difference in taste with gaiwan?

[cha cha cha]

I'm thinking about purchasing a gaiwan, and other accessories, to spice up my tea life. But before I do, I'd like to know if tea from the gaiwan tastes noticeably different/better than tea from the IngenuiTEA.

[zacstill]

I don't own an ingenuitea but I had a bodum teapress and tea in my opinion tea tastes better in a gaiwan. I actually gave my teapress away two days ago because I don't think I could go back to brewing western style. Gaiwans are simple, easy, and make a good cup of tea. That's my experience with greens,whites, and lighter oolongs. I havent used a gaiwan to make black tea.

It's got to do with the leaf/water ratio and infusion time. Gaiwans also give you a heck of a lot more control. Make sure your gaiwan isn't too big. (I wouldn't go over 300ml)

We made some tea with the bodum press at my friends house and she asked how it was. I said
"as good as it can be given the circumstances (meaning we don't have a gaiwan)."
She asked "what does that mean?"
I said "it means I'm a snob."

I'm afraid it may be true

[Carnelian]

In addition to agreeing with all the benefits zacstill mentioned, making tea in a gaiwan encourages smaller quantities which gives you fresher tea and makes multiple infusions practical, and that makes tea tastier in my opinion. I do however keep my ingenuiteas around for the sole sake of black tea, which I prefer in big quantities.

One non-taste benefit is that all of the design aspects of gaiwans that make them friendly to tea (shallow and wide bowl design, smooth interiors, etc) make them the easiest things in the world to clean tea leaves out of, especially if you are used to cleaning leaves off of the mesh filter in the bottom of the tall and narrow ingenuitea

[Maitre_Tea]

Using gaiwan too is a way to practice gong fu cha techniques. Using a gaiwan to try out different teas will also produce better tasting notes, because you can detect subtle nuances in each steeping.

[inspectoring]

hmm...untill now I had completely ignored this method... i thought that the tokoname were the way to go.....are these just as good for sencha and gyokuro?

[Salsero]

.....are these just as good for sencha and gyokuro?

I say no.

[trallis]

hmm...untill now I had completely ignored this method... i thought that the tokoname were the way to go.....are these just as good for sencha and gyokuro?

they might not be the ultimate green tea experience... but gaiwans are definitely my favorite way of sampling any tea.

[kymidwife]

.....are these just as good for sencha and gyokuro?

I say no.

Is this because too much of the leaf escapes the gaiwan, or another reason?

Sarah

[Salsero]

Is this because too much of the leaf escapes the gaiwan, or another reason?

Yes. Some (most actually) of those Japanese leaves are just too tiny to make a gaiwan practical, and the Japanese teaware designed specifically for sencha and gyokuro is so good at what it does.

For a bit of initial tasting in the Japanese arena, without committing to the drop dead gorgeous teaware of that country (and the high prices of said wares), I would recommend just using a large infuser basket like you might use for CTC or orthodox Asian teas like Ceylon, Assam, Himalayan, etc. You will be less frustrated and you will still get great tea if you get your time, temp and leaf proportions right. Why make it harder than necessary?

[cha cha cha]

I'm still a little skeptical about tasting any difference with the gaiwan. I think the IngenuiTEA allows for a good amount of control too.. BUT I'm going to buy a gaiwan anyway. I think the tea ceremony enhances the experience of tea, even if a difference in taste is debatable.

I really like these dark brown gaiwans:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Yixing-Zisha-Clay-D ... dZViewItem

Does anyone know where I can get these babies for cheaper? Or is this a pretty reasonable price? I would also appreciate it if anyone could recommend a good teaware shop in Los Angeles.

[wyardley]

I'm still a little skeptical about tasting any difference with the gaiwan. I think the IngenuiTEA allows for a good amount of control too.. BUT I'm going to buy a gaiwan anyway. I think the tea ceremony enhances the experience of tea, even if a difference in taste is debatable.

Isn't the other device you're talking about made of plastic? That alone should make a difference. It's not so much that the gaiwan will "improve" the taste, but it shouldn't do anything negative to the taste of the tea, whereas brewing it in plastic might.

I really like these dark brown gaiwans:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Yixing-Zisha-Clay-D ... dZViewItem

Does anyone know where I can get these babies for cheaper? Or is this a pretty reasonable price? I would also appreciate it if anyone could recommend a good teaware shop in Los Angeles.

Cheaper than $4.99, or cheaper than the price of getting that one plus shipping?

What area are you in? Finding good gaiwans in Los Angeles is surprisingly hard. However, you can find the yixing ones (glazed on the inside) a few places, though I don't personally recommend this type.

Wing Hop Fung has some gaiwans, though most of theirs are a little tacky (the good thing is that they're mostly also not expensive). They have clay ones like the one you're describing, at least at the Monterey Park location, probably for under $5 or 6 (the porcelain ones are ~ $3 there). They have a shop in Chinatown and one in Monterey Park, as well as a (more expensive for the same stuff) shop called "Bird Pick" in Pasadena. There is a *really* nice (IMO) set at Wing Hop Fung for about $50 US that comes with a gaiwan, 6 tasting cups, and a fair cup (pitcher). I believe it's partially hand painted.

I think Tak Shing Hong in Monterey Park had a cheapie matching set of the type you linked to (though a redder clay), though they only had a few individual gaiwans, which were ugly. In the same area, there are also several Ten Ren / Ten Fu stores... their teaware is of Ok quality in general, but overpriced, and most of the gaiwans of theirs I've felt have been a little too heavy and awkwardly balanced for my taste.

You can also try Tea Habitat, in Rancho Palos Verdes. A drive, but definitely worth it - Imen, the owner, is a fellow tea nerd, and has some great teas and teaware.

On the west side, Hugo's (in Weho) might have some, but the ones I saw there were GIGANTIC (and overpriced). You could see if Funnel Mill in Santa Monica has any.

[filth]

.....are these just as good for sencha and gyokuro?

I say no.

Is this because too much of the leaf escapes the gaiwan, or another reason?

Sarah

Ferric Oxide levels are noticeable in the clay of Japanese pots. This will make the tea less bitter.