping wet and dry uses separate.
Tea Scoop: Resembling a small spoon, it is primarily used for scooping tea leaves. The tea scoop can reach into the bottom of a tea tin to easily retrieve tea.
Tea Spoon (also called tea scraper): One end is flat, which can be used to transfer loose tea from the tea Tray into the pot. It can also be used to remove tea residue, keeping wet and dry uses separate.
Although the Six Gentlemen of Tea have multiple uses, their functions must be clearly distinguished in formal settings.
The more standardized usage includes using the tea funnel to guide in the tea leaves, the tea needle to clear the spout, the tea tongs to handle cups, the tea scoop to take tea leaves, and the tea spoon to transfer tea leaves.
Additionally, the term “Six Gentlemen of Tea” refers to six real people who lived over a thousand years ago.
These individuals were Sido, Zhengru, Zhang Yonghui, Wu Chunweng, Lü Yuanjun, and Song Wenfu, who are remembered for their contributions to the welfare of the people through tea-related endeavors.