Preserving the "soul of tea" in every teapot design.

(GLO) - Many people are both passionate about tea and enjoy collecting teapots. For them, a teapot is not just for brewing tea, but also a confidant, silently accompanying them in every tea ceremony. They "care for their teapots" as if cherishing a refined hobby.

Each teapot has its own teapot.

As a long-time tea enthusiast, Mr. Bui Huy Thong (36A Ton That Tung Street, Pleiku City) owns dozens of different teapot styles, from Tuyen Lo, Ho Lang, Tieu Anh, Song Tuyen Truc Co to Tho Dao, Bao Xuan Mai, Thuy Binh... These are mostly handcrafted purple clay teapots, valued at tens to several tens of millions of dong.

The beauty of their shape and the exquisite craftsmanship make these teapots an indispensable part of every tea ceremony. "Each teapot is suited to a specific type of tea. Over time, the teapot will retain the aroma of the tea it's usually brewed with; even after thorough cleaning, the scent will linger inside," Mr. Thong shared.

The Ho Lang teapot, with a bridge design on its lid, is part of Bui Huy Thong's teapot collection. Photo: Hoang Ngoc

A suitable teapot will preserve the "soul" of tea. That's why Mr. Thong is willing to spend tens of millions of dong to acquire one. The most expensive teapot he ever owned was a Hồ Lăng-style teapot, also known as the Tứ Phương Kiều Đỉnh, costing over 20 million dong. The lid features an image of a bridge.

The Tuyen Lo teapot, with its unusual color, is the most prized in his collection and is worth nearly 10 million VND. He cherishes this teapot and only uses it to brew Thai Nguyen green tea. The teapot has taken on a deep green color, as if the color of centuries-old green tea has accumulated on its surface.

The Tuyen Lo teapot has a greenish hue, as if the color of century-old green tea has accumulated on its body. Photo: Hoang Ngoc

9. Mr. Thong shared: The teapots he owns are just very ordinary types of Yixing teapots. But the value of a teapot doesn't depend on money, but on the time and dedication, on the process of nurturing the teapot by each person.

Each teapot is cared for by him like a friend, only washed with clean water and rinsed with boiling water before brewing. With prolonged use, the teapot develops a smooth, glossy finish, which is also the process of "nurturing the teapot." Each time you touch the smooth, polished body of the teapot, subtly scented with tea, it's like touching a layer of time that has silently seeped through countless tea-drinking sessions with close friends.

Each type of tea has its own teapot; this is how Cao Thanh Dung uses teapots to preserve the pure flavor of the tea. Photo: Hoang Ngoc

"A separate teapot for each type of tea" is also an unwavering principle of Mr. Cao Thanh Dung (20 Nay Der Street, Pleiku City). Mr. Dung owns precious teapots such as: Tieu Anh, Minh Lu, Song Tuyen Luc Truc, Nhu Y… Among them, the Nhu Y-shaped teapot in a golden yellow color, worth nearly 30 million VND, is his favorite, reserved exclusively for brewing white tea. He says that using the right teapot for the right tea is the way to preserve the pure flavor of the tea.

Mr. Dung is also very careful in the "maintaining" process: he washes the teapot with clean water, then puts it in a dryer at the appropriate temperature. For him, the teapot is not just a tea-making tool but also a delicate work of art, possessing timeless beauty.

The Ruyi teapot, with its elegant color, is often used by its owner to brew white tea. Photo: Hoang Ngoc

Although he belongs to the 90s generation, Mr. Dung is quite nostalgic. He even created an elegant tea room overlooking a tranquil garden with bonsai trees. At night, the laurel trees in the garden are fragrant, their scent permeating the tea-drinking space.

Inside the tea room, a prominent feature is a driftwood statue of Lu Yu, a learned scholar of the Tang Dynasty, known as the "Tea Sage." He wrote "The Classic of Tea," the first book on tea in human history. In it, he not only taught how to brew tea and select leaves but also emphasized the importance of utensils and mindset. A tea drinker must be calm and peaceful to fully appreciate the taste of the tea.

For Mr. Dung, as well as many other tea enthusiasts, they always carry that spirit into every tea ceremony. In that ceremony, the teapot is a silent companion connecting people with the quality of different types of tea.

"Rebirth from Fragments"

Collecting teapots inevitably involves occasional "breakages." Mr. Dung once bought a unique lotus-shaped teapot for nearly 20 million VND. The teapot resembled an inverted lotus flower in both color and shape, with the lid shaped like a lotus stem. His relatives, not realizing it was an earthenware teapot and thinking it was a display item, accidentally dropped and broke the lid.

It was also a teapot made in limited quantities by the artisan, with only a few pieces on the market. Mr. Dung still keeps the imperfect teapot and tries to find a way to repurpose the broken pieces for the lid. For those who collect earthenware teapots, such accidents are an unavoidable part of life.

The pale yellow weld marks on the body of the Bao Xuan Mai teapot seem to tell the story of how the teapot was cherished by its user. Photo: Hoang Ngoc

Mr. Thong also had two precious teapots broken. The Bao Xuan Mai teapot, with its broken handle, was sent to Ho Chi Minh City to be reassembled using Kintsugi – a traditional Japanese ceramic repair technique. The light yellow repair mark didn't detract from its aesthetic appeal; on the contrary, it served as a "beautiful scar" telling the story of the precious teapot.

“Sometimes life shatters us into many pieces. But if we know how to regenerate, it becomes even more beautiful,” Mr. Thong shared. The remaining broken teapot was a Lien Tu teapot, but he couldn't bring himself to throw it away. He carefully placed it in a cloth bag next to the intact teapots, because it was also a teapot he cherished.

A cozy corner at Tam Viet Tea House. Photo: Hoang Ngoc

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Tuan, owner of Tam Viet Tea Shop (45/7 Phan Dinh Giot Street, Pleiku City), one of the most experienced tea set sellers in the mountain town, has witnessed many unfortunate incidents. One customer bought a teapot for 20 million VND, then hid the price from his wife, only telling her it cost 500,000 VND. His wife broke the spout while washing it, and he could only swallow his bitterness, not daring to tell the truth. For teapot collectors, sometimes the value lies not in the money but in the unique design of the teapot, a style rarely found elsewhere.

Mr. Tuan added: "Those who love tea also love teapots. The hobby of collecting teapots is no longer limited to the middle-aged generation but has spread to the 9X generation, and even Gen Z. Teapots are no longer old-fashioned items but have become symbols of meticulousness in tea appreciation and the spiritual depth of tea drinkers."

In an age where everything can be replaced by technology, people like Mr. Thong, Mr. Dung, and others still choose to cherish a crack, a broken teapot lid, or the lingering aroma of tea. Because they know that some things become more fragrant the longer they are used.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/giu-hon-tra-trong-tung-dang-am-post321224.html