Drinkware

Asian teaware is built around a simple idea: tea tastes better brewed in a pot and drunk from a proper cup. This collection gathers our porcelain teapots and teacups in classic Chinese designs — the sort you see lining the tables of a good Cantonese restaurant.

The teapots come in a practical 900ml size, enough for four to six small cups — the right scale for the Chinese way of drinking, where small cups are refilled often and the leaves are steeped again and again. The patterns are the classics: the blue lotus design on white porcelain, the traditional blue rice pattern, and a plain white pot for those who prefer it simple. Matching teacups run from an 80ml tasting cup to a 140ml everyday size, in carp and blue rice patterns.

Porcelain suits tea because it holds heat without adding any flavour of its own, and it shows off the colour of the liquor — something you notice with a good green or oolong. Warm the pot with a swirl of hot water before brewing and the first cup comes out noticeably better.

All our Asian teaware is delivered UK-wide from our Manchester store, packed with care, with free delivery on orders over £75. A pot and a pair of cups also make a thoughtful, unfussy gift.