Italian Infuser Mugs VS Gaiwan

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I have four infuser mugs, two 8oz ceramic ones for my husband and I seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77346789@N06/6930222813 and here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/77346789@N06/6784107200

We don’t use them for brewing, just drinking, I think they are just too narrow to get any good movement with the leaves and the other ceramic one I have doesn’t have a lid (all three I got from work for free as lids got dropped but I was able to replace the one broken one from the pair when it’s partner got dropped later).

However I do have a glass infuser mug from a Teavana gift set on clearance. It has a glass strainer with slits on the bottom and I use that for nearly all my whites and greens whether I’m brewing western or gongfu style, I simply double the leaf and pour half the amount of water.

I’m on the hunt for a gaiwan, as the one I got for mother’s day cracked. I’m being picky and thinking about a set with pitcher, strainer and cups, but I could piece it together later too. I’ve looked at glass, porcelain, bone china and celadon. Anyone have any thoughts on the “easy style” gaiwan that have holes toward the “spout”? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ru-Kiln-Moon-White-Celadon-Gaiwan-140ml-4-73-fl-oz-CFG-/230608068315?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b14fdedb#ht_7352wt_1037
Obviously less expensive ones can be acquired.

Nice mugs (it looks like the bottom part of the handle on the second one doesn’t quite meet the side of the mug? Interesting).

That gaiwan on e-bay is very stylish (but yeah, very steep on the pricetag, too). Too bad the one you got for mother’s day cracked. : (

LiberTEAS showed me this gaiwan in a previous thread, but I don’t know if it’s what you are looking for (the holes are in the ‘lid’) http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/product.php?id_product=128 If I ever buy some tea from them I’ll probably add one of these to my shipment.

Thanks, and good luck!

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erik_s said

I’ve had a few infuser mugs and this one has worked the best.
http://i179.photobucket.com/albums/w309/buddha614/IMG_2587.jpg
It has many more smaller holes in it than the others I have bought, and I think that makes the difference. Like a few people already said, tea leaves can make it through the big holes. I picked this one up in China so it might be hard to find something similar, but it might be worth trying find one.

Thanks! Interesting image on the cup itself; I can’t tell exactly what it is. Yeah, from the ones I’ve looked at, that is a ton of holes on the strainer.

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