DecafDram said

To Gaiwan or Not to Gaiwan

Hello Fellow Tea Enthusiasts,

I have been considering to make a switch from western teapot to cup/saucer to a Gaiwan for my own servings of tea. Maybe due to laziness of wanting to avoid my compulsive need to shine my teapot and teacup inside and out with every use. Which is three to four times a day depending how much tea I drink in a day. Presentation is just as important as taste when I make tea and food for friends and that drives the shine tick.

Although just for myself maybe a simple sweet cheap Gaiwan set may be more practical for a few quick cups for myself. Easier cleaning it would seem.

What are the many benefits aside my assumption of easier cleaning of using a Gaiwan?

I have had gung fu tea sessions in China Town SF. The tea was good but I hear it presents a better taste than other methods. Is this really true? I could not tell the difference personally.

Any input on the benefits of the Gaiwan would be appreciated greatly.

Thank You

46 Replies
LuckyMe said

Yes, ease of clean up is one of the reasons I like to use my gaiwan. The main benefit of the gaiwan though is steeping gongfu style.

Also, gaiwans still pour faster than teapots so less risk of oversteeping delicate teas.

DecafDram said

Please excuse my ignorance on the subject, but what would be some delicate teas?

Ubacat said

That would be green teas and some whites. You will definitely notice the flavour difference on all teas brewed gongfu. It brings out more notes in the tea. Also allows you more infusions. The tea will change with each infusion.

AllanK said

Certain teas just scream out to be brewed gongfu, mainly oolong and puerh but blacks too.

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AllanK said

When you steep gongfu you are using more tea for shorter steep times. Because you are doing this the tea is not as played out as when you are starting with a five minute steep. When you start with five second steeps you will find that good tea yields at least twelve steeps or more. The tea will usually change as you resteep it so each resteep is a little different than the last.

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MrQuackers said

Not To Gaiwan!

qwazy quackers. gaiwan is life.

t-ching said

Jianshui pot is life

MrQuackers said

Kieblera that sentence is redundant! ;)

Anyways, I like to use a bowl and a sieve. Alternatively a covered cup and mesh.

You can’t take a masterpiece apart piece by piece. And just disecting a tea into flavours is not enough either.

So while there are benefits to the gaiwan, it’s not the only method.

Like the Japanese tea master Sen Rikyu said: you are best able to choose your own path in life.

And if you don’t believe me, checkout my notes on Oolong Supreme by Davids Tea. :)

By the way, I wonder if DecafDram has tried a Yixing Clay tea pot.

To be fair, it is harder to add sugar to a gaiwan.

Brian said

LOL. burn. :-P

TeaLife.HK said

LOL. Gaiwans hold heat better than using a cup/bowl with mesh/a strainer, so for blacks/pu/oolongs (and even greens/whites if you like to gongfu them with boiling water), keeping the heat up is crucial to the process.

I use a hybrid gaiwan/teapot from Chaozhou. No more burnt fingers and all the benefits of a gaiwan!

Small/large porcelain teapots are another alternative. I’m drinking 90s 7581 brick in a large porcelain pot right now. I didn’t feel like using Yixing or my easy gaiwan today—I wanted to taste the full profile of this really outstanding tea (Taiwan dry storage, so nothing in the taste of the tea that I want to hide or subdue)!

BlackLeaf said

Nicely said. That is a problem in many discussions about Gaiwan, three different things are mixed: material, size, and form.
I mean, whats the point in comparing a 100ml Gaiwan with a European style 500ml teapot, or a super porous Zisha pot with a Gaiwan…

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Mackie said

Oh, do it! That switch changed my life tbh, I can barely drink western anymore. Gongfu makes me feel a lot closer to the tea, like I’m .. working with it to produce something beautiful. Also yes, easier to clean, but also, there are some really beautiful gaiwans out there. Imo a really nice gongfu set is more beautiful than the fanciest teapot+teacup.

Rasseru said

totally agree

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There’s no rule that says you have to do only one!

Personally I own several nice Gong Fu/Gaiwan sets as well as teapots (Western and Chinese) and I use both interchangeably depending on how much time I have to brew/do a Gong Fu session or just depending on mood or ‘feel’ of the tea.

curlygc said

I second this!

mrmopar said

I will third this. Experiment with your tea!

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nycoma said

the best part is seeing the steam rise after each brew, and taking in the aromas- you can smell the lid too, probably best :) go for the direct experience… but to be honest i go western at times (currently) when im being lazy and want to multi-task.

TeaLife.HK said

Even Western brewing is originally a Chinese method! :)

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Rasseru said

gaiwan!!! so much nicer with Oolong & Puerh. I have been drinking some really good sheng for the last three days & its still giving out decent taste. ive easily done 15-20 steeps now.

you might need a few gaiwans :)

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You can get a small tea pot, like 100 to 200ml.

I would say clean up is just as bad if not worse gongfu style. You got spilled tea tray to clean, the gaiwan/teapot, and cup. A pitcher and filter if used.

If you want to be ultimate lazy and easy clean up, just make tea with a mug and a brew basket. Or a gravity steeper.

TeaLife.HK said

Chinese/Taiwanese infuser mugs work great! My dad left me a fancy, thick-walled Japanese stoneware infuser cup. He gave it to me before he passed on. Used to be his tea cup at work. I also have an eggshell thin one from Jingdezhen, and a thicker one from Taipei. I haven’t used any of them in over a year, though!

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Rasseru said

And never get a cheap glass one, get a nice porcelein one. Ive got a glass one using now at work and it burns my fingers every time, and pours slowly. rubbish.

standard plain ruyao 100ml gaiwan is my fave. or slightly bigger i think my other is 140-150 or something for when I know the tea needs/likes a bit more water, sometimes that leaf expands a lot doesnt it

AllanK said

My favorite gaiwans are what they call easy gaiwans. These are nice because they have a built in channel for the tea. You don’t have to prop up the lid. They are easily available at places like Yunnan Sourcing or EBay but my two personal favorites I got at a local tea store. Sometimes you will find good stuff at a local store. It’s good to check them out if you have them. But if your local store is a chain store they most likely don’t carry any teaware for gongfu tea.

Rasseru said

Ive never used an easy gaiwan, I prefer the shape of a low-profile gaiwan, like these:

https://s15.postimg.org/5mhpdrxwb/22009_Standard_Green_Ruyao_Gaiwan.jpg

I think they are such a beautiful shape. Great design. & never burn anything with them, those thin glass ones are sucky tho!

like this: $8 from ebay – i dont even know if its pro

https://s14.postimg.org/5ii5152k1/51yj_Uutve_AL_SL1000.jpg

I have a chinese supermarket but its not a good chinese community here really

AllanK said

While it can be fun to shop for tea at the local Chinese supermarket and they have a huge amount, I find the quality generally low unfortunately. My Asian market does not really carry any gongfu teaware but I have bought some teaware from them, bigger cups and the like. Once I found a very nice infuser mug for something like $9.

Rasseru said

Yeah I got two tea sets, one with really small tasting cups but I never use them, too small, and another with blue cups which I use every day, they are really nice, high-walled, quite big compared to my other gongfu cups but I really love the shape

TeaLife.HK said

Those tiny ones are classic gongfu cups, and ideal for oolongs

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I personally am a strong believer that tea tastes much better overall gongfu style. That being said, it could just be the care of slowing down and paying more attention to the tea that brings out the nuances. Later today I am going to do a blind tasting with my girlfriend and we will see if I notice the differences. :-)

Rasseru said

yes please do, and report back

Babble said

I’m curious to hear the results too!

mtchyg said

Ditto

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