Gaiwan Review:
Feng Qing Tang Mini Celadon Gaiwan
Well, I’ve had this for a while and wanted to share my experience with it.
Capacity: about 50 ml to where the flare (probably wrong terminology) starts
Good:
- Nothing off, aesthetically
- Small size, if you are looking for this; there seem to be few other gaiwans this small, and even fewer or none that are part of a matching set:
- Part of a larger, complete set, of which all items can be purchased individually and of which all look good (if you find a pure white gaiwan, you probably don’t need it to be part of a matching set, though good luck identifying from online pictures if something is pure white)
- Very easy to identify and therefore source (all of the items have Feng Qing written at their base in Chinese); for example, both Dragon Tea House and Stéphane sell them
Bad:
- The handle on the lid is a bit too short, which makes it slightly awkward to grasp, in my opinion
- The cup could use more flare
- I have the feeling that another of my gaiwans pours faster, but I could be mistaken
Depending on your taste:
- Unusual saucer shape
- The color (were you looking for celadon or just a small gaiwan in general?)
Notes:
I can’t say much about the thickness of the gaiwan’s porcelain, because I have never had a gaiwan with thinner porcelain. I have had gaiwans with thicker porcelain, but they were also much larger; I haven’t had large gaiwans with thin porcelain. In any case, the porcelain seems reasonably thin.