Verdant Tea

This beautiful full-sized tea tray from Xiangfu Design Studio embraces their humble origins as a small workshop of bamboo crafters. The Chinese name 水云间 literally means “the space between clouds and water,” an evocative image that inspires the cut channels that serve as the drain for water poured during tea ceremony to run into the hidden tray underneath. The channels mirror the steam on a just brewed cup of tea rising and swirling, priming the tea board as a special “space” for tea. For big group tea sessions, this board has a drain with a tube so that you can keep brewing without emptying the tray itself.

The geometric lines intersecting the octagonal window evoke mist rolling by in the early morning. They also serve as a channel to drain this evocative tea board. A favorite teapot in the choice ‘window spot’ gives it center stage. This board draws on Xiangfu’s rich experience with bamboo as part of their new “Sacred Fig Tree” series, a new style of board made with dense, resin-soaked bamboo for solid weight and durability.

The circular platform with a carved lotus is the centerpiece of this board, serving as a place for a favorite teapot or gaiwan, while the carved channels are perfect for cups and pitchers. This deep, dark, solid board is actually made from dense resin-soaked bamboo that is kiln-fired for deep color. The board can be used with a drain cap for modern gongfu or with a tube in place for traditional draining gongfu tea.

The natural rough hewn-texture of this monumental stone tea board serves as a grounded foundation for gongfu tea. The choice of material is a critical piece of the overall balance of a gongfu set up, and stone evokes the rocky landscapes where fine tea grows, while reflecting on the minerals-driven textural complexity of great tea. The hewn grey of this board turns dark and lustrous as hot water is poured over it, and the water flows down the channel along the edges to drain to maintain a clean modern look. For modern gongfu ceremony, cap the drain with the included cap and the board works as a stunning tea boat.

The abstract lines and simple figure stand out against the natural stone texture of this monumental tea board for a grounded gongfu space. The choice of material is a critical piece of the overall balance of a gongfu set up, and stone evokes the rocky landscapes where fine tea grows, while reflecting on the minerals-driven textural complexity of great tea. The stone grey of this board turns dark and lustrous as hot water is poured over it, and the water flows down the channel along the edges to drain to maintain a clean modern look. For modern gongfu ceremony, cap the drain with the included cap and the board works as a stunning tea boat.

A carved bird motif is paired with cleverly designed grooves running along the surface to a drain channel that goes all the way around. This allows for a draining board with no slope. The fact that water poured over teapots drains away, even under the pot itself makes this style the preferred board for yixing collectors looking to show off their most beautiful pieces. A tube is included for flexible drainage, but the board is also a gorgeous framing piece in modern gongfu sets with a water bowl.

This board is cleverly designed with grooves running along the surface to a drain channel that goes all the way around. This allows for a draining board with no slope. The fact that water poured over teapots drains away, even under the pot itself, makes this style the preferred board for yixing collectors looking to show off their most beautiful pieces. A tube is included for flexible drainage, but the board is also a gorgeous framing piece in modern gongfu sets with a water bowl.

This stunning and truly unique tea boat from Xiangfu workshop is made from a combination of aromatic yew wood and resin. Beautiful pieces of yew are selected for their unique wood grains and shapes, and allowed to truly stand out against the swirled resin. This hand-building process means every piece is unlike any other. When the fragrant board is used for tea, the heat and moisture bring out deep forestry aromatics in the wood, bringing nature to your daily tea.

Xiangfu’s Zheng series is named after the stringed instrument since the carved grooves mimc the zheng’s strings. Groves running to a drain channel allow this personal-sized tea board to draw water away from your teapot, keeping it even and well-seasoned. The compact footprint is perfect for desk-side modern gongfu.

A full gongfu set in its own side-satchel carry case? Yes, please! This new set from Xiangfu includes a bamboo tea board that houses a glass gaiwan with removable porcelain strainer, four cups, a bamboo tweezers and a tea cloth so you’ll never be without your favorite tea when you are picnicking, or out and about. There’s even space for several bags of tea in the tea board to keep the whole set-up together when you travel

A glass teapot can be a beautiful way to show off the beauty of your tea as it unfurls throughout the steeping. Being able to see the deep beautiful color of the tea as it steeps builds anticipation for the first taste, making tempered Min Xin Glass Teapot a perfect brewing solution. This set pairs the teapot with two hand-painted misty mountain landscape tea cups, and a tea tray carved with a mountain landscape to match.