Dragon Celadon Gaiwan, TeaDragon
Posted: Aug 9th, '10, 18:10
Review of the dragon celadon gaiwan, available at the Imperial Tea Palace as well as Puritea Lounge.
I recently received this gaiwan as a thank-you gift from a coworker, and by far this is now my favorite gaiwan!
First, the celadon makes the full-bodied dragon on the gaiwan stand out in a dramatic yet subtle fashion. The dragon wraps around the entire cup. There is a single indigo blue stripe on the inside of the cup. The lid has a formation of clouds, and the saucer has a formation of frothing waves. Overall impression is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
Hand-feel is fantastic. This is a HEAVY gaiwan due to the thick walls, unlike the other thinner gaiwans in my collection. You're not afraid it will break in your hands, and it almost encourages you to cup your hands around it. Add to this the silky feel of the celadon finish, and you find yourself absentmindedly petting the cup while you're drinking.
Since the walls are so thick, you can really take advantage of this to either rapidly cool down boiling tea, or keep hot tea hot for longer. I like to fill the dragon celadon with hot water and let it heat the cup while I brew my tea in another thinner walled gaiwan. Then, dump out the hot water and pour your tea from the brewing gaiwan into the celadon, and you have a lovely cup of tea that not only looks gorgeous but stays hot for a good long time.
My only complaint about this gaiwan is that the lid does not fit as well as expected. The lid wants to sit slightly off kilter, and there is a small gap present no matter how you rotate or center the lid in the cup.
Definitely a gorgeous gift for any dragon/gaiwan fans; I'll be trying very hard to keep my klutziness away from this one!
I recently received this gaiwan as a thank-you gift from a coworker, and by far this is now my favorite gaiwan!
First, the celadon makes the full-bodied dragon on the gaiwan stand out in a dramatic yet subtle fashion. The dragon wraps around the entire cup. There is a single indigo blue stripe on the inside of the cup. The lid has a formation of clouds, and the saucer has a formation of frothing waves. Overall impression is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!
Hand-feel is fantastic. This is a HEAVY gaiwan due to the thick walls, unlike the other thinner gaiwans in my collection. You're not afraid it will break in your hands, and it almost encourages you to cup your hands around it. Add to this the silky feel of the celadon finish, and you find yourself absentmindedly petting the cup while you're drinking.
Since the walls are so thick, you can really take advantage of this to either rapidly cool down boiling tea, or keep hot tea hot for longer. I like to fill the dragon celadon with hot water and let it heat the cup while I brew my tea in another thinner walled gaiwan. Then, dump out the hot water and pour your tea from the brewing gaiwan into the celadon, and you have a lovely cup of tea that not only looks gorgeous but stays hot for a good long time.
My only complaint about this gaiwan is that the lid does not fit as well as expected. The lid wants to sit slightly off kilter, and there is a small gap present no matter how you rotate or center the lid in the cup.
Definitely a gorgeous gift for any dragon/gaiwan fans; I'll be trying very hard to keep my klutziness away from this one!