A tea set, in the Western tradition, is a set of dishes sold in a group for use at afternoon tea or a formal tea party.

Tea sets vary greatly in quality and price, from inexpensive to high-end.

Items in a tea set

A typical tea set contains the following items:

• teapot
  Teapot
  A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in near-boiling water. Tea may be either in a tea bag or loose, in which case a tea strainer will be needed, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured...
  
  
• teacup
  Teacup
  A teacup is a small cup, with or without a handle, generally a small one that may be grasped with the thumb and one or two fingers. It is typically made of a ceramic material. It is usually part of a set, composed of a cup and a matching saucer. These in turn may be part of a tea set in...
  
   and saucer
  Saucer
  A saucer is a small type of dishware, a plate that is specifically used with and for supporting a cup – a cylindrical cup intended for coffee or a half-sphere teacup for tea. Additionally, the saucer is a distant cousin to the plate. The saucer has a raised centre with a depression sized to fit a...
  
  
• sugar bowl
  Sugar bowl (dishware)
  A sugar bowl is a small bowl designed for holding sugar or sugar cubes, to be served with tea or coffee in the Western tradition, that is an integral part of a tea set.- Notable sugar bowls :...
  
  
• milk
  Milk
  Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
  
   pitcher
  Pitcher (container)
  A pitcher is a container with a spout used for storing and pouring contents which are liquid in form. Generally a pitcher also has a handle, which makes pouring easier.A ewer is a vase-shaped pitcher, often decorated, with a base and a flaring spout...
  
   also known as a creamer
  Creamer
  -People:* George Creamer , American Major League Baseball second baseman from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania* Henry Creamer , American popular song lyricist, and part of the songwriting team of Creamer & Layton...
  
   or jug
  Jug (container)
  A jug is a type of container used to hold liquid. It has an opening, often narrow, from which to pour or drink, and nearly always has a handle. One could imagine a jug being made from nearly any watertight material, but most jugs throughout history have been made from clay, glass, or plastic...
  
  

In addition, a formal tea service would include:

• coffee pot
• kettle
  Kettle
  A kettle, sometimes called a tea kettle or teakettle, is a small kitchen appliance used for boiling water. Kettles can be heated either by placing on a stove, or by their own electric heating element.- Stovetop kettles :...
  
   with spirit light
• slop bowl
  Slop bowl
  A slop bowl is one of the components of the traditional tea set.In modern times, the slop bowl is used to hold the discarded hot water that was used to warm the teapot....
  
   or waste bowl
• tray
  Tray
  A tray is a shallow platform designed for carrying things. It is larger than a salver, a diminutive version commonly used for lighter and smaller servings, and it can be fashioned from numerous materials, including silver, brass, sheet iron, wood, melamine, and papier-mâché...
  
  

Silver tea service

Another opulent tea set is the silver tea service, a formal tea set with serving pieces made of sterling silver

Sterling silver

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925....

. A silver tea service is an expensive tea set. It is usually the household's best and is used following formal dinners, or at a tea party. A silver tea service is always presented on a tray. While a set of teaspoon

Teaspoon

A teaspoon, an item of cutlery, is a small spoon, commonly part of a silverware place setting, suitable for stirring and sipping the contents of a cup of tea or coffee...

s is a necessity, as is a sugar spoon

Sugar spoon

A sugar spoon is a piece of cutlery used for serving granulated sugar. This type of spoon resembles a teaspoon except that the bowl is deeper and often molded in the shape of a sea shell, giving it the name sugar shell...

 or sugar tongs, cutlery

Cutlery

Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...

 is not included as part of the tea service. In larger silver services, a silver coffeepot is sometimes included to form what is termed a tea and coffee service.

In a very formal household

Great house

A great house is a large and stately residence; the term encompasses different styles of dwelling in different countries. The name refers to the makeup of the household rather than to any particular architectural style...

, the tea service is cared for by the footman

Footman

A footman is a male servant, notably as domestic staff.-Word history:The name derives from the attendants who ran beside or behind the carriages of aristocrats, many of whom were chosen for their physical attributes. They ran alongside the coach to make sure it was not overturned by such obstacles...

, under the supervision of the butler

Butler

A butler is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. Some also have charge of the entire parlour floor, and housekeepers caring for the entire house and its...

, who is responsible for the household silver

Silver (household)

Household silver or silverware includes dishware, cutlery and other household items made of sterling, Britannia or Sheffield plate silver. The term is often extended to items made of stainless steel...

.

Mass-produced sets in silverplate are found in more quantity. Because of costs, most holloware (serving pieces) are silverplate rather than sterling.

History

The accepted history of the tea set begins in China during the Han Dynasty (206-220 B.C.). At this time, tea ware was made of porcelain and consisted of two styles: a northern white porcelain and a southern light blue porcelain. It is important to understand that these ancient tea sets were not the creamer/sugar bowl companions we know today. Rather, as is stated in a third century A.D. written document from China, tea leaves were pressed into cakes or bricks. These patties were then crushed and mixed with a variety of spices, including orange, ginger, onions, and flower petals. Hot water was poured over the mixture, which was both heated and served in bowls, not teapots. The bowls were multi-purpose, and used for a variety of cooking needs. In this period, evidence suggests that tea was mainly used as a medicinal elixir, not as a daily drink for pleasure's sake.

Historians believe the teapot was developed during the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) An archaeological dig turned up an ancient kiln that contained the remnants of a Yixing teapot. Yixing teapots, called Zi Sha Hu in China and Purple Sand teapots in the U.S., are perhaps the most famous teapots. They are named for a tiny city located in Jiangsu Province, where a specific compound of iron ore results in the unique coloration of these teapots. They were fired without a glaze and were used to steep specific types of oolong teas. Because of the porous nature of the clay, the teapot would gradually be tempered by using it for brewing one kind of tea. This seasoning was part of the reason to use Yixing teapots. In addition, artisans created fanciful pots incorporating animal shapes.

The Song Dynasty also produced exquisite ceramic teapots and tea bowls in glowing glazes of brown, black and blue. A bamboo whisk was employed to beat the tea into a frothy confection highly prized by the Chinese.

Chinese Yixing Tea Set

This is a Chinese Yixing

Yixing clay teapot

Yixing clay teapots Yixing clay teapots Yixing clay teapots (also called Purple Sand are made from Yixing clay. This traditional style commonly used to brew tea originated in China, dating back to the 15th century, and are made from clay produced in the region of the town of Yixing in the...

tea set used to serve guest which contains the following items:

• A Yixing teapot
• A tray to trap the wasted tea/water.
• Cups to drink the tea.
• A Tea tool kit which contains the following: digger, funnel, needle, shuffle, tongs and vase.
• A brush to wipe the wasted tea all over the tray to create an even tea stain.
• A sieve — even if you pour tea from the pot, some tea leaf bits will still be poured out, so a sieve will help to filter out the loose bits during pouring.
• A clay animal or two. They are used for display and luck by many Chinese drinkers.