New here and really need help!

[Proinsias]

I'll admit I skimmed the thread but a gaiwan and a kyusu should see you well, maybe a matcha bowl an whisk too.

[britt]

I just ordered a gaiwan and cup, and serving pitcher from DTH last night, so I'm all set with the Gaiwan, and I'll probably get more later on. I'm not really too crazy about the design on the one you showed here. I'm more of a minimalist/traditionalist I guess. Plain white, or very low key blue decoration is fine for me. Can't wait to show you all my setup when it arrives...now, to look for a tea tray

The design on that one is a bit unusual. I purchased it more for the suitability to brewing green teas than the visuals, although I do like the mask theme. Dehua porcelain is claimed by some to be ideal for greens and whites and after using it, I tend to agree.

Being a martial artist you probably recognized the design as being a Peking Opera mask. Peking Opera is where Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, etc. received their martial arts training. Very brutal training from what I've read, but even though I'm not a big Chan fan, I certainly admit he has great physical skills.

I just ordered this Taiwanese gaiwan travel set, which is more minimalist. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a sharing pitcher but the price for the set just dropped from $95 to $58 so I couldn't resist picking it up. The glass knob on the lid is a Chinese lion, although you can't see that in the picture. The saucer is lacquered wood, which is unusual. I ordered it because it's different but still simple, and the price was right.

[Tea4Todd]

I just ordered a gaiwan and cup, and serving pitcher from DTH last night, so I'm all set with the Gaiwan, and I'll probably get more later on. I'm not really too crazy about the design on the one you showed here. I'm more of a minimalist/traditionalist I guess. Plain white, or very low key blue decoration is fine for me. Can't wait to show you all my setup when it arrives...now, to look for a tea tray

The design on that one is a bit unusual. I purchased it more for the suitability to brewing green teas than the visuals, although I do like the mask theme. Dehua porcelain is claimed by some to be ideal for greens and whites and after using it, I tend to agree.

Being a martial artist you probably recognized the design as being a Peking Opera mask. Peking Opera is where Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, etc. received their martial arts training. Very brutal training from what I've read, but even though I'm not a big Chan fan, I certainly admit he has great physical skills.

I just ordered this Taiwanese gaiwan travel set, which is more minimalist. Unfortunately it doesn't come with a sharing pitcher but the price for the set just dropped from $95 to $58 so I couldn't resist picking it up. The glass knob on the lid is a Chinese lion, although you can't see that in the picture. The saucer is lacquered wood, which is unusual. I ordered it because it's different but still simple, and the price was right.

I love Jackie Chan lol. He was incredible during the 80s and early 90s. I aspired to be like him at one point in life...needless to say, that never happened lol.

I like that Gaiwan set you showed me much more than the last, although I find the glass lion to be a tricky part to overcome for a new gaiwan user (such as myself) Also, 58 is still a bit steep for me, seeing as how I have seen some gaiwans for about 6.00 at DTH.

Eventually, I'll upgrade to the BMW of Chinese Tea brewing equipment, but right now, I need the Hyundai of tea brewing equipment lol.

[britt]

I like that Gaiwan set you showed me much more than the last, although I find the glass lion to be a tricky part to overcome for a new gaiwan user (such as myself)

For someone so new to tea you learn really quick. I completely neglected to consider how the glass lion could interfere with pouring using only one hand. It may be difficult keeping the lid in place with my thumb as there's no depression to give a good grip. Good point!

[the_economist]

on the other hand, the fantastically cool blue lion head might be a great incentive for people to train using the three finger method instead

[Tea4Todd]

I like that Gaiwan set you showed me much more than the last, although I find the glass lion to be a tricky part to overcome for a new gaiwan user (such as myself)

For someone so new to tea you learn really quick. I completely neglected to consider how the glass lion could interfere with pouring using only one hand. It may be difficult keeping the lid in place with my thumb as there's no depression to give a good grip. Good point!

Thanks for the compliment I've always been the type of person to do things 110% so I tend to get engrossed quickly because I absorb knew information at a rapid rate. However, there is a lot I still need to learn. For instance, I have no knowledge of Pu-er or proper Gong Fu technique yet. I'm still pretty amateur at everything, you all have helped a lot though. So I thank you for that. I'm sure you'll manage well even with the glass lion. I on the other hand have never used a gaiwan before so I'd be more than certain to mess that up with the lion there lol.

[Tea4Todd]

on the other hand, the fantastically cool blue lion head might be a great incentive for people to train using the three finger method instead

That's true the 3 finger method looks much more difficult. However, it looks a lot fancier and there is probably less chance of burning yourself using that method. You should try the 3 finger method Brit

[the_economist]

on the other hand, the fantastically cool blue lion head might be a great incentive for people to train using the three finger method instead

That's true the 3 finger method looks much more difficult. However, it looks a lot fancier and there is probably less chance of burning yourself using that method. You should try the 3 finger method Brit

i actually plunged straight into the 3 finger method (cos the first youtube gaiwan brewing video was of this cool lady from grandtea.com performing everyday brewing) and found it quite alright. But then i was blessed to have a pretty thin gaiwan starting out.

