Beginner gongfu style brewing equipment
I’ve been researching gongfu style brewing, and want to start doing this. However, I have no idea what to do when it comes to buying the necessary equipment. Do I buy a tray, pitcher, etc separately, or should I just try to find a decent beginners set?
Here are a few sets that I found.. can anyone speak to the quality of these?
http://www.chineseteaart.com/yi-xing-yi-xing-tea-set-p-78.html
http://www.enjoyingtea.com/stgoteaset.html
http://www.dragonteahouse.biz/accessories/tea-sets/traveller-s-bamboo-gongfu-yixing-clay-teaset-8-pcs.html
Or should I just buy a gongfu style teapot, a pitcher, and a tray separately? I do already have the tools (http://www.enjoyingtea.com/goteautv.html), small cups I can use, and one yixing teapot.
Any starting out advice would be greatly appreciated :). My budget for this is no more than $150..
just get a $10 gaiwan, that’s all you really need, plus a cup to drink it out of, and maybe a cheap pitcher if your drinking cup is smaller than the brewing vessel, but you can use anything for that. There’s no need to buy these huge expensive sets unless you’re planning on serving 10 people at once in a formal setting or want it for the aesthetic value.
I do actually kind of want it for the aesthetic value and also for the ritual of the longer/more extensive “brewing method”, pouring the water over the yixing while on top of the tray, etc. I already have and use a gaiwan. I guess I definitely don’t need a bunch of cups (I never make tea for any more than 4 people), but I would like a tray.. Thanks for your advice!
Double check the sizes of the gaiwans/ yixing/ teacups on those sets. Those sets, especially travelling sets can be teeeny! The Dragonhouse one you linked is 20ml cups, which is very small. I personally don’t go smaller than 30 to 50ml, but that could be personal taste.
I’ve been getting all my stuff separately. I feel I can go high quality on stuff I think should matter, like the pot and cups – stuff like pitchers/strainers can be pretty generic and you can cheap out on and spend like no more than $12 total.
For cups, I’ve been buying interesting ones in at least sets of 2 (though depends how many people you’d want to serve) – Verdant had some really nice cups http://verdanttea.com/teas/jingdezhen-red-lotus-tea-cup/, as well as mandala http://shopmandalatea.com/tea-wares/cups-mugs.html
You could also look out for yixing cups that match the yixing pot. Ebay has lots of great cups too.
I guess the part that would be the biggest shell out would be the tray and yixing.
Yunnan Sourcing has some really nice yixing pots http://yunnansourcing.com/
http://www.yunnansourcing.us/store/
as well as Mandala and Teavivre.
(I’m still looking for a tray myself)
Okay, I just bought a yixing pot off eBay for ~$16 including shipping. Is a teapot that cheap going to poison me? heh.
hahahaha, it might be okay. Hopefully it’s not glazed or super small of a pot. High chance it’ll be machine made, if that matters.
The ones from Dragon teahouse and enjoying tea websites are glazed on the interior of the the cups. The size is small on the traveler’s set. Here is a link to a “real” yixing from a trusted seller http://www.ebay.com/itm/Handmade-Yixing-Sub-Rule-Stone-Scoop-Zisha-Teapot-250ml-8-4-fl-oz-Free-Shipping-/321028940319?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4abed0e21f and a link for the accessories http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chinese-Cha-Dao-Kungfu-Tea-Sets-6-Pieces-TP042-Bamboo-Teawares-/181047131433?pt=UK_PotteryPorcelain_Glass_PotteryPorcelain_China_SM&hash=item2a273ffd29. Both are trusted sellers and have good tea ware good products and exceptional customer service. Tell them that I (John) sent you and I do not think you will have any problems with either one. If you need any help let me know. I have some good contacts over there. If you follow me on this site I can message you with details on these items. you can check my cupboard for references on some of their items if you wish.
Thank you! I’ve been interested in getting some gongfu brewing equipment because I’m now convinced that tea tastes better when it is brewed that way. I’m looking for a basic gaiwan, maybe 2-4 cups, a fairness cup, and a tea tray. Hopefully, it won’t be too expensive. Stupid question, but when you’re brewing gongfu style, are you doing anything else? Or are you just focused on brewing and enjoying tea in that moment?
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