Can you pair tea with a cup? If so, how do you pair tea with the right cup? Certain cup types tend to work best with certain teas to accentuate what makes each of them special. Today, we’re taking you through how to select the right drinking vessel for your tea. We’ll explore some basic properties of tea cups—like lip shape, width, depth, and material—and the way that differences in those properties impact your perception of a tea.
We’ll also walk you through four basic types of tea cups (Dou Li Bei, Mei Ren Bei, Pie Kou Bei, and San Kou Bei) and the best teas to pair with each type.
Lip Shape
A cup’s lip (i.e., the outer rim) determines the way a tea’s liquor hits your tongue, so it plays a part in how you perceive a tea. The lip of a cup tends to primarily impact the tea’s mouthfeel (If you’re interested in reading more about mouthfeel, take a look at our recent blog on the hierarchy of taste). Lip shape also plays a big part in a cup’s overall aesthetic expression.
Chinese tea culture classifies three fundamental types of lips for teacups, basically determined by the lip’s angle. Note: lip shape is only one part of cup shape, and does not govern cup shape/type overall. In other words, two different kinds of cups might have the same lip type. Each style of lip affects your perception of taste in a different way.
Pie Kou
The Pie Kou lip flares out from the cup. This shape helps guide the liquor into your mouth, causing you to perceive it as being smoother. The more dramatic or elongated a Pie Kou lip is, the more dramatic this smoothing effect will be.
Examples of cups with a Pie Kou lip include Pie Kou Bei, Mei Ren Bei, San Kou Bei, Bell-shaped, and Tulip cups.
Lian Kou
The Lian Kou lip is like the inverted version of the Pie Kou lip. It curves up and inward toward the center of the cup, like the lip of a typical wine glass. With this lip, the tea hits your tongue as more of a jump or drop from the cup. Drinking tea from a cup with a Lian Kou lip will give the impression of a rounder contour. The Lian Kou lip tends to promote thickness or gooey-ness in the body of a tea.
Examples of cups with a Lian Kou lip include Egg Shape cups and Fishtank cups.
Zhi Kou
The Zhi Kou lip is a straight angle. This style does very little to guide the tea into your mouth. As a result, these lips can make a tea appear more lively. The Zhi Kou lip also produces a greater sense of coherence in the structure of a tea’s body. For teas that are already crisp in mouthfeel, Zhi Kou will emphasize that crispness.
Examples of cups with a Zhi Kou lip include Dou Li Bei and Zhu Jie Bei.
While these are the three basic paradigms of lip shape, there are differences within each paradigm as well. The size and degree of extension can change the effect the lip has on taste. For example, a longer, more dramatically flared Pie Kou lip will produce an airier effect on the taste of a tea than a shorter, less pronounced lip.
Depth and Width
A cup’s depth and width impact your perception of a tea’s aroma, taste, and mouthfeel. When it comes to the depth and width of a cup, proportion is key. Cups generally fit into one of three basic sets of proportions when it comes to depth and width: deep and narrow (i.e., elongated), shallow and wide (i.e., saucer-shaped), or equally-proportioned (i.e., cups that are no more deep than they are wide).
Elongated, deeper cups tend to channel aroma and concentrate flavor. For instance, picture an aroma cup (special cups for smelling the aroma a tea’s liquor leaves behind): these are tall, skinny cups—often with a Pie Kou lip—because this shape highlights aroma. The deeper and skinnier a cup, the more concentrated a tea’s aroma will be. Elongation will also make a tea’s liquor taste bolder and more assertive.
Mei Ren Bei is an example of an elongated cup shape.
The shallower and wider a cup is, the more airy, diluted, and spacious a tea will taste. As we will discuss later, neither of these are necessarily a better or worse effect; it all depends on the kind of tea you’re drinking. Shallower, wider cups add airiness or lightness to a tea, brightening the tea’s aroma.
When Dou Li Bei and Pie Kou Bei have extended rims and shorter bodies, they are examples of shallow, wide cup shapes.
Some cups are no more deep than they are wide. Aside from whatever effect the cup’s lip may have, cups with equal proportions have a balanced effect on the tea’s taste and aroma. San Kou Bei (the classic Three Sip Cup) and smaller-rimmed Pie Kou Bei are examples of equally-proportioned (or square) cups.
