Cha Pan (Tea Tray)
A cha pan is a tea tray with a slatted top and a drain or reservoir, used in gongfu brewing to catch overflow, rinses and discarded tea.
Definition
The cha pan (茶盘, "tea tray") is the working surface of a gongfu setup. It has a raised, slotted or perforated top on which the teapot or gaiwan, pitcher and cups sit, and a basin underneath, either an internal reservoir or a drain hose that leads to a bucket. Gongfu brewing is a wet process. Brewers pour hot water over the teapot to keep it hot, overfill it so the lid pushes away foam, discard rinses, and warm cups with water that then gets tipped out. The tray contains all of it. This "wet brewing" style is associated especially with southern China and Taiwan; a minimalist "dry brewing" style, which uses a flat mat and a separate waste bowl (jian shui), has become popular more recently. Trays are made from bamboo, hardwood, ceramic and stone. Bamboo is light and inexpensive; hardwoods and stone are heavy and stable. Some large stone and wood trays are carved from a single block and kept on a dedicated tea table for years, gradually darkening as tea soaks into them.
In Depth
Choosing a tray: a reservoir of at least 1 liter covers a full session of rinsing and warming; a drain hose to a floor bucket removes the limit but anchors the tray in one place. A tray around 30-40 cm long holds a gaiwan, pitcher, three or four cups and a tea pet.
Care: empty and rinse the reservoir after every session; standing tea water grows mold within a day or two in warm weather. Dry wooden and bamboo trays fully before storing; bamboo slats can split if left wet.
A dish rack over a shallow baking tray is a workable starter substitute. For dry brewing, a cloth mat and a bowl for waste water do the same job without the plumbing.
See Also
- Gongfu Teaware
- Tea Table Setup
- Wet vs. Dry Brewing