Looking for well-made gaiwan

[Garrett]

Anyone have any suggestions for a well-made porcelain gaiwan?

My criteria, in order of importance:

1. Well-made
2. 4 oz. for gong fu
3. Pure white (or as close as I can get) interior
4. Dragon exterior

Thanks guys!

-Garrett

[Space Samurai]

Maybe the interior is white?

http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.ph ... n&item=126

[edkrueger]

Maybe the interior is white?

http://www.redblossomtea.com/details.ph ... n&item=126

I've seen that one's inside, it is light blue like the saucer.

[Herb_Master]

This one says 4oz and says it is AND looks white inside to me



http://www.holymtn.com/catalog/index.ph ... ts_id=1599

this one looks as though it is white inside too

http://www.teayears.com/porcelain_dragon_gaiwan.html

[wyardley]

Anyone have any suggestions for a well-made porcelain gaiwan?

My criteria, in order of importance:

1. Well-made
2. 4 oz. for gong fu
3. Pure white (or as close as I can get) interior
4. Dragon exterior

3 out of 4 ain't bad. Med is ~ 3.5 oz, Large is 4.5; I would strongly suggest the smaller size.
http://www.theteagallery.com/category_s/12.htm

[Garrett]

Anyone have any suggestions for a well-made porcelain gaiwan?

My criteria, in order of importance:

1. Well-made
2. 4 oz. for gong fu
3. Pure white (or as close as I can get) interior
4. Dragon exterior

3 out of 4 ain't bad. Med is ~ 3.5 oz, Large is 4.5; I would strongly suggest the smaller size.
http://www.theteagallery.com/category_s/12.htm

Would it be fair to assume that these are higher priced because they are made of higher quality porcelain?

[edkrueger]

This one says 4oz and says it is AND looks white inside to me



http://www.holymtn.com/catalog/index.ph ... ts_id=1599

this one looks as though it is white inside too

http://www.teayears.com/porcelain_dragon_gaiwan.html

I guess I could be wrong...

[Salsero]

I have the larger (6.8 oz, 200 ml) version of the dragon one that Space refers to and it is not pure white inside. If you consider the color celadon instead of not white, you might you might be able to come around to liking it. I think Cinnabar Red has the smaller size of the dragon one, with the same pale blue-green interior.

I would say almost for certain that the Holy Mountain one is the same as the Red Blossom one ... just $7 more. That it appears white in the photo is probably just a graphics issue. It's awfully hard to portray delicate colors in internet photos. Enjoyingtea.com has the larger one, but not the small one.

The Dragon one is much thicker porcelain than the Tea Gallery white ones (all three of which I have). Yunnan Sourcing also has the pure white ones in a similar thin porcelain. I think the thinner porcelain might dissipate heat more quickly and so it might work better for certain application rather than others.

But the most important consideration about a gaiwan is that it be the right size for your situation. Everything else is secondary. I also like a white interior, but the interior of the gaiwan is much less important than the interior of the cup as far as seeing the tea.

The other important things are price and just getting one to start playing with. You'll probably break it within a few months anyway, so don't get too hung up on shopping! (j/k!)

[thanks]

I have the larger (6.8 oz, 200 ml) version of the dragon one that Space refers to and it is not pure white inside. If you consider the color celadon instead of not white, you might you might be able to come around to liking it. I think Cinnabar Red has the smaller size of the dragon one, with the same pale blue-green interior.

I would say almost for certain that the Holy Mountain one is the same as the Red Blossom one ... just $7 more. That it appears white in the photo is probably just a graphics issue. It's awfully hard to portray delicate colors in internet photos. Enjoyingtea.com has the larger one, but not the small one.

The Dragon one is much thicker porcelain than the Tea Gallery white ones (all three of which I have). Yunnan Sourcing also has the pure white ones in a similar thin porcelain. I think the thinner porcelain might dissipate heat more quickly and so it might work better for certain application rather than others.

But the most important consideration about a gaiwan is that it be the right size for your situation. Everything else is secondary. I also like a white interior, but the interior of the gaiwan is much less important than the interior of the cup as far as seeing the tea.

The other important things are price and just getting one to start playing with. You'll probably break it within a few months anyway, so don't get too hung up on shopping! (j/k!)

My thin white gaiwan from Scott is slightly over two years old now with a huge crack down one side of it, yet I still use it daily. I love it so much I ordered another one from Scott a few months ago in anticipation of replacing my current one only to receive one that was much thicker.

Sorry for the tangent, but Sal is right. Size/thickness > all other features of a gaiwan.

[Salsero]

The ones from Scott also have an annoying habit of ranging anywhere from 60 ml to 100 ml which makes ordering one a little like Russian Roulette. I ordered like 5 a couple years ago, and they were at least 2 different sizes. if you throw in the difference in thickness that Thanks reports, I guess you'd better avoid Yunnan Sourcing for gaiwans!

The irony is that he is usually exceptionally accurate in sizing his pots.

[TIM]

3 out of 4 ain't bad. Med is ~ 3.5 oz, Large is 4.5; I would strongly suggest the smaller size.
http://www.theteagallery.com/category_s/12.htm

Would it be fair to assume that these are higher priced because they are made of higher quality porcelain?

They are a custom order of true Blanc de Chine from Jingdezhen by the TG.

[Oni]

When it comes to chinese porcelain, Jingdezhen is the capital, so look for gaiwans handmade in Jingdezhen, those are the best quality and handmade body and painting, a few shops sell beautiful pieces, beware of fakes, in rest good luck and the rest is up to your aestetical taste.

[Vulture]

I have the pair from red blossom teas. 6oz and 4oz. I use the 6oz all the time at work. Its a good set but I am wondering on the requirement for white inside. When brewing its all timing for me. I check the final color of the tea in the cup I drink from to see how the timing worked.

[Garrett]

Thanks to everyone who helped out!

I ended up going with this one from Red Blossom Tea Co:



I'll be sure to post pics in the "new pots/cups" thread when it arrives. I'm thinking that I'll christen it with a Taiwanese High Mountain Green that I've had my eye on.

[Chip]

Thanks to everyone who helped out!

I ended up going with this one from Red Blossom Tea Co:



I'll be sure to post pics in the "new pots/cups" thread when it arrives. I'm thinking that I'll christen it with a Taiwanese High Mountain Green that I've had my eye on.

That is a nice one. Thanks for this topic. I would have similar criteria for my next gaiwan purchase.