Little Chick Tea Pet

Little chick tea pet

Yixing Duan Ni clay — $10

A tea pet is a small unglazed clay figure that you "feed" with leftover tea during brewing sessions, and this chick is one of the smallest you'll find — just 2cm tall and about 25g. It's made from Duan Ni clay (a type of Yixing clay from Jiangsu Province) using traditional techniques. The round shape and compact size mean it fits on any tea tray without getting in the way.

Chicks are a common shape in Chinese tea culture, representing fresh starts and simple pleasures. Because this one is so small, the clay absorbs tea faster relative to its surface area — you'll see colour changes sooner than with larger tea pets.

Product details

• Material: Yixing Duan Ni clay (Jiangsu Province, China)
• Size: 2.0cm high × 2.6cm long
• Weight: Approximately 25g

Handmade — slight variations are normal.

This works well for

• A first tea pet if you're not sure about committing to a larger one
• Small tea trays or limited desk space
• An inexpensive gift to go alongside loose leaf tea
• Starting a small collection — pairs well with our chubby cat

Joanne's tip

This is the tea pet I hand to people at the Tea Bar when they ask "what's that little thing on the tray?" It's $10, it's cute, and it's a low-risk way to try the tea pet habit.