Gaiwan

[klepto]

Teaswelike make a really good gaiwan, and my only complaint is when I death grip it the edge digs into my hand. It would be very hard to burn yourself with their gaiwan.

How does it compare to your little horseshoe from mud and leaves?

The TWL gaiwan has flared out edges so that they are not affected by the temps of the gaiwan itself. There is no saucer with this gaiwan and the lid makes it easier to set the right angle for pouring. It is almost an easy gaiwan. My gaiwan from M&L, the saucer has a hole in it so the bowl stays inside so you can easily grip the saucer and put your thumb on the top of the lid of the gaiwan for easy pouring.There are a lot of gaiwans made poorly and the saucer doesn't fit properly. Both are great gaiwans, it just depends on how you use it.

M&L Gaiwan:

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[LeoFox]

Teaswelike make a really good gaiwan, and my only complaint is when I death grip it the edge digs into my hand. It would be very hard to burn yourself with their gaiwan.

How does it compare to you up little horseshoe from mud and leaves?

The TWL gaiwan has flared out edges so that they are not affected by the temps of the gaiwan itself. There is no saucer with this gaiwan and the lid makes it easier to set the right angle for pouring. It is almost an easy gaiwan. My gaiwan from M&L, the saucer has a hole in it so the bowl stays inside so you can easily grip the saucer and put your thumb on the top of the lid of the gaiwan for easy pouring.There are a lot of gaiwans made poorly and the saucer doesn't fit properly. Both are great gaiwans, it just depends on how you use it.

M&L Gaiwan:

Thanks! I think i will wait for twl to restock.

[LeoFox]

Finally got my hands on the teas we like thin walled flared gaiwan!

It is thin and elegant as advertised. Also easy to use - tried it a few times with boiling water with no finger burn issue at all. For the price, this is great!

As a test, I brewed a chinese green that i typically brew in thick walled wide mouthed open kyusu from arita. In the kyusu, the infusion becomes yellowish if i go above 72 C. But with the gaiwan, following same leaf to water ratio and infusion time, the infusion is green even with boiling water. The taste is also more grassy and mineraly but much less buttery. I finally see now how this is the proper brewing vessel for chinese greens that need 80C or above temperature.

An interesting feature of the gaiwan is that it doesn't tip over! It has been designed so that it stands right back up even if you set it down on its side! I'm not sure if this is a common design feature of gaiwans, but it's probably mainly due to the flaring.



Now to nitpick, i noticed that at all edges, the unglazed areas are a bit sandy. My experience is that this means the clay behind the glaze is a bit lower quality, possibly fired at lower temperatures and may stain relatively easily. But for this price, i don't care. I am wondering though if i buy a more expensive gw from m&l, the unglazed edges would be more smooth and hard.

Edit: after a few more uses and cleanings, i noticed that the roughness has largely disappeared, and also there has been no staining issues. So whatever sandiness i felt there before must have somehow washed away.

[DailyTX]

I also own a TWL gaiwan, it has been great using it for TieGuanYin. I do hope they could make a bigger size so the leaves wouldn’t be so packed. As for M&L, I don’t have any gaiwan from them. General speaking, the cost of high end gaiwan is from the art/decor, craftsmanship of the gaiwan, successful rate, and not so much about the clay

[LeoFox]

I also own a TWL gaiwan, it has been great using it for TieGuanYin. I do hope they could make a bigger size so the leaves wouldn’t be so packed. As for M&L, I don’t have any gaiwan from them. General speaking, the cost of high end gaiwan is from the art/decor, craftsmanship of the gaiwan, successful rate, and not so much about the clay

In that case I am even more pleased with this purchase. Thanks for sharing your experience.

[klepto]

Finally got my hands on the teas we like thin walled flared gaiwan!

Now to nitpick, i noticed that at all edges, the unglazed areas are a bit sandy. My experience is that this means the clay behind the glaze is a bit lower quality, possibly fired at lower temperatures and may stain relatively easily.

