What is the Relationship Between Tea and Porcelain?
Today most tea is served in porcelain tea pots and cups and porcelain plays a major part in the ambiance created at tea rooms and tea parties. Porcelain was originally only produced in China and became and important part of the tea trade. It served many purposes in addition to the light, strong decorative addition to the tea ware offering because of its use as ballast for sailing ships (it was strong, heavy and waterproof). Chinese porcelain was the highest quality and very decorative and added significant value to the the total tea proposition. In quality, Chinese porcelain far exceeded the quality of porcelain in the European market but , as the quality of Chinese porcelain increased and the Europeans erected barriers against Chinese imports, Chinese porcelain gradually disappeared from the market.
