Do different drinking cup materials affect the taste of the tea

Question:

Do different drinking cup materials (plastic, China, metal) affect the taste of the tea?

Answer:

Yes.

Premium teas are very delicate in their aroma and taste. It is very easy for them to be contaminated by the odours and tastes in their environment, eg plastic and metal. The flavourless, odourless and high temperature resilient materials such as glass and ceramic tea cups are the best. With regard to the teapots for brewing, the unglaze clay teapot such as Yixing Zisha teapots can significantly enhance the flavour if done probable. Cautions are however needed to clean thoroughly and season with tea that the teapot is intended to use for if the teapot is new as the ‘new clay’ can also contaminate the tea taste.