Yes I have noticed the roughness when wiping it down with a cloth. I'm glad you found a good gaiwan, in the future buy another and hide it So when you break that one you have a backup .

[Bok]

I also own a TWL gaiwan, it has been great using it for TieGuanYin. I do hope they could make a bigger size so the leaves wouldn’t be so packed. As for M&L, I don’t have any gaiwan from them. General speaking, the cost of high end gaiwan is from the art/decor, craftsmanship of the gaiwan, successful rate, and not so much about the clay

Second that, one does not have to spend much to get a very good gaiwan.

If it’s too packed just use less leaves

[Bok]

at all edges, the unglazed areas are a bit sandy. My experience is that this means the clay behind the glaze is a bit lower quality

unglazed porcelain is always sandy, just means that the edge hasn't been glazed.

[LeoFox]

at all edges, the unglazed areas are a bit sandy. My experience is that this means the clay behind the glaze is a bit lower quality

unglazed porcelain is always sandy, just means that the edge hasn't been glazed.

Thats not always true. I have pieces of European made and japanese porcelain where the unglazed area is not sandy, but relatively smooth. They also don't stain or get dirty in a way that's not easily cleanable. In contrast, the sandy unglazed areas of crappier chinese porcelain get stained pretty quickly.

Another method is checking to see whether unglazed areas of the porcelain object become permanently stained (by tea or dirt, etc.) or whether they can be easily cleaned. True porcelain that is high fired will be impermeable and will not stain under the surface; making it easy to clean. Low fired porcelain and fake porcelain will pick up permanent staining in unglazed areas.

From https://www.mudandleaves.com/teatime-bl ... -porcelain

[DailyTX]

Looks like it has been a year since this thread has a post. Here is my future decor project, old Gaiwan and cups. This type of teaware is known for lead so it's best just use for decor. Anyone know the number of cups per a gaiwan to be considered a set?

[Vinski]

I purhased a small gaiwan for tea tasting. The small cup was surprisingly convenient to use. With four grams of Dong Ding Oolong, the gaiwan could hold a maximum of 55 ml of water at a time. Next, I might try half a gram less tea leaves. I'm sure this little gaiwan still has some uses.

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[debunix]

I usually save the littlest ones for young Puer and Dan Cong that I want to drink as something approaching a flash infusion many times in a row to control the total volume of tea during such a session.

[Bok]

I purhased a small gaiwan for tea tasting. The small cup was surprisingly convenient to use. With four grams of Dong Ding Oolong, the gaiwan could hold a maximum of 55 ml of water at a time. Next, I might try half a gram less tea leaves. I'm sure this little gaiwan still has some uses.

Very practical indeed. I recall Chaozhou tea vendors almost always using the smallest teaware I have ever seen to surprising efficiency, be it cups, gaiwan or teapots.

[Baiyun]

I purhased a small gaiwan for tea tasting.

Neat and simple setup, I like it. I found that 100ml water volume when empty is an upper limit for me drinking alone, 70-80 ideal.

[Baiyun]

Now that this thread has been revived I'll talk about my favourite and most used gaiwan. A high fired Dehua 'jade porcelain' of around 100ml, purchased from YS over 3 years ago, I think it can still be had for 40 USD, which I think is a good deal for something that is comfortable to use and feels unbreakable.

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What I like about it is that it is thick with good heat retention, which suits the teas I mostly drink, yet still remarkably translucent. I like translucency in porcelain. The surface is highly vitrified, resulting in absolutely no muting as far as I can tell (compared to a borosilicate flute brewer), which suits its job as the neutral vessel in my drawer. It barely stains over time and comes clear with the slightest bicarb rub.

It's a rather rounded and easy to use affair, never hot on the fingers, with no fragile edges, in fact, the thing is a tank that survived certain events that easily ended others. It also ticks the box of being able to place the lid between the bowl and saucer, which I dare not imagine life without.

However, it is not a refined artisan masterpiece, which is not to be expected at the price point, and not the tool of choice for very delicate greens, but otherwise I can recommend it as a workhorse.

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