Seven Stars Bamboo Gongfu Tea Tray

It's actually a solid beginner choice. The price point is low enough that you're not making a big commitment while you figure out if gongfu-style brewing is for you. The design is straightforward — no complicated drainage setup, just pour and it collects underneath. It's easy to clean and compact enough to fit on most desks or counters. Reviewers note it as a good affordable entry point for gongfu practice. If you end up falling in love with the craft, you can always upgrade to a larger or higher-end tray later.

Durability is generally a positive for this tray — multiple reviewers say it holds up well over time with regular use. However, a few buyers have reported receiving units with small cracks in the base, or developing cracks or leaks after some use. Since it's bamboo and machine-made, minor imperfections in the material can sometimes lead to issues. Your best bet is to inspect it when it arrives, avoid letting water sit in the reservoir for extended periods, and dry it thoroughly after each use. Most units seem to hold up fine, but there is some quality variation.

It's ideal for someone who wants to try gongfu tea at home without spending a lot, brews for 1-3 people, and wants something compact that's easy to set up and put away. Budget-conscious tea enthusiasts and beginners will get the most out of it. It's less ideal if you need heavy-duty drainage for frequent, high-volume sessions, or if you're particular about cosmetic perfection — the machine-made construction and occasional inconsistencies between units mean it's more of a practical workhorse than a showpiece.

Regular cleaning is important with this tray — and really any bamboo tea tray. After each session, empty the reservoir, wipe down the surface, and let it air dry completely. At least once a week, give it a more thorough rinse. This matters because bamboo can develop mold if it stays damp, and at least one reviewer flagged mold buildup as an issue. You'll also notice watermarks forming over time from tea stains — some people actually like this as a patina that tells the story of your tea sessions, but if that bothers you, wiping the surface dry promptly after each use helps.

Most reviewers describe an attractive appearance with a nice dark finish that looks good on a table or desk. However — and this is worth knowing — several buyers mention that the actual product doesn't perfectly match the listing photos. Differences in color shade, the logo design, and small details like corner fasteners have been noted. The logo itself is larger than some people expect and can look a bit prominent. So while the overall aesthetic gets positive feedback, go in expecting minor differences from what you see online.

A tea tray — especially a gongfu-style tray like this JIKUGO bamboo one — serves as your dedicated workspace for Chinese tea ceremony. It catches all the water from rinsing your teapot, warming your cups, and discarding rinse brews. Instead of worrying about spills on your table, you pour freely and the tray collects everything through its drainage system into a reservoir underneath. It also keeps all your tea tools organized in one place and, honestly, just makes the whole ritual feel more intentional and grounded.

This JIKUGO tray has a two-layer design — the top surface has slots or channels where water drains down into a hidden reservoir below. During a gongfu session, you pour hot water over your teapot and cups to warm them, rinse your first steep, and discard liquid freely onto the tray surface. The water flows through to the bottom layer, which you empty after your session. One thing to note with this particular tray: some users report the drainage can be slow, so you may want to pour gradually rather than flooding the surface all at once.

The main things to consider are size, material, and drainage design. This JIKUGO tray at 11.8 x 4.84 inches is on the compact side — great for 2-3 people and easy to store, but not ideal if you're hosting larger gatherings. Bamboo is a classic material choice: it's lightweight, looks elegant, and is easy to clean. Just keep in mind that bamboo trays like this one need regular cleaning to prevent mold buildup. If drainage speed matters a lot to you, you might want to look at trays with a tube that drains into a separate bucket, but for casual home sessions, a reservoir-style tray like this works fine.

Place your teapot or gaiwan in the center of the tray with your cups arranged in front. Start by warming everything — pour hot water over the teapot and into each cup, then discard it onto the tray. Add your tea leaves, do a quick rinse steep (5-10 seconds), pour that out onto the tray too. Then brew your first real steep and pour into a fairness pitcher before distributing to each cup. This JIKUGO tray fits a small teapot and 2-3 cups comfortably, which is the traditional setup for an intimate gongfu session.

The essentials are a small teapot or gaiwan (100-150ml), a fairness pitcher, and 2-3 tasting cups. You can also add tea tongs for handling hot cups, a tea scoop, and a tea pet if you're into that tradition. This JIKUGO tray at just under 12 inches long gives you enough room for a basic setup but not a ton of extras — it's sized for a focused, no-fuss tea session rather than an elaborate spread.

There are a few main styles. Reservoir trays like this JIKUGO bamboo one have a hidden water chamber underneath — compact and self-contained, no external drainage needed. Pipe-drain trays have a tube that runs to a separate waste bucket, which handles more water but takes up more space. Dry trays (or tea mats) are just flat surfaces with no drainage at all, for more careful, minimal-spill brewing. For home gongfu practice, a reservoir tray like this is the most convenient since everything stays in one compact unit.

While it's marketed for both Chinese gongfu and Japanese tea, this tray is really designed around the gongfu workflow — the water drainage feature is specific to Chinese-style brewing where you pour water freely over the teapot and cups. Traditional Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu) doesn't typically use a drainage tray at all. That said, if you practice a more casual Japanese tea style or just want a nice bamboo surface to organize your Japanese tea set on, it works fine as a serving platform. Just know the drainage feature is geared toward gongfu practice.