Need a gaiwan

[wyardley]

Ideally I’d like the RBT gaiwans to be either bigger for drinking out of or a lot smaller for gongfuing, but I really like their quality and aesthetics. If you say they’re decent – I’m really curious what gaiwans you consider to be nicer

The ones I use most are Tea Gallery ones (RIP) or ones from Best Teahouse. Thin with a wide flare is what I prefer.

A couple of mine from the Teachat Gaiwan photo contest:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=91480#p91480

[thirst]

Had a feeling you’d mention the mythical Tea Gallery gaiwan lol. Too bad it’s off the market. That first one looks quite nice though it’s always a bit hard to tell from pictures alone – are the first and the second the same only differently painted? I prefer it when the cup is more securely nestled in the saucer.

If OP should want to try a small gaiwan there’s still the Feng Qing Tang mini celadon gaiwan that you can get from Dragon Tea House or Stéphane, maybe there are also US vendors that sell it. Wouldn’t describe it as having ample flare but it’s not really a problem if you use two hands. It’s advertised as holding 50 ml but I think it’s more like between 60 and 70 ml. Dragon Tea House also sells a small white »50 ml« gaiwan but it looks and feels a bit cheap.

Also Shawn McGuire of Greenwood Studio in the US currently has gaiwans that are advertised as holding 50 and 100 ml.

[William]

I am currently using the 130 ml traditional shape from http://hojotea.com/item_e/available.htm.

I really like it, thinner and lighter in weight than the typical gaiwan sold by many sellers!

PS. The volume looks more like 110/120 ml.

[impromptuandy]

Since no one mentioned them -- Postcard Teas sells a couple of nice gaiwans (100 and 150ml). Ships from London though. I don't have one, but I have a cup from the same maker, and it's very well made porcelain. There's a review of the 150ml one, with additional pictures, on the review board.

But since OP's in the States, my vote's for Red Blossom. I almost always use clay pots now, but if I'm using a gaiwan, their Spring model is my go-to, just because it's very easy to handle.

[shudaizi]

Ideally I’d like the RBT gaiwans to be either bigger for drinking out of or a lot smaller for gongfuing, but I really like their quality and aesthetics. If you say they’re decent – I’m really curious what gaiwans you consider to be nicer

The ones I use most are Tea Gallery ones (RIP) or ones from Best Teahouse. Thin with a wide flare is what I prefer.

A couple of mine from the Teachat Gaiwan photo contest:
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p=91480#p91480

Best Teahouse seems to have none listed online for the last several months. Do you know if they respond to email requests?

[wyardley]

Best Teahouse seems to have none listed online for the last several months. Do you know if they respond to email requests?

Are you talking about the Canada branch or HK? I haven't ordered from either for a long time, but you could try calling the Canada branch on the phone, or talk to Linda at Bana Tea and see if she can special order one.

The two I have are at the bottom of:
http://www.besttea.com.hk/tea_ware_2.htm

[shudaizi]

Best Teahouse seems to have none listed online for the last several months. Do you know if they respond to email requests?

Are you talking about the Canada branch or HK? I haven't ordered from either for a long time, but you could try calling the Canada branch on the phone, or talk to Linda at Bana Tea and see if she can special order one.

The two I have are at the bottom of:
http://www.besttea.com.hk/tea_ware_2.htm

Thanks for the link and suggestions! I guess I was on the Canada site as I didn't even know there was a .hk specific domain. Oops! I was primarily interested in seeing a photo since the whole category was empty on the Canada site. Thanks again!

[wyardley]

Thanks for the link and suggestions! I guess I was on the Canada site as I didn't even know there was a .hk specific domain. Oops! I was primarily interested in seeing a photo since the whole category was empty on the Canada site. Thanks again!

Best Tea Online is the shop for the Richmond (Vancouver area) branch; I don't think HK shop has online shopping. IIRC, the proprietor is Vesper Chan's brother-in-law. Despite having an online shop, phone is probably the best way to get in touch. I haven't bought anything there for ages, but I think they will be willing to email you pictures. They have some older style gaiwans as well, or at least used to.

[shudaizi]

Thanks for the link and suggestions! I guess I was on the Canada site as I didn't even know there was a .hk specific domain. Oops! I was primarily interested in seeing a photo since the whole category was empty on the Canada site. Thanks again!

Best Tea Online is the shop for the Richmond (Vancouver area) branch; I don't think HK shop has online shopping. IIRC, the proprietor is Vesper Chan's brother-in-law. Despite having an online shop, phone is probably the best way to get in touch. I haven't bought anything there for ages, but I think they will be willing to email you pictures. They have some older style gaiwans as well, or at least used to.

Thanks for all the info. BTW, your plum/cherry branch and the abstract(?) gaiwans (entry #2 and #3) in the photo contest are fabulous -- really lovely (drool-worthy) teaware!

[wyardley]

Thanks for all the info. BTW, your plum/cherry branch and the abstract(?) gaiwans (entry #2 and #3) in the photo contest are fabulous -- really lovely (drool-worthy) teaware!

Thank you! The more abstract pattern one was from Tianshan tea city in Shanghai back in 2007; probably less than $5 US at the time, and not super high quality construction, but nice looking.

I think originally they were purchased for the tea ceremony in my wife's cousin's wedding.

[wyardley]

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[Puerlife]

This is my favorite gaiwan, chip and all. It has lots of flare so it's easy to pick up even when I fill it all the way so I can use the lid like a suction cup to pump the water into the leaves. Even better, it's has a low height so that when I turn the lid vertical it almost scrapes the bottom so it's good for moving the tea leaves around. And the material feels so good. Sorry about the grainy photo; for a better look go to W2T. That's where I got it. Great price, too.