Gaiwan vs Tasting Set

[JRS22]

I've been reading the different postings on gaiwans, and I understand that sometimes people drink directly from the gaiwan, and sometimes they brew the tea in the gaiwan and then pour it into a teacup. I recently purchased 2 tasting sets from Adagio. They're porcelain, the sets include plain white teacups and it's also very easy to decant tea from the tea pitcher into the cups with a minimum of leaves. Right now I use them for brewing 2 teas for simultaneous comparison - as with the OTTIs. But I could also see collecting more sets to use when I'm serving tea to company, or just for everyday use for Chinese teas (greens, whites, yellows).

So I'm curious to know what the advantage is of buying a gaiwan rather than a tasting set if I'm planning to drink the tea from the cup rather than the brewing vessel. Keep in mind that I'm trying not to make buying teaware a hobby, since one of my hobbies is taking pottery classes and making my own teaware.

[debunix]

Functionally, a gaiwan has an infinitely variable filter size based on how far you tilt the lid as you pour. And it can be a lot smaller than the tasting set, useful for tasting teas through many infusions if yol be doing those on your own.

That said, those tasting sets look both gorgeous and highly functional for a but a very few situations where the gaiwans would have a small advantage. So unless you find yourself wishing for more controlnstraiming fine teas, or feeling bladder overladen from solo tasting some long-lived puerhs, probably no reason to go for gaiwans now.

[Chip]

I have both and find my personal inclination is to reach for the gaiwan unless doing direct comparisons simultaneously.

But the sets are nice for what they are. Gaiwan are just better IMHO.

[JRS22]

So I've been reading through a lot of threads here about gaiwans and there's much discussion about the frequency with which they break. Are there characteristics to look for in a gaiwan that promote longevity?

I'm planning to buy additional tasting sets because I'd like to have more simple cups for when I have company, and also because I can put them in the dishwasher. They're much more slippery than my kyusu and goblets, perhaps because porcelain is slick to begin with and there's no handle, so the cups especially will be better off in the dishwasher.

Is the slipperiness why so many gaiwans seem to break, or is there something else I should know to look for when shopping? There are so many pretty gaiwans out there, and I look at the selection every time I shop for chinese tea. It's just a matter of time before I fall in love.

[debunix]

I think I break gaiwans fairly frequently because I have a lot of them, use them a lot, and am clumsy. I have also broken quite a few teapots, before I started using the gaiwans more. I generally break them one piece at a time, not by losing control of the filled, covered, gaiwan + lid +/- base.

But mine are relatively thin porcelain, so more likely to shatter than some of the heavier ceramic pots.

[Tead Off]

Enter the plastic gaiwan. Unbreakable even in the hands of the clumsiest tea master.

[JRS22]

Enter the plastic gaiwan. Unbreakable even in the hands of the clumsiest tea master.

Around here proposing plastic teaware opens up a can of worms about the impact, generally considered to be negative, of plastic on tea. I avoid those discussions.

I'm doing well with my tasting sets and have resolved, at least for the moment, to consider only the less expensive gaiwans. My rule of thumb when shopping for a kyusu was to set a price cap at the point below where I would be VERY upset if I broke the pot. Given that the odds of breaking a gaiwan appear to be higher than the odds of breaking a kyusu, I've set the gaiwan price cap lower. That eliminates the sapphire blue crystal glaze easy gaiwan that Teaspring sells - but leaves me more money for tea!

[debunix]

My rule of thumb when shopping for a kyusu was to set a price cap at the point below where I would be VERY upset if I broke the pot.

I applied the same philosophy to all of my teawares, and have compromised with plastic in a few cases where breakage is a more significant problem (carpeted office where I do not have access to the vacuum, for example.....).

I waited a long time before paying more than $20 for a teapot, until I was pretty sure I'd worked out how to avoid the major causes of breaks.


Funny thing, though, is that in that time, I've become so fond of my cheap little gaiwans that I use them more than the couple of nicer pots that I do now own.

[Tead Off]

Enter the plastic gaiwan. Unbreakable even in the hands of the clumsiest tea master.

Around here proposing plastic teaware opens up a can of worms about the impact, generally considered to be negative, of plastic on tea. I avoid those discussions.

I'm doing well with my tasting sets and have resolved, at least for the moment, to consider only the less expensive gaiwans. My rule of thumb when shopping for a kyusu was to set a price cap at the point below where I would be VERY upset if I broke the pot. Given that the odds of breaking a gaiwan appear to be higher than the odds of breaking a kyusu, I've set the gaiwan price cap lower. That eliminates the sapphire blue crystal glaze easy gaiwan that Teaspring sells - but leaves me more money for tea!

What?! No plastic in your collection? Have you done any taste comparisons?

[JRS22]

What?! No plastic in your collection? Have you done any taste comparisons?

I'm so wrong to make negative assumptions about plastic when I have the ideal opportunity to do a comparison. I wanted to try brewing chinese greens in a glass - so regular glass in one hand - antique Tupperware water glass in the other hand....