Uncle Iroh approves of this bamboo-inspired tea set!

You already know Uncle Iroh would 100% approve of this simple bamboo tea set, he would probably give you a wise lesson on being like bamboo as he brews his tea! I can already hear his voice saying “Zuko be like bamboo, resilient, flexible, and versatile.”

This tea set will appeal to any minimalist looking to add zen to their kitchen and their life. Designed for a luxury hotel brand located in southern China’s natural treasure—Jintan District, it is a nod to the scenery and bamboo fields. Jintan is known to have some of the best bamboos and high-grade green tea, both these natural gems are blended into this one tea set. “We perfectly interpreted and integrated the bamboo shape with the tea set for tea ceremony. The minimal bamboo-shaped tea set showcases the elegant contour of the product and the features of the tea set as well,” explains the team. It includes a teacup, a teapot, and a tea spoon that can all be stacked on top of each other to create your own bamboo. The little leaf/green shot is a thoughtful detail turned into a spoon that highlights the elegance of bamboo.

The stacking is symbolic of the layers of different steps of a traditional tea brewing process. It gives you a chance to enjoy the gradual progress and appreciate it – as Uncle Iroh would say, the tea is the reward.

Designer: RONG Design

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This Japanese kettle’s detailed design will leave you wondering “real or render?”

Japanese culture has so many little practices that exude a sense of calm. My most favorite thing (besides enjoying a soulful bowl of ramen which I think is a form of meditation) is enjoying a warm cup of tea. There is nothing that can soothe you like a freshly brewed cup of tea and during these complex times I am definitely seeing an increase in the number of cups on my table so I started looking for a kettle and I came across the Seramikku.

When I saw it, I fell in love with the design of the kettle – it was a perfect balance of archetypal Japanese forms and minimalistic modern details. Its shape and texture are inspired by ‘Uwade kyusu’ which is one of the more traditional Japanese teapots known for their distinctive, almost floating, handles that hover on top of the lid. The designer has envisioned the Seramikku to be made from ceramic and iron with an electric heating base. Sadly, it is not for sale because it is concept design which a part of a Render Weekly challenge – yes, I had to look at it thrice because the detailing was so realistic that I wanted to believe I had stumbled upon my future favorite teapot.

I am going to go and brew myself a cup of Jasmine tea to recover from being in love with a design and then heartbroken by the lifelike render.

Designer: Shail Iyer

More than Brewing just Tea

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The science of tea brewing (Gongfu tea) is such that the water should always stay at 80ºC and the tea should not be steeped for long. Bitter taste and reduced aroma can spoil the experience, and to ensure none of this happens, we have here the Memory-Metal Screen. A unique filter adopts the concept of a shape-memory alloy to control the tea-brewing time in a technical manner.

The way it works is this: you pour hot water over the tea leaves, which makes the tea filter stretch to the maximum depth. The tea leaves within brew till the temperature of the water is hot. In about eight minutes, the water cools down to 50ºC and the filter retracts with the steeped tea leaves.

An intelligent design that makes the art of brewing tea very scientific.

Designers: Yeh Shu-Hung & Hu Siqi

Not Your Mother’s Fine China

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The “Unbreakable” tea set integrates past and contemporary tea making into an entirely new tea experience! In a marriage of East and West, its unique material combines ceramics with safe and environmentally friendly silicone. The resulting product is a conflicting material that is both soft and hard, rigid yet flexible. The silicone also makes the teapot less difficult to clean. One of the key features of Unbreakable is the spout and its convex and concave patterns that provide two unique tea making experiences. Additionally, both sides of the teacups are built with multiple functions.

Unbreakable is a Red Dot Concept Award winner.

Designer: Huang Shao Yu & Liao Wan Ting

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