Charcoal brazier (fenglu)
A small clay or metal stove that heats a kettle with charcoal, used in Chaozhou gongfu practice. It heats slowly, holds heat steadily and is far more work than an electric element, which is most of what there is to say about it functionally. The Japanese chanoyu brazier is written with the same characters and is a separate object with a separate practice around it, recorded at `equip-s32-ro-and-furo`.
Identity
- Category
- Accessory
- Native name
- 風爐
- Romanised
- feng lu, fenglu
- Also called
- tea stove, olive-pit stove, charcoal stove, Chaozhou stove
- Material
- Fired clay or cast metal; fuelled with hardwood charcoal or, traditionally in Chaozhou, olive pits
- Skill level
- Advanced
Porosity
Not porous. It contributes nothing of its own to the liquor, so it can be moved between teas freely and washed with detergent without consequence.
Where it comes from
Chinese, and specifically the Chaozhou gongfu tradition of eastern Guangdong. The Japanese furo of chanoyu is historically related and is not the same object or the same use; TeaHQ keeps the two in separate records rather than presenting one as a variant of the other.
Named here rather than presented as generic equipment. The object belongs to a practice, and TeaHQ describes it from the outside.
If you do not own one
An electric kettle reaches the same temperature faster and holds it more accurately. The brazier is kept for the practice built around it, not for a difference measurable in the cup.
This one is not marked essential. The tea can be made without it.
Brewing methods it is used for
- Gongfu brewing (Yixing pot) — The same short-steep, high-leaf approach as gaiwan gongfu, carried out in a small unglazed clay pot that seasons over time and is dedicated to one tea.
Tea types it suits
Care and maintenance
Use it in a properly ventilated space and never indoors without airflow — burning charcoal produces carbon monoxide. Let the clay dry fully between uses; a damp body cracks when heated.
Other accessorys
- Alcohol burner
- Cha dao utensil set
- Cha he (tea presentation vessel)
- Cup stand (chatuo)
- Electric ceramic tea stove
- Futaoki (lid and ladle rest)
- Hishaku (bamboo water ladle)
- Induction plate
- Kensui (waste water vessel)
- Kusenaoshi (whisk stand)
- Mortar and pestle
- Podstakannik (glass holder)
- Ro and furo (hearth and brazier)
- Ryoro (senchado charcoal stove)
- Stone tea mill
- Tea boat
- Tea cloth
- Tea cosy
- Tea mat (chaxi cloth)
- Tea pet
- Tea pick (cha dao)
- Tea tongs
- Tea tray (cha pan)
- Teapot warmer
- Waste water bowl (jianshui)
- Water cooling bowl (sukwoo)
- Water filter jug
- Yuzamashi (water cooler)
Sources
This page is TeaHQ synthesis. No external source stands behind the description, the material or the account of how the object is cared for. Where the record names a tradition, that attribution is TeaHQ’s own reading of common practice rather than a citation.
TeaHQ names no maker, brand or shop and has nothing to sell. Nothing on this page should be read as advice to buy the object — the substitute note above exists because owning it is usually optional.