I broke the bottom saucer of my glass gaiwan today. It slipped out of my fingers when I was drying it off and shattered all over my desk. Though the cup and lid are still fine, I have a feeling that I will be burning my fingers every time I try to use until I get a new one.
I am looking for a gaiwan that is a little heavier so it retains heat better for darker oolongs. Probably 100 to 150mL capacity. The one that is lacking a piece was about 140mL or so and I liked that size. Smaller would be okay, but nothing bigger than 5oz. I would also prefer something that was relatively cheap, roughly $15 maximum including shipping.
I've looked at a bunch of websites already and would like suggestions on where to look or if anyone knows of any gaiwan that would fit what I am looking for. Thanks in advance.
The saucers of my gaiwans aren't used at all, you don't need them for the "3 finger method" as long the tips of fingers and tip of gaiwan rim are touching you won't detect any heat from the porcelain.zacstill wrote:I agree with this.wyardley wrote:Save your money and practice the three finger on top method. : >
Unless you want a saucer for aesthetic reasons, it serves little purpose imo.
cinnamon kitty's gaiwan is glass though.. and glass does get ridiculously hot. i had a glass gaiwan. the 3 finger thing could still work.. but itd be a little different i think.orguz wrote: The saucers of my gaiwans aren't used at all, you don't need them for the "3 finger method" as long the tips of fingers and tip of gaiwan rim are touching you won't detect any heat from the porcelain.
personally i love the look and feel of a complete gaiwan set. I would order a new one. actually i did break my glass one and i did order a new one now that i think about it
You are right but porcelain gets hot tootrallis wrote:
cinnamon kitty's gaiwan is glass though.. and glass does get ridiculously hot. i had a glass gaiwan. the 3 finger thing could still work.. but itd be a little different i think.
personally i love the look and feel of a complete gaiwan set. I would order a new one. actually i did break my glass one and i did order a new one now that i think about it
going saucerless is because when pouring from kettle into gaiwan it gets a bit messy with spillage, so I might as well let it spill on my tea table instead of saucer, and having to pour excess out of gaiwan saucer again, too many steps! Then again each person prefers to make tea in their own fashion which pleases them.
Cinnamonkitty if you have access to an asian market or chinatown why not buy a dozen or so of cheaper gaiwans, since everyone that uses gaiwans surely sooner or later will break them, lid saucer or even the cup. I smashed mine the lip of my cup is chipped.
The gaiwan that I have is glass and it does get really really hot to touch. I purchased it from the one Asian store in the mall that was using it to display the tiny packets of loose leaf tea that they had so it was very cheap. I think it was one of two that they had and the remaining one was not there on my last visit to the store a few months ago. Sadly, I do not live anywhere near any other Asian markets or a Chinatown area. The one Asian market that I went to in Syracuse had a few yunomi but no gaiwans if I remember correctly.
What is the three finger method? I was using my thumb on the top knob and other fingers on the saucer to decant the tea. It kept me burning my fingers too much.
I've been looking at other gaiwan sets for a while in consideration that I would like a porcelain one at some point because as fun as it was to watch the leaves expand, the glass one that I have is not made too well. I also like the look of the full set for aesthetic reasons. Breaking a piece of my glass one simply gave me an excuse to look further for a new gaiwan. I would prefer it to be inexpensive since I can be a bit of a klutz some days.
What is the three finger method? I was using my thumb on the top knob and other fingers on the saucer to decant the tea. It kept me burning my fingers too much.
I've been looking at other gaiwan sets for a while in consideration that I would like a porcelain one at some point because as fun as it was to watch the leaves expand, the glass one that I have is not made too well. I also like the look of the full set for aesthetic reasons. Breaking a piece of my glass one simply gave me an excuse to look further for a new gaiwan. I would prefer it to be inexpensive since I can be a bit of a klutz some days.
Basically the three finger method (the only way I can use a gaiwan without getting tea all over the table) is grasping the very top edge of the gaiwan with your thumb and middle finger and holding the lid open with your index finger. In my case I then decant the gaiwan into the cup by tipping it directly away from me while maintaining the same grip with the three fingers at all times. At first it can be scary because you think you'll drop the gaiwan, but once I practiced it I could practically do it blindfolded.Cinnamon Kitty wrote: What is the three finger method? I was using my thumb on the top knob and other fingers on the saucer to decant the tea. It kept me burning my fingers too much.
Life is like a cup of tea, savor it slowly or it will be gone too fast
In addition to what others have said, the trick to not burning your fingers is to minimize the surface area of the actual points of contact between your thumb and middle finger and the gaiwan. It can hurt a little sometimes with thicker / heavier gaiwans, whether they're glass or porcelain. The most comfortable ones for me are the ones that have a pretty flared lip.
I almost always leave the saucer in my closet. For one thing, I like to fill the gaiwan a little too full, then tip off the extra water after putting the lid on, by pushing the gaiwan slightly forward.
I almost always leave the saucer in my closet. For one thing, I like to fill the gaiwan a little too full, then tip off the extra water after putting the lid on, by pushing the gaiwan slightly forward.
Most glass gaiwans are poorly designed, they usually have a hollow top knob, which means when you decant the nob gets horribly hot as it fills with boiling water. I recentlyfound a well designed glass gaiwan at Hou De, especially for the thumb on top, fingers under the saucer technique that I use. The Hou De glass gaiwan is the first I've seen or used that I think is well designed. Their plain white gaiwan also looks well designed, does anyone have it? I have the 'good china' one from puerhshop and like it a lot (unfortunately it isn't for sale there right now).
The three finger saucerless method really doesn't work at all for me. Thumb on top all the way!
The three finger saucerless method really doesn't work at all for me. Thumb on top all the way!