What kind of cup or mug do you use?

[joelbct]

Just interested, what material? I like white china teacups, but the tea looks good in glass cups... Is there a taste difference? I seem to notice a slight taste difference with glass teacups...

[Wesli]

Some not-great clay with white/clear glazy. I seem to notice a taste difference in everything. From one cup to another, I notice a wide variance. To me, glass seems to preserve the flavor profile, while other clay-made cups actually lend a hand in creating the flavor of the tea. You may think glass is better because it doesn't interfere, but I beg to differ.

[joelbct]

Indeed, it seems earthenware imparts some kind of a tempering property upon the tea...

Which isn't necessarily a bad thing...

[Space Samurai]

I like cha wan's mostly, tasting cups for gong fu. Personally, I don't much care for glass.

[Chip]

I have used the same cheap Japanese white porcelain 90 ml cups since I started drinking good tea 8 years ago. I bought them from of all places, Stash. They are just so friendly, approachable, and feel right in my hands. Just the perfect size.

Hell, I even drink my Chinese tea from them. How can I justify this when I preach same country tea/teaware in the Fukugata thread. I have no justification for this except they are so generic, that for all I know they were made in China anyway. When I think how many times I have used them, I am astounded they still look brand new.

[TheSteamyPot]

Does anyone know where I can get a 180ml Gaiwan set that comes with the cups and sharing pitcher? I can't seem to find a set anywhere.

[Sydney]

As un-fancy as it may be, I almost always drink my tea from a coffee cup. They're readily available and get the job done.

[CynTEAa]

For my everyday tea consumption, must admit i also go for 'un-fancy' vessels -- the All-American Diner Mugs. The heavy duty ceramic preserves the heat as long as possible and as clumsy as I can be, I haven't broken any of them (yet).


When i cup something special, i like to use one of the fine white porcelain cups from my tea tasting set.

[Wesli]

TheSteamyPot, take a look at Dragon Tea House (ebay store). They have lots of sets that sound like what you're looking for.

[TheSteamyPot]

Thanks, they do have the Gaiwans in the size that I want but I want matching cups and a sharing pitcher. Rishi Tea has one but it only comes with one cup and I have to buy the sharing pitcher seperatly and the bad part is that they don't seem to offer the matching cups seperatly. I emailed them but have not gotten a response to as if they carry the separate cups.

[Mary R]

A full, matching set is sort of hard to come by, particularly in the US. You might have better luck buying separate pieces that are all white, or perhaps getting a gaiwan you really like, but white cups and pitcher? If it's any consolation, it appears that the thing to do is to find a set of matching cups. Often times, any brewing vessel will go with them, and the pitchers tend to be a generic white or even a glass.

If the matching is important, I did find some sets.

Yunnan Sourcing has a few selections of a gaiwan, pitcher, and various numbers of matching cups. If the link defaults back to the YS home page, look under their "Ceramic Tea Sets" section. I don't believe any is 180ml, but a couple are 100.

In Pursuit of Tea currently has a larger-capacity set, but it's $70 and has a floral pattern...which I'm not crazy about.
Dragon Tea House DOES have a full set (complete with matching filter) in a goldfish motif, which I rather like. I'm not sure what the capacity is, though.

Imperial Tea Court also has a set called "Imperial Yellow Tea Set" that comes with a small pot. It's advantage is that it also has an aroma cup as well as a drinking cup, which can be useful. In their gaiwan section, they also offer a matching gaiwan. The two would run over $160, though.

You might also find similar pieces in different stores. This cup set from Imperial, for instance, goes nicely with this gaiwan and this fair cup from Dragon.

[hop_goblin]

My cups always have to be porceline and Celedon. Just feels right this way!

[TheSteamyPot]

Thanks for all the wonderful info Mary!

I am planning on getting this set from Dragon Tea House I am also going to get the Waste Water Bucket to go with it. Then I can make my tea all gong fu style.