Thinking about a new gaiwan.

[cnltc345]

The first gaiwan I bought was from DTH. The 150ml bone china one; it performs well, though, I think it is a little bit overpriced. I'm in search for a really nice gaiwan; I have been searching around and haven't seen a nice material/shape gaiwan that I like yet. Anyone have good experience with gaiwan?

[bonescwa]

Gaiwans are pretty much gaiwans, unless they're antique. People liked the one from the Tea Gallery a lot.

[cnltc345]

Gaiwans are pretty much gaiwans, unless they're antique. People liked the one from the Tea Gallery a lot.

I think the online store is down for further updates.

[debunix]

I have a number of gaiwans from different sources, and plenty of scorched fingers later, can say that for me, price doesn't seem to predict ease of use. I've had both fine artisan-made and mass produced versions with too little rim and handle for the lid, which led to scorched fingers, and cheap porcelain versions and fine artisan-made versions that are each lovely to use. My favorite 'fancy' gaiwan is this one from Shawn McGuire of Greenwood Studios. I don't see any gaiwans currently listed on his etsy, however.

[Bef]

Got the blue/green one from white2tea. Awesome fit and finish. Really nice texture as well (kind of silky / soft). Reminds me of Lin's Ceramic Studio products, same quality to my eyes, for maybe 15% of the price. Plus, it gets a better look with usage, instead of looking dirty like white gaiwans do. Feels solid as a tank, so it should last quite some time. A very nice and unique piece of teaware.

However it's thicker than most gaiwans, so I wouldn't use it for green teas. But for oolong, black and puerh, it's just perfect.

On the thin gaiwan side, I'm using the basic one that they are selling on TTC. Very nice gaiwan, good quality, but very different beast than the one from white2tea. Feels better than the other cheap, white porcelain gaiwan from China.

[futurebird]

I have a tiny one from greenwood too. It's nice for when I suddenly want sencha for some reason...

Oh might you want a reproduction of some old style? That can be a nice way to go.

[kyarazen]

Celadon / goat fat glaze...

Ultra thin sharp edge egg shell type. One each and you are good to go

[thirst]

Red Blossom Tea's Summer and Spring Gaiwans seem like they are one of the best white gaiwans around. Certainly the best I've handled in my limited experience. Pretty much everything about them is perfect IMHO. The cups sit very securely in the saucer. The lid doesn't have a hole on the inside. The knob is actually a variation of the older style (?), wherein the top is not flat and recessed, but hollow. But it's probably more useful than the older knobs because it's thinner and probably taller. They just feel like quality tea ware.

By the way, besides being taller and less wide, the Spring Gaiwan is noticeably thinner. Perhaps something to consider. I personally prefer the looks of the Summer Gaiwan, but, as strange as it may sound, I find the Spring Gaiwan goes very well with dress shirts .

They are comparatively highly white, green tea looks reeally nice in them. Given that it seems like a lot of porcelain that is advertised as white is actually beige you might have trouble finding matching tea ware, though. (I should have bought the matching cups at RBT. Shipping and import tax are kind of prohibitive for cups that are actually so cheap. But I guess I'll have to buy them anyway at some point because buying random cups and hoping they match and then settling on the original matching cups after all is probably not a good strategy.)

One last thing, if you're looking for a gaiwan that's not too big, don't fret, because these gaiwans are definitely NOT 6 oz. I was actually a bit disappointed because I ordered them for drinking, not as pots, and I think that if a gaiwan is too small the casualness of drinking out of is lost because you have to refill it too much and it's harder to drink out of, too.

(How big were regular historical gaiwans?)

[GreenwoodStudio]

I'm actually in the studio now doing a run of gaiwan. If your looking for anything in particular let me know while I've got my hands in the wet clay

[JRS22]

+I I have 2 small Greenwood gaiwans and they're everything Debunix says, plus, beautifully glazed. Definitely a great Gaiwan choice.

I have a number of gaiwans from different sources, and plenty of scorched fingers later, can say that for me, price doesn't seem to predict ease of use. I've had both fine artisan-made and mass produced versions with too little rim and handle for the lid, which led to scorched fingers, and cheap porcelain versions and fine artisan-made versions that are each lovely to use. My favorite 'fancy' gaiwan is this one from Shawn McGuire of Greenwood Studios. I don't see any gaiwans currently listed on his etsy, however.

[Mrs. Chip]

+1 on Shawn ' s gaiwans, we have let's say quite a few and they are awesome

[thirst]

Shawn, are you also making big gaiwans, like 200 ml?

[GreenwoodStudio]

Hi Thirst-

I will add a few larger ones in that size range to the list.

[thirst]

Uh! Nice.

I hope it’s not too presumptuous, but would you consider wide, deep saucers? For large gaiwans that you drink out of, I think it’s really useful to have a large gripping area and the ability to tilt the whole thing some 45 degrees or so without the cup falling out of the saucer.

Tall knobs are really useful too

[pedant]

my favorite gaiwan that i use all the time is this one from yunnan sourcing (available in two colors):

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/gaiwans/18 ... 150ml.html

http://yunnansourcing.com/en/gaiwans/21 ... 150ml.html

i like how it looks and functions. it's also hard to burn yourself.
you may or may not like how thick the gaiwan's material is.