The resident tea meowster, after patiently waiting for his humans to join him for some shou puer. The Chairman has a taste for the classics, so today he served us up some good old Kunming dry stored 7581 from 2005. Thanks, Chairman. Always a pleasure to drink #tea with you.

A photo posted by Bitterleaf (@bitterleafteas) on Jun 26, 2016 at 11:03am PDT

Just another obligatory cat picture with some of our Red Star 7581 Shou Puer. PSA: While we like to joke about Chairman 猫 drinking tea, please don’t let your cats drink any! Caffeine is extremely bad for them.

We really just can't help ourselves from picking up more teaware… This time it's a batch of 80ml Ming Dynasty style insect gaiwans. Each workhorse gaiwans have 3 different insects coupled with "福禄寿", which translates to "happiness, prosperity and longevity". So really these gaiwans are an affordable way to ensure increase your chances of a happy and successful life… And as long as you use it with great #tea, you're pretty much already there!

A photo posted by Bitterleaf (@bitterleafteas) on Jun 27, 2016 at 11:11am PDT

These “Bugs of Fortune” gaiwans have been quite popular since releasing them. These gaiwans are a great affordable brewing solution that use a classic Chinese style of design, but without being too exaggerated or typical, like so many others.

Can your Jianshui pot do this? Showing off the strength of this pot's seal. ⚠ Don't try this at home, kids. #tea #teapotpartytrick #youspinmerightroundbabyrightround #likeateapotbaby #jianshui #zitao #bitterleafteas #piaoutdoors

A video posted by Bitterleaf (@bitterleafteas) on Jun 28, 2016 at 11:02am PDT

We’re just showing off now… This is one of our favourite Jianshui pots. We acquired this through a friend in Jianshui who works on every aspect of his pots from start to finish, unlike most Jianshui zitao studios that complete pots in small teams that specialize in one aspect. Needless to say, he is a perfectionist and completes about 3 pots per month, which can then sell for thousands of dollars. He refrains from what he feels is the “distraction” of elaborate designs and engravings, and focuses on making the perfect shape, with the perfect dimensions and balance. For him this simplicity creates room for perfection. The level of detail and craftsmanship is evidenced by the tight seal on this pot, allowing it to be held purely by suction where the lid makes contact with the body (not from the cavity of the body, as there is the hole for the spout and through the center of the lid). The density of Jianshui zitao (twice as dense as Yixing zisha) also allows this to be possible. While we do not carry his pots in our store, we can accept inquiries and custom orders for those who are seeking a Jianshui pot of this level.

Taking a brief caffeine break and brewing some ancient #tea tree flowers.

A video posted by Bitterleaf (@bitterleafteas) on Jun 30, 2016 at 11:58am PDT

Once you make one video, you just want to make more. This time we filmed the dance of some ouf our Ancient Tea Tree Flower in a large pitcher.

Enjoying a Yunnan breakfast of ancient tree Dian Hong black #tea, fresh Yunnan mangos, Yunnan blueberries and… not-so-Yunnan imported cereal.

A photo posted by Bitterleaf (@bitterleafteas) on Jul 1, 2016 at 11:49am PDT

Mangoes, bluberries, cereal and tea – a typical breakfast lately. Our new Zen Tea Trays also make a great serving area for the first meal of the day.

Previewing a pair of pots. Both of these wood fired beauties will be available soon, along with a few of their brothers and sisters. #woodfired #teapot #tea

A photo posted by Bitterleaf (@bitterleafteas) on Jul 2, 2016 at 10:57am PDT

Two wood fired xishi beauties! It didn’t take more than a day untiln they both found homes. We have recently started working with a small studio of young artists in De Hua (typically known for its porcelain) who have been making some fantastic wood fired pieces. We fell in love with the first batch. Our finding this studio was a bit of chance, but they have a lot of heart in their work and it has made the process that much more fulfilling. More wood fired pieces can be expected, but we are also planning to visit in the near future as we expand our own knowledge of how wood fired pottery is made.