Help the newb? Gaiwans and pitchers and cups, OH MY!
I like my tea cold, for the most pat, but I also enjoy a nice cup of hot tea also. I want to look at Gaiwans and learn the nuances of using them and enjoying teas from them. If you were me, and you were looking to get into gaiwans and such, what would you be looking for? What would e the bare minimum you would get? What kind of pitchers, etc? When you use your Gaiwan, what do you use to heat and keep water at a steady temp? Do you know any videos that can help explain this stuff to me? HELP!
Sorry fir the all of the stupid questions, but I want to learn! Drinking tea isn’t as easy as just getting a teabag and dunking it in some boiling water for a few minutes. This stuff can get a bit overwhelming. LOL.
When I got my first gaiwan I really wanted it to be a three piece gaiwan (saucer, cup, lid), with a fair cup/sharing pitcher and then cups to drink from. That helped me narrow down choices a lot.
Also, “easy gaiwans” are nice to use, and can help you not burn your fingers.
With that said, I use a gravity steeper about 90% of the time because it fits my lifestyle. Don’t let anyone tell you there is a “wrong” way.
+1- I use my Breville One Touch for just about every tea I drink. Like Marzi said, it fits my lifetyle.
http://www.amazon.com/Breville-BTM800XL-One-Touch-Tea-Maker/dp/B003LNOPSG
Agreed with there is no wrong way. Do whatever you find works best for you and what you feel makes the best tea. I encourage you to try all types of brewing styles and vessels. In the end this hobby is about enjoying yourself and making each cup better than the last. EDIT: Also sample around before settling in on a vendor or type of tea. With the exception of a few teas I’ve tried something new almost every day over the course of 6 months, just sooooo much to try.
http://verdanttea.com/tea-ware-and-taste/
Lily from Verdant just linked this article. It’s interesting and talks about the various teaware as well as the various material in relation to tea types. It’s an interesting read.
Really thought it all comes down to personal preference. At the end of the day, if you are enjoying your tea you are doing it right. :)
Really drinking tea doesn’t have to be complicated. You need some tea leaves, a steeping vessel, some hot water, and a cup. Start simple and work your way out as you decide what you like. Your journey will be in a different direction if you decide you like gong fu prepared green tea than if you prefer Western steeped black. Don’t buy a mountain of equipment. Do you even like gong fu style? A simple small teapot/gaiwan/or easy gaiwan will let you find out. They are inexpensive – 10.00 ish. You don’t need a hand painted OMG it’s so beautiful 300.00 gainwan to get started – that addiction will come later :)
As for water, I have a variable temp kettle that had a hold temp for 30 minute feature….
I definitely agree! At the end of the day, tea = leaves + water. However you enjoy doing that.
That said, of course you can get as fancy as you want when it comes to teaware. For many of us, that is a big part of the fun! However, especially when you are starting out, feel free to experiment.
A gaiwan is essentially a covered bowl: that’s it. It’s a small bowl or cup (about 5oz capacity) with a lid. You fill this bowl or cup with leaves, then add water. Pour out immediately.
That’s the whole (technical!) philosophy behind gong fu tea: lots of leaf, very short steepings, and sipping (tasting!) from very small cups. The small size of everything makes it easier to taste, and it also means you can taste lots of steepings back to back without having too much liquid to drink.
David (my husband, and also founder of Verdant Tea) made a really fun video and article a little while ago all about how you can experiment with gong fu tea WITHOUT fancy equipment.. or even any equipment at all. I recommend taking a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8FMHudkfU0
Do you have a small sugar bowl? These often work great as an improv gaiwan! It’s a small bowl with a cover, and they usually have a little hole for a spoon to go in, too. Then all you need is a little strainer to catch any leaves that fall out (a small strainer / colandar or even a fork works!) and little cups: shot glasses or ramekins can work well.
Of course, there are also small and inexpensive gaiwans. For example, we sell a basic one for $6; if you are in a larger city, there may be an Asian grocers with a dishware section that may have gaiwans that you can see in person, too.
Other videos by Verdant Tea on this topic are also useful.
How to Use a Gaiwan, Part 1: What is a Gaiwan?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F58dWrhTkRo
How to Use a Gaiwan, Part 2: Brewing Lady Orchid Tea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkhdJoZUUh0
If you plan to get into gongfu style brewing, I also found this helpful:
Gong Fu Cha – The Complete Guide To Making Chinese Tea
http://www.thechineseteashop.com/gong-fu-cha.html
Best easy gaiwan. You will not burn your fingers. This seller is 100% reliable.
