Gaiwan
A gaiwan is a Chinese lidded bowl on a saucer, usually 80-150 ml porcelain, used to brew and pour tea for gongfu sessions.
Definition
The gaiwan (盖碗, "lidded bowl") has three parts: a wide, flared bowl, a lid that sits inside its rim, and a saucer. It came into wide use in the Ming and Qing dynasties, when steeping loose leaf replaced whisking powdered tea, and it remains the most common brewing vessel in Chinese tea shops. Originally the gaiwan was a drinking vessel. The lid was used to hold back leaf while the drinker sipped from the bowl, a habit still seen in Sichuan teahouses. For gongfu brewing, the lid is tilted slightly to leave a gap and the whole gaiwan is tipped to pour the tea out into a pitcher or cups, leaving the leaf behind. Glazed porcelain is the standard material because it is neutral: it does not absorb flavor or alter the tea, so one gaiwan can brew green tea, oolong and pu'er in turn. Jingdezhen in Jiangxi province, China's historic porcelain center, still produces many of them. Glass and celadon versions exist; unglazed clay gaiwans behave more like Yixing teapots.
In Depth
Sizing: 100-120 ml suits one or two drinkers; 80 ml or less is useful for small amounts of expensive tea. Thin porcelain heats up fast and loses heat fast, which suits greens and light oolong; thicker walls hold heat for roasted oolong and pu'er.
Avoiding burns: hold the gaiwan by the rim of the bowl with thumb and middle finger and the index finger on the lid knob. A wide, flared lip stays cooler. Do not fill the bowl to the brim; leaving 5-10 mm below the lid keeps fingers away from the hottest water.
The gaiwan's wide opening makes it easy to smell the lid, inspect the wet leaf, and remove spent leaf. A pour that drips down the outside usually means the lid gap is too wide or the gaiwan is tilted too slowly.
See Also
- Chinese Teaware
- Jingdezhen Porcelain
- Gongfu Brewing