Aroma cup
Simplified 闻香杯Also written sniffing cup
A tall cup used in Taiwanese double-cup tasting. Tea is poured into it and then transferred to a drinking cup; the warm, emptied aroma cup is smelled. Research on Taiwan’s tea-art movement documents this practice in the 1980s. 張靜紅 2016
On this page
- 1Body
- 2Base
In use#
Follow the two cups in Shuenn-Der Yu’s account. Tea enters the aroma cup first, then moves to the drinking cup. The emptied aroma cup is smelled before the tea is tasted.
- Pour tea into the aroma cup (聞香杯).
- Transfer the tea into the drinking cup (入口杯).
- Smell the warm, emptied aroma cup, then taste the tea in the drinking cup.
Form#
- Body
- 1Tall, narrow cup with a straight or slightly flared rim, read together with its companion drinking cup.
- Base
- 2small recessed ring foot (圈足)
- Handle
- none
- Lid
- none; paired on a cup saucer (杯托) with a wider tasting cup
Working volume#
Compare the amount comfortably served, not just a cup filled to the brim. Rim width, depth and the serving method influence how it is used. For a paired aroma and drinking cup, check that the receiving cup can hold the transferred tea.
Variants and sub-types#
The essential distinction is between the tall aroma cup and the wider drinking cup used with it. Straight and slightly flared rims occur, but the two cups must be considered as a pair: their openings and usable volumes need to suit the chosen transfer method. A narrow profile alone does not establish a particular chemical mechanism for retaining aroma.
History#
Zhang Jinghong places the adoption of the aroma cup within Taiwan’s modern tea-art movement in the 1980s. This is evidence for a period of use and development, not a securely identified first inventor or a precise invention year. The cup is best understood together with its companion drinking cup and the sequence of pouring, transferring and smelling. 張靜紅 2016
Recognising a cup pair
One Taiwanese photograph identifies an aroma cup and drinking cup as a pair. It also shows a separate tall, narrow-mouthed cup. When identifying an unfamiliar cup, look for its companion and how the two were used.
Sources#
Status and editorial notes sources cited
Sources are listed below. Their presence does not certify every claim; source-specific interpretations and unresolved questions are identified in the text. This page has not received independent expert approval.