Yixing Gaiwan and Cups

[TIM]

Why do people use Yixing Gaiwan and cup set? What are the pros and cons of it.

[tjkoko_off]

Among the many reasons, smaller quantity is achieved, easier to brew especially for the beginner, and also simpler and cheaper than a quality teapot.

[taitea]

I never saw the appeal of clay cups. I don't like how they feel on my mouth.

I haven't used a yixing gaiwan.

[cheaton]

I can see the purpose of a yixing gaiwan. Holds heat better and probably good for making teas that normally perform better in a pot than a gaiwan. But the purpose of using a yixing cup escapes me entirely. I'd rather have a cup I can clean properly since the tea going in is probably not hot enough to kill all of the nasties.

[Janine]

I prefer porcelain for both gaiwan and cups.

For the gaiwan, perhaps my most important criterion of a good gaiwan is that the lid be easily adjusted to whatever opening I want. That means smooth as smooth porcelain, and a close inspection of how smoothly and easily the lid slides. I also like the feel of the porcelain in my hand, and the thinness of the gaiwan sides. I like the way it holds the water and I can feel what is happening. (I hold the gaiwan in my hand with the saucer underneath it in my palm, and pour brewed tea into a pitcher or cup.)

I feel the traditional porcelain tasting cups are the best. I like the thin porcelain for drinking and tasting - I think it allows me to draw in more air when I really want to taste. You again have a better feel for temperature. In some sense there is less between you and the tea.

There are times when I use a good Japanese-style mug for a large cup of tea, but this is always with a nice glaze. I too do not like the feel of the yixing clay to drink from.

[gingkoseto]

There is something that I don't mind at all, but I don't know if others would think it gross

I have a few yixing cups that I bought in new conditions in a yard sale. I used them for quite several years and two are still alive now. I've noticed the rim of the cups "aged" faster than the rest of the cup body. I guess the rim part has been mainly seasoned by saliva while the rest of the body has been seasoned by tea water. I would imagine the same thing for yixing gaiwan, even though I never used one. I personally don't like the friction noise of sand surfaces moving against each other, so had never thought of getting a yixing gaiwan.

[chrl42]

1 tea per 1 gaiwan and 1 cup?

they are cheap tho..he.

[zacstill]

my favorite teacups are porcelain inside with clay outside

[TaiPing Hou Kui]

TIM---I actually have a travel set I made.....I can try and find the link for it and post it here....it is a Yixing clay gaiwan with a porcelain interior...so it isnt porous like Yixing clay and the pot is the same...yixing clay outside, porcelain interior. You get the heat retention benefits of the clay all with the easy in cleanability as well as brewing versatility of porcelain. Once I figure out where I got it I can post the link for you!

-Nick (TaiPing)

[Janine]

Well, the other day I went to a teashop and they served me the one type of tea (Da Hong Pao) but I was able to brew it two different ways. One with a porcelain gaiwan, cup and scent cup. The other: a yixing pot and yixing cups glazed white inside.

So I tried combinations. I didn't like the shape of the pot and lid all that much so I didn't use it as much as I would have otherwise, although the taste of the tea was good with the yixing cup. These were extremely smooth yixing cups.

I brewed in the gaiwan and tasted both in the ceramic cups and the yixing cups.

I surprised myself because liked the gaiwan tea in the yixing cup! My husband liked the gaiwan tea in the traditional porcelain cup (which was a lovely cup btw).

I felt the tea had a more well-rounded, full-bodied taste in the yixing cup, but I think my husband liked the brighter taste one got in the ceramic.

[greenisgood]

I have one of those gaiwan's that's porcelain on the inside but brown yixing on the outside. mostly cause its pretty. but i guess its the best of both.

[ABx]

I use porcleain lined yixing because of the heat retention. Sometimes there are teas that just won't come out in a gaiwan and so I use a yixing pot, but the lined yixing pot is good for a lot of things. Same goes for the cup.

Some teas do come out better in porcleain, whether it's the gaiwan/teapot or cups, so it all depends. I don't use just one thing for all teas - I try to use whatever is best for an individual tea.

[Oni]

There are porcelain lined yixing gaiwans and cup set at Dragon teahouse, and it is very cheap, I would suggest it for more oxidized teas.

[tenuki]

I have a porcelain lined yixing gaiwan that I use very much as described by ABx. I also have several porclain gaiwans and a glass gaiwan. The glass is good for light fragrant teas that come out more with the heat retention profile of glass. The cermaic/porclain gaiwans are of varying thickness and size for different purposes. I also sometimes gong fu in a small glass sharing pitcher using a filter.

[ABx]

I have a porcelain lined yixing gaiwan that I use very much as described by ABx. I also have several porclain gaiwans and a glass gaiwan. The glass is good for light fragrant teas that come out more with the heat retention profile of glass. The cermaic/porclain gaiwans are of varying thickness and size for different purposes. I also sometimes gong fu in a small glass sharing pitcher using a filter.

Hehe, the only thing here that doesn't match my own setup exactly is that I use my yixing fair cup (I have a glass one too, but never use it), and I very rarely drink any of the things that come out better in the glass gaiwans for me I suppose I should experiment with them more, though.