TeaChat

chip wrote:...unless you have money to burn...and want to buy a yixing for every oolong that comes down the pike...a gaiwan or for that matter any glazed brewing vessel will be much more useful.

Once you settle into a few favorite oolongs, then invest in some yixing that you can dedicate to individual oolong.

Discover with gaiwan...dedicate with yixing.

well.you don't really need to "invest" in anything if you can get from the right source.

Oolongaddict wrote: ...You don't need a Yixing pot manufactured by blind Buddhist monks in order to enjoy oolongs. ...

Of course you do.

I do like my Yixing pots (which I use pretty much indiscriminately for most any kind of tea), primarily because they're the right size for my habits (350-400 ml mug o' tea).

But (having made the mistake once), I wouldn't t use Yixing for Lapsang Souchong, Jasmine or Earl Grey (the latter two of which I only make for company, and only if they ask). The aroma will indeed linger, and those puppies are not subtle.

- Richard

I didn't read the post before I responded to the questions, my vote would actually be for gaiwan rather than yixing. Since you are just entering the world of oolongs, you should taste many different varieties. With a yixing though, you should only use 1 variety.

Also, you can get a good gaiwan for 10-15 dollars, while a good yixing will cost 60 plus dollars.

Gaiwan.


On the price of yixing pot.... my current favorite for green oolongs cost me 12 bucks on yunnan sourcing's ebay store. I have more expensive ones but that one tastes the best hands down. btw, I also don't listen to 'experts' or do things 'the right way'. I find I have more fun and brew tastier tea that way..

I would vote for Gaiwan. In China, tea houses usually use Yixing tea pot to brew specific kind of tea, most of time it is Ti Kwan Yin. They even soak the tea pot in tea leaves/liquid when the pots are not used. But because Yixing tea pot keep the taste very well, it is best used for one kind of oolong.

Gaiwan, on the other hand, doesn't have lingering taste and it is easy to clean. It is also best for comparing different grades of oolongs. Don't forget to smell the lid when you are brewing the tea. You will find the lid somehow has the best aroma from the tea. It is through the Gaiwan lid that people compare the smell of Ti Kwan Yin.

I like the white Gaiwan most, because it presents the most orignal color of tea liquid.

I agree get a gaiwan for now and if there is a tea that you find that you really like over the long term then consider buying a yixing pot or a yixing gaiwan for it. Also keep in mind that tea tastes evolve with time so what you might like this year might not be that high on your list within a year, especially during your first few years of serious tea drinking.

Thanks again everyone for the input.

I did buy a gaiwan, and I bought a real cheap one in case I dropped it or something. I love it, love it. I respect and admire the simplicity of it. Now I am going to buy another, better gaiwan, and I will probably buy a yixing this summer for dong ding, as it has become by far my favorite oolong.