Gong fu set?

[s(tea)ven]

I just went to the local tea shop today and did the tea tasting. It was the first time I had seen tea prepared gong fu method in person, although I have seen many videos of it. It's something I've been wanting to get and I'd like to know if you know of good places to get a good set (using a Gaiwan). Do they come in sets? I asked the guy at the store and they said they don't sell them and you usually have to order it online. Also, how much does a decent setup cost?

[Oni]

I recomend ww.yunnansourcing.com , and Dragon teahouse, you can buy whole porcelain gaiwan sets, everything you need you can find on these two sites. There is one thing that everybody seems to omit when performing gongfu tea, even in asia nowdays people do not pay attention to the kettle, it is not same how you heat water for tea, and integral part of the ceremony is the kettle, probably the most important, after that come all the other utensils.

[wyardley]

Like with most things (e.g., knives, pots / pans, etc.) a "set" is usually not what you want.

You can get a set which will have most of the porcelain stuff you need (drinking cups, gaiwan, fair cup), but there's no real benefit to getting a set vs. getting items individually as you need them, unless you are really OCD about things matching perfectly. For the most part, the sets you'll find are not great quality. If you are getting a tea tray, tea boat, wood tea tools (tweezer, spout-digger, etc.), I'd recommend getting that stuff separately, and only when you decide you actually need it.

Get some tasting cups and a gaiwan (and fair cup if you like) from a good source (Tea Gallery, Jing, Hou De come to mind, in no particular order). Start with a couple of items and see what you like. This way you'll develop a sense for what you like and what your needs are before you acquire too much stuff.

All that said, I do like this set (from a local shop in LA). It's not super cheap, but it's pretty well done. The gaiwan lid could be a little more flared, and the porcelain could be a touch thinner, but it's all fairly functional. But for roughly the same price, you could buy most of the same stuff separately.

[s(tea)ven]

Thank you for the suggestions and info about all this stuff. I was planning on just using a hot water dispenser to fill the gaiwan. Is a kettle/pot necessary when using a gaiwan?

[betta]

If you're going to buy a set once and not planning to buy anymore in the future, I would suggest to buy directly a good quality teaset. There're various degree of completeness dependent on your wish and necessity.
Chinese kungfu tea art storemight be interesting to look for selections of affordable to higher end teasets.
I myself got one complete set and very happy with it and thus not going to buy teaset anymore in the future. There're numerous online vendors available to look for, like other members here mentioned above.

[debunix]

LA is a relatively easy day trip from San Diego, and Wing Hop Fung has an abundance of teaware and supplies that are quite inexpensive to get you started. And of course, they have an amazing array of teas to use with your new teaware.

If you come up here from time to time I'd plan on making a stop.

One problem I've noticed with the gongfu sets is that the cups are generally quite small in relation to the gaiwan and fair cup, so not so practical unless you're sharing each infusion with several people. So I have a nice set of gaiwan & matching pitcher, and cute tiny cups that never get used, and bought a separate tasting cups for gong fu & comparative tasting sessions.

[s(tea)ven]

So I went to a new (to me) shop that is fairly local called Halcyon Tea. While I was there I picked up a gaiwan, 2 tasting cups, fair cup, cone filter, and a regular tea cup all for about $40. The prices weren't bad at all, and I like buying locally better than doing it online where I can't see the products. I still need to get a bamboo tray. They had one there but it was a small one and was pretty pricey ($45) so I figured I'd try and get one online. Any suggestions?

[AdamMY]

Many people swear by the one offered by Andao Tea, though last time I checked(several months ago) it was sold out. Its a decent size and relatively inexpensive, though solid construction.

[s(tea)ven]

I got the tray today! Well, it was an early birthday present. So now I have all the necessary stuff to make the tea. It is a small tray and was $45. I got it from the local tea shop. I also got 1 oz of Grand Shou 1997 Yunnan pu'erh that I tried in the shop yesterday. Here are some pictures.

[blairswhitaker]

looks as though you stopped by halcyon, I am addicted to the grand shou. You should check out the friday tea tasting events, it's a great way to learn and meet more tea heads.

[s(tea)ven]

^I was just there yesterday for 5:00 Friday! Do you stop by there often? I just discovered Halcyon a couple weeks ago. I really like it there and James is very nice.

Do you ever to go Infusions of Tea?

[Victoria]

Wow, very nice, looks like you are all set!

[elf_man]

I've gone by Infusions of Tea. Rather over priced.

[IPT]

That's a nice looking beginners set. It'll serve you very well. Soon the collecting bug will infect you and you'll have more pieces than you know what to do with. At least that's my problem. Enjoy your new teaware!