I bought this because I wanted a small-to-medium sized gaiwan that could retain heat well and brew up 5-ish grams of tea at a time, specifically dan cong and sheng pu'erh. This is exactly what I wanted, and more... a lot more. Honestly, I should have titled this review "false advertising" because I was expecting a gaiwan but I received something t
...Read MoreRead more about I bought this because I wanted ahat is very likely going to become my new daily portal into a state of tea-drunkenness.
Jokes aside, this gaiwan elevates pretty much every layer of my tea experience, and I've only had it for a few days. It has excellent heat retention and perfect flaring on the edges, making it easy to pour and comfortable to grip.
I was not expecting this porcelain to have an effect on the flavor of the tea, but in my fairly limited experiences so far, it interacts with all styles of tea in a very interesting way that will keep me intrigued for years to come. It has shown me a new side of the teas that I know and love, and for this alone I'm grateful to have added such a wonderful piece to my collection.
Some technical details: the saucer, gaiwan, and lid weigh in at 222 grams - just under half a pound. The lid weighs a hefty 46 grams, and the gaiwan alone is about half the weight at 105 grams. It holds 140mL of water up to the brim and 90mL just underneath the lid.
The lid is badass. I typically wouldn't comment on something like this, but because it has some weight to it, it does not slide around even if the water level is filled above where the lid naturally rests against the walls of the gaiwan. It will sink down and rest comfortably on top of the leaves, displacing any excess water. When left to cool, mine does make a seal, although it's easy to break that seal when I need to pour my magical soup out.
It takes 3-4 seconds to pour out, and the pour is smooth all the way through. The lid inspires confidence even when handling flash steeps using boiling water.
It's hard to capture the visual beauty of this gaiwan. As Pablo and others have mentioned, it is hypnotizing and really draws your attention to the way it catches and transmits light. Read LessRead less about I bought this because I wanted a