We wanted one object on the counter that says the day is winding down. This is it: a straight-sided jar in a warm grey that sits between oatmeal and charcoal, with a matte glaze that feels closer to skin than to glass. The lid seats snugly over the full mouth, the knob is a single turned beech ball, and the base carries a small de- stamp pressed into the clay before firing. Nothing printed, nothing that will wear off.

Made in Dehua, Fujian, the porcelain and stoneware town that has been firing tea vessels for export since the Song dynasty. Each canister is thrown and glazed in small runs, then fired at 1280°C. The wood-ash glaze is why no two are exactly the same shade; expect a little variation in the grey.