{"title":"Master Cups","description":"\u003cp\u003eA master cup is the one cup you keep for yourself at a gongfu tea table. It doesn't match the guest cups and isn't meant to. You pick it because it sits well in your hand and suits what you drink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery cup here is a single piece. When one sells, that exact cup is gone, so no two people end up with the same one. Clay, glaze and shape vary from cup to cup, and prices run from $35 to $120 depending on the maker and the work involved.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGongfu cups are small, usually 50 to 100 ml, so each pour stays fresh and you can taste the tea change across steepings. If you'd rather have a set of matching cups for guests, those sit with the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tea-wares\" title=\"Tea Wares\"\u003etea wares\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA master cup works well as a gift for someone who takes their tea seriously. Pair it with a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gaiwan\" title=\"Gaiwan\"\u003egaiwan\u003c\/a\u003e or a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/chinese-yixing-clay-teapots\" title=\"Chinese Yixing Clay Teapots\"\u003eYixing teapot\u003c\/a\u003e for a full gongfu setup. Ships from Hobart. Free delivery over $95.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"rustic-clay-master-cup-80ml","title":"Rustic Clay Master Cup 80ml","description":"\u003ch2\u003eRustic clay master cup in coarse Dehua stoneware, 80ml\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis rustic clay master cup is a master cup, the one cup a gongfu host keeps back for themselves, thrown by hand in coarse Dehua stoneware with an 80 ml bowl. You buy it on its own rather than as part of a set because it doesn't need to match the guest cups and isn't meant to. It only has to sit well in your hand and suit what you drink.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOolong, aged white tea and ripe pu-erh all drink well from it. The bowl is wide and shallow, 6.6 cm across and 4 cm tall, so the tea gets more surface. Aroma comes up fast and the cup cools quickly.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhat we notice most is the clay at the lip. White glaze is brushed over the upper half, the lower body is left bare and dark, and even through the glaze you feel the grain of the stoneware at the rim. Iron speckles from the firing are left as they are. The cup sits in the palm on a short unglazed foot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eOne of a kind\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery cup is thrown by hand, so measurements move by a few millimetres and no two glaze bands land the same way. The one you get won't look exactly like the photo, and that suits a cup you keep for yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eProduct details\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapacity:\u003c\/strong\u003e 80 ml\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.6 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 4.0 cm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMaterial:\u003c\/strong\u003e coarse stoneware clay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFiring:\u003c\/strong\u003e high-temperature reduction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFinish:\u003c\/strong\u003e white glaze over bare clay, unglazed foot ring\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dehua, Fujian, China\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eThis works well for\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYour own cup at the tea table\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDrinking oolong or ripe pu-erh from a gaiwan, one pour at a time\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA gift for someone who has guest cups and wants one that's theirs\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIf you're in Hobart, come and hold it at our Salamanca Tea Bar before you decide. For a cup like this, weight and lip feel tell you more than any photo can.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003chr\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout master cups\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt a gongfu table the guest cups usually match. The host's own cup, zhu ren bei, is the exception, chosen for the hand and the tea rather than to match the table.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCare\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRinse with hot water before first use. Hand wash only, no dishwasher or microwave. The foot ring is unglazed, so use a coaster on polished timber or glass.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eShipping\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShips from Hobart, Tasmania. Free shipping on orders over $95 Australia-wide. The cup is wrapped and boxed with padding.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eRelated\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/tea-wares\" title=\"Tea Wares\"\u003eTea Wares\u003c\/a\u003e ·\n\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/gaiwan\" title=\"Gaiwan\"\u003eGaiwan\u003c\/a\u003e ·\n\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/teapots\" title=\"Teapots\"\u003eTeapots\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n","brand":"1688","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44352384794689,"sku":null,"price":35.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0558\/6242\/7713\/files\/sku_80ml_general_cup.jpg?v=1786283582"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0558\/6242\/7713\/collections\/47feccfbedddafa186c9746665ece08a.jpg?v=1717991592","url":"https:\/\/amomentoftea.com.au\/collections\/master-cup.oembed","provider":"A Moment of Tea","version":"1.0","type":"link"}