Caring for Tea Pets: A Little Tradition on Your Tea Tray
Tea pets are small clay figures that "drink" your leftover tea. Here is why people keep them and how to look after one.
Walk into any tea house in China and you will probably see a little clay toad, pig or Buddha sitting on the tea tray. These are tea pets.
Why keep a tea pet?
Tea pets are made from the same unglazed clay as Yixing teapots. Each time you pour leftover tea over one, the clay absorbs a little of it. Over months, the surface becomes smooth, darker and glossy — a record of every tea session you have had.
Popular tea pets and their meaning
- Golden toad: prosperity and good fortune.
- Pixiu: a mythical guardian believed to attract wealth.
- Laughing Buddha: happiness and contentment.
Caring for your tea pet
- Rinse it with hot water before your first session.
- Pour leftover tea over it regularly, and brush it gently with a soft tea brush.
- Never use soap or detergent.
- Let it dry naturally after each session.
