Posts by Zen Tea Cup

I grabbed my favorite Starbucks mug this morning, then looked at my $120 Tenmoku tea cup gathering dust on the shelf. Could this hand-glazed Japanese treasure actually make my Earl Grey taste better? Or is it just beauti...

Your Jian Zhan tea cup is more than just a vessel for tea—it's a piece of living art that transforms with every use. Proper Jian Zhan care preserves its unique iron-rich glaze while allowing its beauty to evolve naturall...

When tea meets a Tenmoku cup's iron-rich glaze, a subtle chemical transformation occurs that tea enthusiasts have cherished for over 1,000 years. The high iron content—typically 15-30% iron oxide in the glaze—releases di...

Choosing the right Jian Zhan cup size can transform your tea experience. These handcrafted Song Dynasty tea bowls range from 50ml to 150ml, and each size serves a distinct purpose—from traditional Gongfu ceremony to dail...

Handmade Jian Zhan tea bowls feel heavier, show natural wall variations, and display unique kiln-transformed patterns—while machine-made pieces are lighter, perfectly uniform, and often lack authentic character. Knowing ...

Sarah used to gulp down tea from a generic ceramic mug while checking emails, but everything changed the morning she first cradled a handcrafted Tenmoku cup in her hands. Within two weeks, her rushed 3-minute tea habit t...

Choosing between Jian Zhan and porcelain tea cups can transform your daily tea ritual. These two types of teaware offer distinctly different experiences—from heat retention to flavor enhancement. At ZenTeaCup, we help te...

Can You Use Tenmoku Cups for Coffee? Yes, you can! If you love coffee, you probably care about your cup’s material, size, and shape. These details change how your coffee tastes and smells. You want a cup that keeps your ...

At ZenTeaCup, we've tested dozens of tea vessels, and one question keeps coming up: are Tenmoku tea cups worth their $30-$500 price tags? These handcrafted iron-glazed cups from Song Dynasty China promise to improve tea ...