Tea pets

I've known about tea pets for a while, but I've been too cheap to get any...until now. Yes, lockdown has made me flip my lid, and start ordering frivolous tea items online. I've been trying to support small businesses, and I feel conflicted about ordering from Amazon since workers are reporting unsafe working conditions. Since the tea stores in my state don't sell gaiwans. My favorite tea shop tried selling them, but found people in this state really didn't go for them. While their website shows 2 different types of gaiwans available, they are out of stock. So, I started looking at the tea shop where I bought my gong fu set from. Admittedly, I bought my gong fu set through Amazon, but the order was fulfilled by a small business in Murfreesboro Tennessee. I decided to skip the middleman and buy straight from the source. They also had a deal on shipping, and several items on sale. So, I am now a proud tea pet owner. While my pets are larger than I expected, it would give me an excuse to buy a larger tea tray like I've been thinking of doing. I also realize that I could put them in a shallow container beside my tea box, and use them that way, too.

So what is a tea pet?

Well, they are decorative pieces to place on your tea tray. Some are made of unglazed clay, and absorb the scent of the tea that is poured over them. Now to be clear, you don't pour your premium brewings of tea over them. They get the tea rinse water, and any leftover tea - especially when the flavor goes off.

Another main use for tea pets is to tell if the water is hot enough for brewing. Some tea pets are designed to make a hissing sound when boiling water is poured over them. The peeing child tea pet is said to be popular. As you might have guessed, when you pour boiling water over the clay child, it pees a stream of water. The one I saw said that it will pee water a meter away when the water is the correct temperature. Hm. I haven't seen any tea boxes that big. Do you strategically place a receiving vessel and hope that your tea pet can aim?

My tea pets are in the color changing category. They are also made out of plastic. I had to try to take pictures while pouring water over them, so it is a little hard to see the changes, but here goes.

My dragon turns a brighter shade of green and orange.

My 3 footed toad turns gold. If you look closely, the toad also has a coin in its mouth. Some tea pets are kept for good luck. This tea pet is supposed to bring wealth to the owner. I figure I can use all the help I can get. I also thought it was cute.

I haven't come up with names for either one of them yet. I don't know appropriate Chinese names to give them. I also know that I'm not naming my dragon after the one in Disney's "Mulan".

Chinese dragon

While western dragons have wings, breathe fire and tend to be sinister characters in literature, Chinese dragons do not have wings, breathe clouds, and tend to be protective animals. It seems appropriate for a cloud breathing dragon to hang out with hot, steamy water for tea. There are 9 different types of Chinese dragons. I'm not sure what category this one would fit into.

Western dragon (from the middle of the dragon bath bomb I got for Christmas). Note the wings, heavy body, and menacing expression. 

Well, this pic of my toad is a little over exposed. Well, maybe over-lighted since pictures are digital now, and exposure times really don't mean anything anymore.

I like the view from this angle.











In ending, I'm throwing in a little picture for current events. Stay safe out there everyone.

Honest, there are plants in those flower pots, they just started from seeds. I have basil, oregano, parsley, and lavender planted. This is the first time I've ever tried to grow lavender, so we'll see how it goes.