Tea Accessories for Loose-Leaf Tea

First published February 2015 as a wishlist. Updated October 15, 2026: the original pieces have sold out, so each item below is now a similar piece you can buy today.

Clay teapots, raku bowls, gaiwans and more

These are the tea accessories I keep coming back to: the pieces that turn brewing loose-leaf tea into a small ritual rather than a chore. I first put this list together as a wishlist back in 2015. The exact pieces I wanted then have long since sold, so each one below is a similar piece you can buy today.

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1. A glass infuser mug

A glass mug with a built-in infuser is the easiest way to brew loose leaf at a desk: you can watch the leaves unfurl, then lift the stainless steel basket out when the tea is ready. This one from AdHoc is borosilicate glass, so it is happy with boiling water.

2. A raku matcha bowl

I have always loved raku bowls. Their irregular, crackled glazes are a good example of wabi-sabi, the Japanese appreciation of imperfect, handmade things, and they are lovely for whisking matcha. This one from Rishi is called, fittingly, the Wabi Sabi bowl.

3. A porcelain gaiwan

A gaiwan, a lidded bowl with a saucer, is the most versatile way to brew loose-leaf tea. Porcelain does not hold on to flavours, so one gaiwan works for green, white, oolong and black teas alike. The one I wanted back then was a delicate hand-painted imperial-style piece; this plain white one from Rishi is the everyday version.

4. A blue clay teapot

I always wanted a blue clay teapot to dedicate to my Oriental Beauty oolong. Unglazed clay slowly seasons with the tea brewed in it, which is why people keep one pot for each type of tea. This one is Japanese Tokoname clay rather than Chinese Yixing, but the idea is the same.

5. A tea pet

Tea pets are little unglazed clay figures that sit on your tea tray and get “fed” with leftover tea, slowly building up a patina. I had a huge crush on a little monk-shaped one. Etsy has a wide choice of handmade ones.

6. A clay teapot with a flower motif

I was looking for a clay teapot to keep just for puerh, since my others are for green teas and oolongs. The one I loved had a peony on it, my favourite flower. This Tokoname pot from Rishi has a chrysanthemum instead.

7. A tea tray

A tea tray keeps a whole tea set together and catches the drips. The one I wanted was bamboo; this rosewood one from Oriental Furniture is a raised serving tray rather than a draining gongfu tray, so it suits setting out a pot and cups more than pouring water over them.

8. A second matcha bowl

Another raku bowl I loved was made by Alexandr, a ceramic artist from Ukraine. If you want a second matcha bowl, this ceremonial bowl from Magic Hour is a darker, earthier counterpart to the white one above.