You can pick some matching cups but have to warn you they are small. its hard to imagine. So you can skip it for now.
I use variable Breville
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/breville-variable-temperature-kettle/3245619?skuId=16292451&mcid=CSE_pricegrabber_paid_kitchenelectrics_&zmam=77312802&zmas=1&zmac=7&zmap=16292451
I do recommend you to get scale. All teaspoons are different. eliminates guessing
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/jennings-jsr-300.html
It was a gift from a Steepster friend.
I do recommend to use filtered water or Poland Spring.
For pitcher i use creamer. im sure you have one in your cupboard ;) Or small Pyrex cup is good too. Btw before having gaiwan and all other gadgets i used to use Pyrex cup and a strainer.
I actually have an extra scale. Long story… I placed an order from YS in China and forgot about it because it took a long time to ship. Then I placed an order from Mandala… Both orders included a scale. :) PM me if you would like it at half price. :) I also have a spare 3 piece gaiwan from another duplicate order. I went a little nuts a couple months ago…
When I first started I used a ceramic cappuccino cup as a gaiwan, a saucer for a lid that was way too big, a handled flat plastic spoon/ladle with holes in it as a strainer since the saucer didn’t work too well as a lid and a small milk pitcher. My “tea tray” was some doubled up paper towels that I would hang up and dry out till they were completely shot. After a couple weeks of that I was ready for a gaiwan but it worked and make a perfectly fine cup of tea.
To save money you could scout your local second hand store. I’ve found tiny teapots there. You could also check out a local Asian market. I’ve picked up lots of cheap teaware at my Asian market.
I recommend getting a simple brew basket, since they are very versatile: I’ve used mine for western-style steeping in a mug, gong fu style steeping in a pyrex measuring cup (lots of leaf, not too much water, short steeps, pour into tiny cups or shot glasses), or even making iced tea (also in the pyrex measuring cup, twice as much leaf as I’d usually use for the 8oz of hot water, steep, and then pour into a 16oz glass full of ice cubes).
The temptation when buying a first gaiwan is to go for a glass one, since they’re cheap and simple. Beware, because they’re also the easiest to burn your fingers on. :) I just got this one: http://www.white2tea.com/tea-shop/ruyao-gaiwan/ and I’m really happy with it – it’s thicker, feels more durable, and protects my fingers from the heat a lot more. Right now I’m using that gaiwan, this pitcher: http://www.teavivre.com/clear-glass-fair-cup/ (I do prefer glass for the pitcher so you can admire the colour), a simple metal strainer that looks like this: http://www.bottlegourdherbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/stainless-steel-tea-strainer-gong-fu-and-tea-glass-bottle-gourd-herbs.jpg, and this cup: http://verdanttea.com/teas/jingdezhen-hand-painted-lake-house-cup/. I bought them all at different times, and from different place. :) I also use this scale: http://www.amazon.ca/American-Weigh-Signature-AWS-100-Digital/dp/B0012LOQUQ/ and a variable temp kettle. If you’re planning to purchase some tea samples online, see if the stores sell any affordable teaware that you like – sometimes that’ll help get you up over the free shipping threshold for an added bonus.
I bought this guy as my first gaiwan, and I love it:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QZN32JM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00
It’s a cute lotus pattern, ru kiln (so the crackles show up with progressive use!), and cheap. And I have a cup included!
I use a creamer I found in a free box at a garage sale for a pitcher.
The built in strainer was totally fine for all of my ooloongs, but the first time I tried to brew a fine leaved green tea, I went out and bought a strainer, like this one:
http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Boling-Stainless-Steel-Double-layer-Fine-Tea-Strainer/1848489735.html?spm=2114.01020208.3.11.Rh3wqo
Here i found a video for how to use GAIWAN.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBbxaklB17M
In this video, the lady use Gaiwan for green tea, but i usually made oolong and black tea by Gaiwan. At the beginning of using Gaiwan, it is easy to hurt you because of the hot steam. Be careful!!!
I’ve been using a gaiwan, a western tea cup, and a thermos for hot water. Occasionally I’ll pull out the aroma set from Tea Ave (I have no tiny tea cups).
I have a kettle that can keep hot, but I feel it’s too heavy and cumbersome for when I’m going quickly and want really short steeps, the thermos solves that problem for me. Just remember to preheat it first so it keeps the water as close to boiling as possible! I also have a zojirushi water heater, but I experience more splashing into a gaiwan with that than the thermos and hot water splashes are no fun.
Thanks to Lily for the suggestion of shot glasses as cups! I’m going to have to try that.
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