Spitting Tea Pet Frog

Spitting Tea Pet FrogSpitting tea pet frog Available in banana, round pumpkin, and long pumpkin $28 A spitting tea pet is a clay figure that shoots small arcs of water when heated. These ones feature a frog sitting on a fruit or vegetable base banana, round pumpkin, or long pumpkin made from Yixing purple clay. The spitting works through thermal expansion: you soak the pet in cool water, then pour hot tea over it, and the rapid temperature change forces the water out

Spitting tea pet frog

Available in banana, round pumpkin, and long pumpkin — $28

A spitting tea pet is a clay figure that shoots small arcs of water when heated. These ones feature a frog sitting on a fruit or vegetable base — banana, round pumpkin, or long pumpkin — made from Yixing purple clay. The spitting works through thermal expansion: you soak the pet in cool water, then pour hot tea over it, and the rapid temperature change forces the water out through the frog's mouth.

Frog tea pets represent prosperity in Chinese culture. These fruit-base versions are more playful than the traditional designs, and the different bases give you a choice of shape for your tea tray.

How to activate the spitting

Rinse with hot water first, then submerge in cool water for 5–10 minutes. Remove and pour hot tea over the frog for water arcs. The bigger the temperature gap, the better it works.

About 95% of spitting tea pets function as expected. If yours doesn't spit, it still works as a regular tea pet for daily feeding and transformation.

Product details

• Material: Yixing purple clay (Jiangsu Province, China)
• Banana frog: 8.3cm × 2.3cm × 2.6cm, 47g
• Round pumpkin frog: 4.8cm × 4.8cm × 2.5cm, 45g
• Long pumpkin frog: 8.5cm × 3.8cm × 3.8cm, 68g

Handmade — expect small variations in size and colour.

This works well for

• A fun gift for tea drinkers or under $50
• Adding something playful to a gongfu tea session
• Collecting alongside the stone double frog
• People who like their tea accessories with a bit of character

Joanne's tip

The banana frog is our best seller of the three — it fits neatly on smaller tea trays and the elongated shape looks good next to a pu-erh session setup. If you're feeding it regularly with dark tea, the banana base develops this warm caramel-brown colour after a few months that I really like.

Browse all our tea pets in the tea pet collection, or read our tea pet guide.