gaiwan or teapot?

Semi-oxidized tea
theredbaron
Posts: 146
Joined: Fri Oct 13, 2017 12:02 am
Location: Germany

Thu Feb 07, 2019 3:57 pm

Bok wrote:
Sun Oct 29, 2017 11:05 pm
I could never bring myself to like gaiwans, I do not like the way they look nor how they handle and brew the tea. I find myself having much more control with a teapot. For neutral testing I just use a porcelain teapot.

For anything else Taiwanese glazed(outside only) or woodfired.
Same here - i can't stand Gaiwans as brewing vessels. I find them awkward and useless tools to brew tea in.

I know Gaiwans as cups for green tea in Szechuan tea houses, from which one drinks directly, the lid there hold back the floating leaves, and which gets refilled with water regularly. Brings down the temperature quickly so one does not get burned. That is where a Gainwan is uselful.
swordofmytriumph
Posts: 429
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:19 am
Location: Seattle, USA

Thu Feb 07, 2019 4:23 pm

For me it depends on the tea, and whether I’m testing it out. When I’ve never had a tea before I always use a porcelain gaiwan to test it before doing anything else. I also always use a gaiwan for green tea, and most white tea. I have a porcelain teapot that I use for black tea (I don’t have a clay pot for it yet).

I prefer my gaoshan and my sheng in my clay pots.
Teachronicles
Posts: 436
Joined: Tue Dec 12, 2017 1:13 am
Location: SF Bay Area, CA

Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:34 pm

I really enjoying using a well designed gaiwan, unfortunately many are not very nice to use imo. The only one I've found to be a pleasure to use is uber thin and has developed hairline cracks, so I've stopped using it. I had the same gaiwan break from regular use after developing hairline cracks I didn't notice, this is my second one. Think I'll shy away from the super thin ones moving forward.
swordofmytriumph
Posts: 429
Joined: Sun Dec 16, 2018 5:19 am
Location: Seattle, USA

Fri Feb 08, 2019 6:17 am

Teachronicles wrote:
Thu Feb 07, 2019 7:34 pm
I really enjoying using a well designed gaiwan, unfortunately many are not very nice to use imo. The only one I've found to be a pleasure to use is uber thin and has developed hairline cracks, so I've stopped using it. I had the same gaiwan break from regular use after developing hairline cracks I didn't notice, this is my second one. Think I'll shy away from the super thin ones moving forward.
Yeah, it has to be well designed. A while back I broke my usual gaiwan and bought a new one on amazon. The lid didn’t fit perfectly, and it drove me CRAZY. I chucked it and went out and bought another gaiwan asap. My fave gaiwan is a little tiny one from BItterleaf that is only is only 50ml. And it’s nice and thin but not too thin, and the lid fits perfectly.
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debunix
Posts: 1812
Joined: Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:27 am
Location: Los Angeles, CA

Fri Feb 08, 2019 10:13 am

I have some super cheap porcelain gaiwans I bought for $3.99 at my chinatown tea shop that are precisely made and super easy to use, with wide enough rims vs lids to rarely scorch my fingers; and I've got a couple of handmade versions that are just as nice, from Inge Nielsen and Shawn McGuire (now Great Wheal Studio on Etsy). I've also had cheap and artisan versions that were difficult to use, because the lid was difficult to slip just so, or slipped too easily, or that had narrow rims above the edge of the lid and always burnt my fingers. In my experience ease of use is separate from price.
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