Gaiwan

[the_dalu]

I find my finger get scorched when either or both A and B are too small. A narrow rim beyond the gaiwan lid (A too small) , even if the lid fit is low inside the rim, isn't enough distance for my sometimes shaky fingers. Similarly, if the lid fit is shallow inside the rim (B too small), even a wide flare doesn't prevent scorching. I like to see both A and B be generous, so the tea level (the red scalloped line) stays away from my fingers as I manipulate the gaiwan.

I LOVE this little gaiwan from Shawn McGuire (formerly Greenwood Studios, now Great Wheel Studio on Etsy), because the flare is both wide and the lid set deep below the rim. PERFECT. A and B are both about 1 cm.



Plus it is gorgeous and goes wonderfully with these cups, better than the gaiwan that I bought at the same time, which has a reasonably deep B but was a bit too narrow in A, and often scorched my fingers. But it had a saucer and I worked out how to use it comfortably before it sadly was shattered (one of many victims of a tiled kitchen floor, never again!).



I have a bunch of these cheap ($4.99) gaiwans purchased at my local brick n' mortar shop in Chinatown, where A & B are more like 7mm, but using the grip I show here, making use of the saucer, I rarely scorch my fingers. Using them without the saucer, sometimes I get a scorch.



Many of the lovely shapely and aesthetically exciting gaiwans I see posted here and elsewhere look like A and B are both quite small, and it is that which makes me distrust them for my fingers. It obviously depends on the actual size of the gaiwan, and a larger one may have a proportionally smaller rim whose actual measurements are quite sufficient. I mostly use my inexpensive gaiwans for comparative tasting sessions, where the uniformity of their mass-produced design is more important than the details of their construction, but I am wary of buying any finer and artisanal pieces with such small rims, because I know I won't use them as much as Shawn's little gem.

Your finger-scorch tolerances and preferred minimum A and B may vary, of course!

I saw this article and I remembered I saw this thread. Specially that diagram. https://satotea.com/blogs/satoblog/s010 ... n-a-primer

[debunix]

Back for the first time after quite a while away from the forum, because of lack of time, and a delicious but little varying summer tea menu during the hot months.

I'm pleased to see this old post is helping someone out. I keep going back to that basic idea as I'm needing to shop for some more inexpensive gaiwans because the simple goldfish or carp versions are running low due to various accidents. And sometimes it is quite difficult to judge those angles and key dimensions and key dimensions from a single view on an online sale site. I'm not looking for fancy artisan made one of a kind here, but a basic, plain, and inexpensive every day fully mold-made mass-market version. I'm sure these are available all over China for locals, but being cheap with minimal profit per cup, maybe harder to find imported here or on western-facing websites that have mostly upgraded their offerings. I need to go back to my local chinatown when my mobility improves and scout around all the little shops to see what I can find.

The link you posted, however, is giving a 404, and so are most of the links that I tried after googling. I did find the same blog entry another way, and this link currently is live:

https://satotea.com/blogs/wild-farmed-t ... e-a-gaiwan

[the_dalu]

The link you posted, however, is giving a 404, and so are most of the links that I tried after googling. I did find the same blog entry another way, and this link currently is live:

https://satotea.com/blogs/wild-farmed-t ... e-a-gaiwan

Sorry for that. It seems they have moved it around.