Cháchǒng（茶寵）
蛙
一隻掌心大小的朱泥蛙，丁蜀手工捏製 — 將洗茶水澆淋其背，看著泥色在數年茶席間從粉白米色轉為深琥珀色。
$41USD · 50 g
這隻蛙始於丁蜀，宜興紫砂生產的活力心臟。Michael Zhan 探訪了一間藏身於主要陶藝市場後方的小作坊 — 一家家族經營的工作室，祖父至今仍手工調配原礦。此處使用的朱泥來自 1980 年代小煤窯礦場庫存；泥料經淘洗、在水中陳化三個月，再以手工揉練，直至泥性柔韌，如絲般延展。
製作者是第三代造像藝人，每一隻蛙皆無模具成形。他先取一團朱泥，捏出四肢，再用竹篦刻劃眼睛與趾爪。坯體日曬兩日後，送入龍窯以 1120°C 燒製，出窯時表面帶著細緻砂感，略帶粉紅底色 — 正是朱泥標誌。
Michael 挑選了這批蛙，因其尺寸小巧（僅 50 克）且姿勢生動。蛙坐姿昂首，彷彿靜聽水壺聲響。這是一隻入門茶寵，不苛求、反應敏感：任何一道洗茶水淋下，色澤即刻變化 — 日日提醒著窯火的靜默與製作它的雙手。每隻蛙底部皆帶有小印，直接連繫至那間丁蜀工作室。
The leaf, brewed
dry leaf
Before first use: pale sandy-beige, faint iron speckles, cool and slightly rough to the fingertip. The frog sits poised, throat pouch subtly inflated.
wet leaf
After a splash of hot tea: the skin darkens instantly, cracks and fine veins emerge like a waking animal. The surface holds warmth, releasing a clean, wet-stone scent.
liquor
Over sessions, the zhuni absorbs tea oils, transitioning from beige to honeyed amber then chestnut brown — the colour uneven at first, slowly becoming a glassy, living patina.
aroma
When warm, a faint mineral note — damp river rock, sun-heated clay, a ghost of the kiln. No artificial fragrance, just honest fired earth.
taste
Not a tea to sip, but the tactility matters. Run a wet fingertip across the ridged back and feel how the clay softens at the edges. Each stroke leaves a tiny tea trace that builds the record.
finish
A long, quiet rhythm — a teaspoon of rinse water, a moment of darkness, then the slow return to dry. Months later, the frog has absorbed the story of every session.
Brewing
切勿完全浸沒 — 每次使用後讓蛙完全晾乾，避免泥料疲乏。偶爾以軟布擦拭，養亮包漿。
Sourced by
採購與尋源專員（中國）