[brandon]

Once asked a man who collects teapots only > 100 yrs old.
"How do you pair your pots with tea? What makes the best teapot?"



He said teapots were beautiful, but usually, a gaiwan makes better tea.
Convinced him to switch to the pot this one time, but it is rare.

So of course I still collect and use Yixing, but I think the advice is very practical that a good gaiwan is very tough to beat.

[britt]

I on the other hand have never used a gaiwan before so I'd be more than certain to mess that up with the lion there lol.

At least you were wise enough to purchase a pitcher right from the beginning. I think this takes so much of the frustration out of the equation by reducing the spilling and overall messy experience so many of us have had with gaiwans. I'm starting to prefer gaiwans over clay in many, but not all, instances. Part of this is the consistent, unadulterated taste. The other part is due to how much easier it is to brew with a decent gaiwan (versus a poorly made one) that pours well, and a pitcher that acts as a target that's a lot easier to hit than those tiny gong fu cups.

[britt]

on the other hand, the fantastically cool blue lion head might be a great incentive for people to train using the three finger method instead

I'm actually fairly new to using a gaiwan myself. I've owned them for a while, but hardly ever used them until recently. I used a Taiwanese cheater gaiwan for green tea that has a spout and a filter since I would get too annoyed using a real gaiwan. What is the three finger method?

Currently I place my middle finger on the bottom of the gaiwan and my thumb on the knob on the lid when I pour into the pitcher. Does the three finger method place the thumb on the bottom and two fingers around the knob on the top?

[britt]

on the other hand, the fantastically cool blue lion head might be a great incentive for people to train using the three finger method instead

That's true the 3 finger method looks much more difficult. However, it looks a lot fancier and there is probably less chance of burning yourself using that method. You should try the 3 finger method Brit

Once I figure out what it is I'll give it a try. If it's that much more difficult maybe I'll first try it with a gaiwan I don't like just in case I drop it!

[britt]

Once asked a man who collects teapots only > 100 yrs old.
"How do you pair your pots with tea? What makes the best teapot?"

He said teapots were beautiful, but usually, a gaiwan makes better tea.
Convinced him to switch to the pot this one time, but it is rare.

So of course I still collect and use Yixing, but I think the advice is very practical that a good gaiwan is very tough to beat.

A good gaiwan is certainly easier to match to a good tea than many Yixings. I still use mostly Yixings for the very dark oolongs, but I admit the gaiwan has it's advantages and I'm using them more than I ever have before. The Yixings do have a certain charm to them, though, so I'll probably always use them for some tea types and I still check Jing Tea Shop everyday for new Yixing listings.

[Tea4Todd]

I on the other hand have never used a gaiwan before so I'd be more than certain to mess that up with the lion there lol.

At least you were wise enough to purchase a pitcher right from the beginning. I think this takes so much of the frustration out of the equation by reducing the spilling and overall messy experience so many of us have had with gaiwans. I'm starting to prefer gaiwans over clay in many, but not all, instances. Part of this is the consistent, unadulterated taste. The other part is due to how much easier it is to brew with a decent gaiwan (versus a poorly made one) that pours well, and a pitcher that acts as a target that's a lot easier to hit than those tiny gong fu cups.

Yeah, I also just thought the pitchers looked really cool and I like seeing the color of the tea in them. I'll see how I fair with using the Gaiwan, I make just practice with some hot water at the beginning to make sure I'm getting the right technique down lol. I am STILL iffy on how much actual leaf to put in the gaiwan?! My gaiwan is 3.4 oz and I use mainly rolled leaf oolongs. I also don't know how long my steepings should be.

Should I do 30.35.40.45 or 30.30.40.40.60? or shorter infusions of 10.20.30....it's all very confusing to me, there needs to be a set in stone rule that I can follow to produce the MAXIMUM results.

[Tea4Todd]

Once asked a man who collects teapots only > 100 yrs old.
"How do you pair your pots with tea? What makes the best teapot?"

He said teapots were beautiful, but usually, a gaiwan makes better tea.
Convinced him to switch to the pot this one time, but it is rare.

So of course I still collect and use Yixing, but I think the advice is very practical that a good gaiwan is very tough to beat.

A good gaiwan is certainly easier to match to a good tea than many Yixings. I still use mostly Yixings for the very dark oolongs, but I admit the gaiwan has it's advantages and I'm using them more than I ever have before. The Yixings do have a certain charm to them, though, so I'll probably always use them for some tea types and I still check Jing Tea Shop everyday for new Yixing listings.

I'll be getting a donated Chao Zhou pretty soon so it'll be my first experience with small clay teapots....it's 100ml in size, so it's not the tiniest, but it's tiny enough. I'll probably need a lot of help deciphering how much tea to water ratio I should be adding to that too.