Wishing you a happy Chinese New Year – may it be filled with good fortune & great tea!

Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, falls on Friday 16th February this year.

It will be celebrated by millions of communities around the world, typically by coming together to enjoy feasts, fireworks and hang red lanterns – traditionally symbolising booming life and prosperous business.

The date of the Chinese new Year changes every year, as it marks the start of the lunar new year, which is when there is the start of a new moon.

Chinese New Year festivities typically continue for 2 weeks, ending with a special lantern festival…

While there will be many celebrations taking place across the country, Edinburgh Zoo is still home to over 450 giant Chinese lanterns. Created specially for the zoo by 150 Chinese craftsmen from Sichuan, these great sculptures explore three themes: China, Edinburgh Zoo, and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) worldwide animal conservation work.

eteaket is proud to have worked with Mackie’s of Scotland to produce a delicious Tea Sorbet with our Cranberry Apple Riot herbal infusion for this awe-inspiring festival.

The Giant Lanterns of China festival ends 25th February – don’t miss out!
More details can be found here.

And at eteaket we will be celebrating a number of Chinese tea traditions too…

Our Yellow Gold Oolong is a traditional Chinese tea made by unique processes that create a semi-oxidised tea. The tea leaves are individually hand-rolled and when steeped in hot water they open up to release a complex mix of sweetness and tanginess topped off with notes of fresh grass. There is a deep earthy note to this tea that is truly unique and refreshing. 

Another traditional hand-rolled tea which stands out for its unique flavour is our Gunpowder Deluxe. This famous Chinese green tea is produced in the Zhejiang Province of China and is renowned for its natural sweet flavour with a slight earthy note and a hint of pepper. This beautiful tea gets its name from the hand-rolled dry leaf, which resembles gunpowder pellets and explodes into a long leaf on steeping in hot water.

From tradition to innovation – how to brew your Chinese tea…

When it comes to tea tasting ceremonies, the Gaiwan is very much a Chinese tradition. This vessel dates back to the Ming dynasty, a great time for innovation in tea ritual and preparation. Our glass Gaiwan set is ideal for brewing green, white and oolong teas – as it is in glass it allows you to view the tea while brewing, appreciating the quality of colour and watch as the tea leaves open up. Often Gaiwan is made in glazed porcelain or glass which means that the flavour and aroma will not be altered during brewing. 

eteaket has worked with Scottish potter Ian Henderson to design our own version of the traditional Gaiwan.
Our Bubble Cup is handmade in clay, each with its own unique character. This tea vessel allows you to enjoy your leaf tea whether you’re at your kitchen table, desk or field. The built in strainer in the spout keeps the leaves in the pot ready for your next infusion and the handy cup acts as a lid and holds the perfect amount of tea.

The beauty of the glass Gaiwan and Bubble Cup is that they have been created for us to enjoy a little tea ceremony with every use, a personal moment switching off from the outside world; an #eteaketmoment 

We wish you all a very Happy Chinese new year – may it be filled with good fortune & great tea!

We would love to hear of your own tea traditions – share them with us on social media @eteaket