Porcelain cup from Tea Drunk, glass cup from Miro Tea, and clay cup from Jonathan Steele Studio
Material: Density and Thickness
The world of teaware is vast. While you’ll probably see cups made from porcelain and clay most commonly, people make teacups using all kinds of materials—from glass, to metals like tin or silver, to bone and wood. And each of those materials impact taste differently. Clay and porcelain are two of the most popular materials for teaware. You can read more about the difference between porcelain and clay teaware at this blog post.
A cup’s material might change the taste of your tea. While in this article we’re focusing on the way cups influence our perception of tea, metal cups can actually change the tea itself. Tea is a compound-rich beverage, and those compounds can interact with metal to give tea a metallic taste. Metal also conducts heat easily, making it a less-than-ideal material for drinking hot beverages.
Other than the unique case of metal cups, thickness and density are the main properties of a cup’s material that can affect taste. As a general rule, thinner tea cups will make the tea taste airier and more elegant. Thicker cups, on the other hand, make a tea taste thicker and fuller. Often porcelain cups are on the thinner side, but not always. Clay tea cups are typically thicker.
The denser a material is, the less it interferes with a tea’s taste. Porous materials, on the other hand, interfere with tea by absorbing taste and aroma. Porcelain and glass are super dense materials, and don’t interfere with a tea’s taste. Clayware, however, is more porous and can absorb tea’s taste and aroma. This absorption is not always a bad thing—many people love the way repeated use of a tea in clayware leaves a residue and provides a seasoning effect on the pot or cup. In terms of density, glazed clayware is in between porcelain and unglazed clay. Related to density is texture. The smoother a cup’s inside surface, the less it interferes with tea’s taste.
While everyone has personal preferences when it comes to materials for tea cups—and certainly for aesthetic reasons—one thing we firmly recommend is not to use unglazed clayware (with a few exceptions). Unglazed clayware is typically fired at a lower temperature, and therefore is not always safe to drink from.
Purple clay (Zi Sha) is an exception. Zi Sha is an unusually dense clay that is fired at temperatures closer to porcelain-firing temps. It occupies a space between porcelain and clay, and is usually safe to drink from. It also tends to be on the thinner side, sometimes even on par with the thinness of porcelain. There is a lot of fake Zi Sha out there, but you can follow this general rule of thumb: safe unglazed clayware should be super smooth on the inside. You can read more about purple clay here.
Four Classic Cup Shapes
Now it’s time to find the perfect cup for whatever tea you’re sipping today. We’ll wrap things up by taking you through four classic shapes of Chinese tea cups:
- San Kou Bei (三口杯) - Three Sip Cup
- Dou Li Bei (斗笠杯 ) - Straw Hat Cup
- Mei Ren Bei ( 美人杯) - Beauty Cup
- Pie Kou Bei (撇口杯)
Each of these cups is a different combination of the properties discussed above. Each one complements a different type of tea especially well, but of course you can use them for whatever teas you please. We recommend experimenting! The best way to experience the different effects each of these cups has on taste is to pour the same tea into differently shaped cups and taste them all side-by-side. send us your notes to hello@teadrunk.com!
As far as material goes, we’ll be picturing/focusing on the porcelain versions of each of these cups, but you can find any of these cups made with your preferred material.
San Kou Bei (三口杯 - Three Sip Cup)
San Kou Bei is the most commonly used Chinese cup shape now. These are the “original” and default cups used in Gong Fu cha from its origin of Chao Zhou. San Kou Bei is to tea what a plain pint glass is to beer.
The name of this cup—San Kou Bei—means “three sip cup.” The word for mouth in Chinese is 口, and the word for taste (品) arranges three mouths in a triangle format. So while the name is practical—there are about three sips worth of tea in a typical San Kou Bei—it is also a reminder to slow down and TASTE the tea in front of you. In other words, don’t drink all your tea in one quick swig! Be intentional, patient, and appreciate your tea.
San Kou Bei have a subtle Pie Kou lip, with a smaller rim. This lip has enough shaping to guide the liquor pleasantly into your mouth, but the effect is not dramatic. The depth and width of these cups are basically evenly proportioned, giving it a fairly neutral reflection of a tea’s aroma and body.
