I’d consider myself proficient with using a gaiwan now, but I wasn’t for the first few years of my tea journey. I was scared of them.
That’s not going to filter the tea properly. That looks uncomfortable to use. I’m gonna burn myself!
At first, I used tea infusers that sit in your cup. These bothered me for a few reasons: some tea types don’t expand and steep well in a confined space; they clogged constantly; and they can be annoying to clean.
I then took my first baby step towards gaiwans - with an “easy” gaiwan. It was a nicer experience, but still had some of the same issues: it tended to clog and was annoying to clean. It has a lip that is difficult to clean under. And it actually lets quite a bit of tea bits through.
Similar to this one:
After a few years, I got my first gaiwan for cheap, and I’m so glad I did! It was just easier. You can keep the lid mostly closed and it somehow filters tea bits better than my “easy” gaiwan. It’s soooo easy to clean. Now, I do actually use a filter sometimes to catch fine tea dust, but I don’t actually need to.
I’m sure gaiwans are synonymous with loose leaf tea for many people, but they aren’t common where I am in the US. So for anyone who hasn’t tried one, I say give it a try!
– PS - One cool looking kind of teaware I have yet to try is a shiboridashi. This looks like a better version of my “easy” gaiwan:
I do have a gaiwan, but for ease of use, I love my tea bags. I can collect a little graveyard of used ones on a saucer over the course of the week and then dump them in the trash when I can be arsed. But I admit I have terrible housekeeping habits and I usually don’t do dishes until I run out of dishes and/or silverware. I hate dishes.
Yeah, tea bags are convenient. Sounds like you need a small lidded trash bin nearby. :D
I can relate to the desire for simplicity and easy cleanup. While I admit that using a gaiwans requires more attention and effort than a tea bag while steeping, for me, the cleanup is similar to teabags. I simply rinse our my gaiwan and cup, just as you would a tea mug when using a tea bag. To be sanitary, I rinse my gaiwan and cup with boiling water when I steep next time. I do a full soap cleaning after a while of this low-effort cleaning.
I recently discovered a new way to brew that is quickly becoming my favorite.
I don’t know what to call it but you put the tea and hot water in the top and let it brew then you put it over you cup and it dispenses. The best part is that it’s super easy to clean!I’ve seen these a few times, and I like the idea, but I haven’t given them a fair chance. I shy away from plastic parts. I wonder if there’s an all glass design with a silicone gasket or glass stoppper, to avoid plastic. I’m already used to gaiwans though, and it’s hard to beat the ease of cleaning those.
That’s similar to this all in one tea brewer:
You put the leaves in to the top compartment. Add some water, and when the tea is ready, you press the button at the top to let the tea liquor fall to the lower compartment.
I have a gaiwan but I don’t really use it that much anymore. I only use it if I’m in a specific mood for it and I’m making sheng puer.
I started off with an “easy gaiwan” too, but had pretty much the same experience as you.
For most other teas I have a small 150ml porcelain teapot from Jingdezhen (I’m lucky to have a local teashop which imports tea & accessories directly from sources!). I pour the tea into a pitcher from the pot and use a small cup to drink it.
For japanese green tea I have a Kyusu because aesthetics are important! :D it’s a bit difficult to clean though, but not too bad.
If there’s more people than just me drinking the tea, I’ll just use one of those large western-style teapots and normal cups. I find that people get weirder out wjen I offer them tea from a cup smaller than a tablespoon. 😅
I’m curious, why the gaiwan only for sheng puer?
Interesting, with the porcelain tea pot. I assume it has a spout, which may be more difficult to clean. What’s behind your preference - aesthetics? I don’t have a tea pot, so I’m curious. I’ve thought about getting an unglazed clay pot.
Ha ha, yeah. At my work, people sometimes stop by for tea, but they tend to bring their own large cup, as they don’t like the small ones that I offer them. I have to pre-make 2 steeps just to give them enough. 😅
Honestly, I don’t really bother making other teas in a gaiwan and I don’t have a clay pot for puer 😅 it’s mostly aesthetic, puer would still work just fine in the 150ml pot. (Though I bet many puer enjoyers would disagree!)
The spout in the bot has a good filter so it’s actually quite easy to clean! But not as easy as a gaiwan of course since you sometimes have to wipe some stuff off from the inside.
Luckily my coworkers are all coffee people so I don’t need to share my tea. Quests at home however get a large pot of tea whether they want it or not!
I too use a gaiwan. When I got in to gong fu brewing, I first bought a glass teapot that has a metal strainer in the spout.
While it’s nice to look at while your leaves brews inside it, it’s somewhat annoying to use and clean. The strainer let’s small bits through, so you need some kind of filter unless you like those leaf bits in your cup. Small leaf pieces gets stuck in the metal strainer. The spout is so narrow you need some kind of tool to clean it. The lid is annoying to clean. And because it’s glass, you see any stains that forms over time. Stains can be removed, but it takes some extra effort.
Gaiwan on the other has so simple form that it’s super easy to clean. Most of the leaves will fall off when you turn it upside down and give it a shake. The rest you can dig out with your fingers. You can also see the leaves because the opening is so wide, and it let’s you “play” with the leaves using the lid. You can, for example, move the leaves around so that they will steep more evenly.
It takes a while to learn to use gaiwan properly. It might burn your fingers. You will most certainly spill the tea all over the place. But once you get the hang of it, it’s a really nice way to make tea.
I haven’t owned a teapot like that, but I’ve worried about the concerns you gave. Being easy to clean matters a lot to me, since I want to drink tea every day, and difficult cleaning can discourage me from making it. That pot also seems to force larger brews.
I relate to all of your points about gaiwans. Well said.
I do actually burn myself sometimes and spill some tea around. It’s just so easy to use and clean though - as you said, by hand even. I do also enjoy connecting with my tea more closely - moving it around, looking at an unfurled leaf.
That pot also seems to force larger brews.
Pictures are deceiving, and I didn’t specify the size. It’s 180ml teapot. It’s called Hario Asian teapot. I think it’s discontinued, but there’s a newer model which has a metal fine mesh filter instead of that metal spiral. Fill it to the bottom of the spout and it’s about 100ml, which is great for gong fu brewing. Fill up to the bottom of the lid and it’s 180ml. But yea… after I got my gaiwan, I haven’t used it.
Ah, ok. Thanks for the info.
The newer one is like this? If so, this forces you to fill even more. The picture you first showed may be better, in my opinion.
One thing about teapots like these is that they could be useful for group sessions. But really, I still prefer gaiwans for a group. To get more tea, I just bring out more gaiwans and serve multiple types at once.
I actually meant this Hario Glass Jumping Teapot:
But as said, images are deceiving, and it turns out that that pot comes as 500ml and 800ml variations. Hario Europe doesn’t seem to sell small teapots anymore, but some vendors might have other, smaller, models.
Oh wow, interesting. I’ve never seen a pot filter like that. Thanks for looking that up.
That looks more useful to me, if the filter design actually works well.
