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May 31st, '15, 12:36
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » May 31st, '15, 12:36

Finally had a quiet morning where I could take tea out on my balcony, and the lighting was just right for pictures. Ended up trying out new teaware with an old favorite--Oriental Beauty from Taiwanteacrafts.

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The gaiwan is by Hong Seong-Il, courtesy of Tead Off--and the first gaiwan I've ever actually owned. Normally I shy away from them for fear of scorched fingers and the fear of-horror of horrors--dropping a lid or worse. But this one was so beautiful I couldn't resist! My gaiwan-handling still isn't all that elegant, but it's very finely made, with just the right amount of lid-fit and lip on the cup.

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This is a cup found on a road trip up to the local tulip festival. Sadly, we saw no tulips--they were early this year, and all that was left was bare fields. But in a little art show off the beaten path in Rexville Grange, I found this lovely cup by Dinah Snapes Stevens. She had other work that was more eye-catching, but I really liked the the subtle colors in this one--it reminds me of walking along the water's edge on a beach.

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May 31st, '15, 13:07
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by debunix » May 31st, '15, 13:07

Nice setup there with some really lovely teawares.

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » Jun 2nd, '15, 12:43

debunix wrote:Nice setup there with some really lovely teawares.
Thank you--I'm definitely learning how much fun higher-end teaware is to use. My TAD has no end in sight, I fear ... :oops:

Jun 2nd, '15, 18:33
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by teagenesis » Jun 2nd, '15, 18:33

Small, thick, and portable, a smooth-coated ceramic gaiwan with no "earth" saucer.

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It has a convenience spout for minimal bubbling and trickling, and a courtesy filter in the rim of the lid.

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The curved rim stays cool at high temperatures, while the lid keeps the heat perfectly and effectively holds the tea, and it is wide enough for the leaves to expand.

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The design may or may not be Chinese. If it isn't, perhaps Japanese or Korean...?

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Jun 2nd, '15, 20:28
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by debunix » Jun 2nd, '15, 20:28

Looks very handy.

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by teagenesis » Jun 3rd, '15, 12:42

debunix wrote:Looks very handy.
Easy to take with you anywhere. Good for two people. It's very affordable, too, only like $15 or $20 (depends). For an outside/travel/medium serving size gaiwan, it's a great choice. They can be found from different sources and a few different patterns/colors.

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by teagenesis » Jun 3rd, '15, 12:42

debunix wrote:Looks very handy.
Easy to take with you anywhere. Good for two people. It's very affordable, too, only like $15 or $20 (depends). For an outside/travel/medium serving size gaiwan, it's a great choice. They can be found from different sources and a few different patterns/colors.

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Aug 21st, '15, 21:39
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » Aug 21st, '15, 21:39

It's been one heck of a week at work. Tea to the rescue--nothing like a nice evening with the Game of Thrones score, some yuchi wild black and my favorite treebark pot ...

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Aug 22nd, '15, 07:20
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by Drax » Aug 22nd, '15, 07:20

Beautiful stuff, HoD!

I picked up a couple tea items at a local store today, including this nice washi canister. It was only 400 yen, which means really about $3. Woo!

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » Aug 22nd, '15, 11:51

Oh wow--I'm jealous! That's a gorgeous tea tin. Sadly, the only washi tea tins I can find around here are anywhere from $10-20 each ...

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » Aug 25th, '15, 10:06

A bit belated, but this was my tea-Monday ... thought I'd try my hand at an action shot, but I don't think I've quite mastered the art of taking a picture and pouring all at the same time. :oops:

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For the curious, Hong Seong-il teapot, Reid Ozaki tea cup/mug, and darjeeling Gopaldhara. :)

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Aug 25th, '15, 11:11
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by debunix » Aug 25th, '15, 11:11

hopeofdawn wrote:For the curious, Hong Seong-il teapot, Reid Ozaki tea cup/mug, and darjeeling Gopaldhara. :)
Lovely pieces. And the plate?

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » Aug 25th, '15, 13:08

The plate is actually a vintage German jewelry/knicknack tray I got off Ebay. I'm not sure if it's actually hand-painted or not, but I loved the look of it. Plus it was the perfect size for a small, lightweight tea tray, which is definitely something I needed. :)

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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by debunix » Aug 25th, '15, 14:56

It was too lovely to not gets its own blurb, for sure.

The crackling on the Seong-Il pot is typical and wonderfully staining; wondering what the crackles on the snowflake cup will look like in time--imagining that they will be gorgeous!

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Aug 26th, '15, 10:19
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Re: NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

by hopeofdawn » Aug 26th, '15, 10:19

Oh definitely--I'm really looking forward to the changes. This is probably the most dramatic crackling of all my Seong-il ware--possibly because it's larger, so I tend to brew black tea in it more often. :)

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