While San Kou Bei a cup originated from a Wu Long region, it’s a versatile cup that really can fit any tea. Overall, San Kou Bei are very versatile, and a good fit for any tea. When in doubt, a San Kou Bei will never let you down. We recommend Gua Pian, You Le Long Pa, and Ya Shi Xiang for this cup shape. We are currently sold out of the San Kou Bei, but a small Pie Kou Bei is very similar, with just a tiny bit more volume and a more exaggerated lip.
Dou Li Bei (斗笠杯 - Straw Hat Cup)
Dou Li Bei is one of Shunan’s favorite cup shapes! She loves their angular, lively aesthetic, and how nicely the shape fits in a hand.
Dou Li Bei have a straight Zhi Kou lip, but at an angle (sometimes called Xie Kou), giving tea a more sharp and sleek body. Dou Li Bei come in different depths and widths, each with a different effect on taste. Some are shallow and wide, while others are narrower and deeper. To be a Dou Li Bei, a cup just needs to have a body with straight sides that angle at least slightly outward, and the Zhi Kou (straight) lip.
Dou Li Bei are best for appreciating green, yellow, and white teas. Dou Li Bei allows tea’s liquor to flow into the mouth in a straight shot, enhancing the tea’s sense of integrity, while maintaining the tea’s brightness. The simple, elegant shape of Dou Li Bei is ideal for appreciating the purity of a tea. In the photo above, we’re drinking Wu Liang Shan Pu Er Sheng Cha out of Dou Li Bei. We would also recommend Dou Li Bei as a pairing for Huang Ya, Wild Bai Hao Yin Zhen, and Long Jing.
Mei Ren Bei ( 美人杯 - Beauty Cup)
Mei Ren Bei have been enjoying increasing popularity in recent years. These are common cups for serving Yan Cha in Wu Yi Shan, and for good reason. Beauty cups are excellent for channeling a tea’s aroma.
The cup’s name—Mei Ren—refers to the curvy body of a beauty. And like the name promised, everything about the shape of these cups helps to beautify the tea inside it. They have a Pie Kou lip, which guides tea liquor smoothly into the mouth. The body of the cup is elongated and slightly curved, channeling aroma and concentrating the flavor profile.
Because of their beautiful, dramatic effect on tea, we prefer pairing Mei Ren Bei with Wu Long, white, and other super-aromatic teas. Pictured here, we’re using them for our Que She, a dark roasted Wu Yi Yan Cha. We would also recommend these cups for our Bai Ye, Rou Gui, and Wild Bai Mu Dan.
Pie Kou Bei (撇口杯)
Named for their flared Pie Kou lip, Pie Kou Bei cups are great for creating space and smoothness in your sip of tea. Like Dou Li Bei, Pie Kou Bei come in many forms. While most are fairly shallow and wide, the main requirement for a cup to be a Pie Kou Bei is that its lip is Pie Kou.
Some lips can be much more elongated, dramatic, or flared than others. A small-rimmed Pie Kou Bei is almost indistinguishable from a San Kou Bei.
The more dramatic the lip of a Pie Kou Bei, the more dramatic the effect. A wide and shallow, saucer-like body shape mellows a tea’s aroma and taste. The wide lip of this cup helps to add airiness and brightness to naturally heavier teas. Between the lip and shape, these cups introduce more air to each sip, giving a darker, denser tea more space to express itself on your palate. If you drink the same tea side-by-side in a sharp Dou Li Bei and a wide Pie Kou Bei, the latter sip will taste like a mellower, more delicate version.
With their mellowing effect, broader Pie Kou Bei pair great with red, black, Pu Er Sheng Cha, and dark/roasty Wu Longs. Today, we’re using these for our Chi Gan, a naturally sweet, fully-fermented red tea. We would also recommend pairing these with our Chan Cha, Huang Guan Yin, Bu Lang Shan, and Lao Cong Hong Cha.
These four classic-shaped cups are essential, next-level tools for tea lovers exploring taste and vessels. Inexpensive and highly functional—get these cups today in our teaware selection!
