Fairness Tea Pitcher (gōng dào bēi 公道杯) - Tenmoku Wood-Fired

The Gōng Dào Bēi 公道杯 ("Fairness Pitcher" or "Fairness Cup") is a small pitcher that the steeped tea is poured into, making it possible both to be precise in how long the tea is steeped as well as creating a liquor (steeped tea) that is the same flavour and  same amount steeped for all those partaking.  

The tea is first steeped in a teapot, gaiwan or other steeping vessel, then poured into the Gōng Dào Bēi, from which it is served into small cups.  High quality loose leaf teas may be steeped multiple times, with variation and depth of flavour emerging from subsequent steepings.  

This autumn batch of Gōng Dào Bēi include a variety of classical east Asian glazes.  These are tenmoku glazed porcelain and wood-fired in a traditional Japanese-style Noborigama kiln. 

Tenmoku is an iron-glaze.  In high fire gas it usually beocmes black with yellow and peach tones at the rim or over texture.  The wood kiln creates a rich variety of  dark colours and patterns in wood firing.

This glaze comes originally from the Tianmu Mountain Temple (天目 tiān mù) in Zhejiang province where tea bowls were popular during the Song dynasty.