A gongfu table accumulates small tools. None of them are strictly necessary, since you can brew well with a gaiwan, some cups, and your hands, but each one solves a real, small problem, and together they make a session smoother and more deliberate. This is a plain guide to what they are and what they do.
The Six Gentlemen 茶道六君子
The classic set of tea tools is called the six gentlemen (茶道六君子 / chádào liù jūnzǐ). The name borrows the Confucian idea of the junzi, the gentleman who is refined, disciplined, and quietly useful, which fairly describes each tool’s job. They usually come together in a matching holder. The holder itself is the tea vase (茶筒 / chá tǒng), which keeps the other five upright. The tea scoop (茶则 / chá zé) measures dry leaf out of the caddy so you are not pouring by guesswork. The tea spoon (茶匙 / chá chí) digs the spent leaves out of a gaiwan or pot after the session, especially the ones packed tight at the bottom. The tea funnel (茶漏 / chá lòu) sits on the mouth of the pot and guides leaves in cleanly without scattering them across the tray. The tea tongs (茶夹 / chá jiā) handle hot cups when you rinse or serve them, so you don’t burn your fingers. And the tea needle (茶针 / chá zhēn) clears a spout clogged by broken or compressed leaf.
Beyond the Six
A few tools outside the classic set earn their place. The fairness cup (公道杯 / gōngdào bēi) is a small pitcher you pour the whole brew into before serving, which evens out the strength so every cup is identical and stops the leaves over-steeping while you pour. It is the single most useful addition to a gongfu setup, and arguably more important than any of the six gentlemen. The tea tray (茶盘 / chá pán) is the stage for the session, catching rinse water and spills, which is what makes gongfu’s wet-by-design approach civilized. A strainer (茶滤 / chá lǜ) sits over the fairness cup to catch fine leaf and dust on the pour. A tea towel (茶巾 / chá jīn), a small dark cloth, wipes drips and the base of the pot and stays on the table throughout. The aroma cup (闻香杯 / wén xiāng bēi), a tall narrow cup paired with a normal one, is for smelling the tea before you drink it, common in Taiwanese oolong service. And the pu’er pick (茶刀 or 茶针) pries leaves off a compressed cake with as little breakage as possible, the one extra worth owning early if you drink pu’er.
What You Actually Need
Here is the honest version. A gaiwan, some cups, a fairness cup, and something to catch water will brew any tea on this site beautifully. The six gentlemen are lovely, and useful once you brew often, but buy them because you enjoy the ritual, not because the tea demands them. The two extras worth getting early are a fairness cup, for consistency, and a pu’er pick if you drink compressed tea. Everything else you add as the habit deepens. And when you are ready for the one tool that does nothing useful at all, meet the tea pet.