Show-stopping Gong Fu tea tray fully handmade by Marek in Poland to our exacting specifications. Functional art to grace your tea setup.
SPECIAL SHIPPING OFFER - purchase one of these trays and we will discount your shipping by £20 or USD/EUR equivalent automatically.
We are offering these handmade Cha Pans in different colours and with a choice of the inclusion of Bark. Please see the colour of the resins below but PLEASE NOTE that these pictures show the colours when light is shining through the resin. The colours appear much darker and more subtle when in use.
I reached out to Marek from Resin Woods Design in Poland in 2019 to propose my ideas for crafting a resin wood Gong Fu table. This began a two-year collaboration to design and create a table for my home which was long and challenging.
Apart from the functional design, aesthetic considerations and the practical processes that needed to be learned to make a draining tea table, the biggest obstacle to overcome was heat resistance. Every surface coating which we tried left marks of hot teaware. Eventually, a solution was found which is quite magical - a surface coating which is beautifully padded and has the unique ability to 'clean' up any heat marks just by pouring over hot water!
My table was unveiled to the tea community in 2021 and since then, Marek has become a Gong Fu table artist, producing spectacular resin wood tables for teaheads and teahouses worldwide.
But, not everyone has the space in their home or the money to commit to a full Gong Fu tea table. So, we wanted to create a tea tray (Cha Pan) which blesses the home with the same artistry and functionality at a fraction of the price and in a desktop size.
Each one of these beautiful resin wood tea trays has been made entirely by hand and they are all completely individual. They are crafted from solid walnut, combined with epoxy resin for a luxurious look and feel.
This Cha Pan has been designed to be the most universal size for all sessions from solo to group brewing. It also has a large enough capacity (one litre) so that you can sling tea without worrying about the tray getting full during your session.
You don't want excessive standing water on your tray surface and so we worked hard on how we could effectively pull the water from the surface. Marek has created an ingenious draining system involving troughs and holes which channel and remove water and tea efficiently. It works perfectly.
The water catcher and the inside of the tray have all been impregnated with epoxy resin and finished with a high-grade varnish to guarantee water resistance. Even the draining holes have been coated to ensure a long life without any worry of water damaging the Walnut.
Both sides of the water catcher have been coated in that special and exclusive material which was discovered during the creation of my Gong Fu table. This surface provides a lightly padded feel to the Cha Pan which reduces the harshness of the sound of teaware being manoeuvred on the tray during your session.
It will resist heat well and, although there will be marks left on the tray after some use, these can be easily removed by pouring over hot water (please read disclaimer below). The picture below shows a mark before and after applying hot water - see how the mark disappears.
Visually, these trays are something to behold - glassy, reflective and modern on one hand yet organic, warm and natural on the other. The wood grain and colour work perfectly with the resin which will change from a black-blue to a glowing deep aquamarine depending on the surrounding lighting. They are absolutely gorgeous to look at and to use.
PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING
All of the trays are individual from natural slabs of solid walnut. They are all handmade and will have some delightful 'wabi-sabi' imperfections which are part of their character. These are not factory produced trays so please expect and celebrate the imperfections!
The coating is heat resistant and the majority of heat marks are removable by applying hot water during cleanup. However, extended exposure to very hot teaware may leave small permanent marks when examined very closely.
The overall design of the Cha Pans is all the same, with the water catcher being made from a split of walnut and the same colour resin. However, since every piece of walnut is different in shape, grain and colour, the trays are all unique. We have shown you some very representative pictures of what to expect if you buy one. Every purchase will be issued a tray at random and we will not take requests to pre-select or swap for a particular tray.
Do not use any detergents or chemical cleaners on the tray except simple soap or washing-up liquid. Gently wipe dry with a clean and soft cloth (ideally microfibre) to prevent the possibility of scratching. Not Dishwasher safe!
Due to the natural wood and resin combinations, it is inevitable that the tray will not be perfectly flat on the bottom and there will be some small movement on the tray if you push down on the corners of the tray. This does not affect the performance when brewing and will not be accepted as a reason for return.
