How To Use A Gaiwan | Tea with Olivia

[@spiritusmentis]

I have about 20 or so gaiwans in various shapes and sizes. It's still my preferred way to brew when I'm by myself or with another person. The only limitation the gaiwan has is its size - usually limited to 150-180ml. If you're brewing for a group of 5+ people, teapot is a better choice. My preferred way of holding the gaiwan is as follows: 1) Place thumb and ring fingers on the saucer - grip to stabilize the base. 2) Place index finger on the knob of the lid, with the knob residing halfway beneath your finger. This placement will differ depending on the height of the gaiwan. A taller gaiwan will require a bigger hand/more finger reach. 3) With three fingers on the gaiwan, adjust the lid angle by leaving a small gap for your tea to flow. 4) Place your middle finger on the rim of the cup. Now you've stabilized the base with your thumb and index fingers, you've stabilized the lid with your index finger and stabilized the cup itself with your middle finger. 5) At this point all of your fingers are touching the edges of the gaiwan and only one finger is touching the cup - an area where hot water could spill and burn your finger. But since it's only one finger, you can pull it away if you get burned, and still have 3 other fingers to stabilize the cup. When you pour this way, a lot of the tea will first hit the saucer, cooling it down further. There's less dripping and less pooling of water too. I found that this is the most secure way of using a gaiwan without burning fingers.

[@treasuregreentea]

Thank you so much for sharing! It usually takes some time to figure out a positioning that works best for you and we're glad you found one!

[@nickstevens769]

Thank you so much! I just got a gaiwan yesterday, and I came here immediately after burning my fingers, so I could learn how to do it properly. 😅

[@treasuregreentea]

Wonderful! Enjoy using gaiwan! Thank you for watching!

[@Transom59]

For my last birthday, I decided to learn the Gongfu tea method using a gaiwan, pitcher, and small cups. I was wondering about the tea pet. Sometimes I have seen one in videos, but more often it is absent. Do you have an opinion or comment about the unglazed tea pets?

[@treasuregreentea]

Absolutely! Teapets are a great accessory but not an essential part of the ceremony. We have a video on teapets - You can watch that here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eaamopiBpLV-f7M

[@chadczternastek]

Once you get a tea pet, it's all over. Apply for social security.

[@sarnaud3733]

Hello Olivia, any good books on the history of Chinese Tea Ceremony? Thanks for any references. Have a blessed day!

[@20thcenturyboy85]

Thank You!

[@Eric-dr5bj]

Can a gaiwan be used for individual tea preparation in the same format as a larger tea pot? Do the steep times differ?

[@treasuregreentea]

Hey Eric, yes absolutely. A gaiwan can be used for individual tea making, it actually started off historically for individual tea making and drinking. Most gaiwans are much smaller (usually 250ml) than the standard teapot so you would shorten the steep time and do multiple brews instead of 1-2 long brews. On average, many of the teas we steep in a gaiwan need less than 1 minute of steep time.

[@Hekilikaua]

I've recently started brewing tea using the Gongfu method, and have run into an issue where the steam from the tea is so hot that it makes me set down my gaiwan about 2/3 of the way through the pour. I am using my thumb and middle fingers to hold the gaiwan, and the pointer to keep the lid in place. Do you have any tips to keep the pads of my fingers and palm from excessive heat?

[@treasuregreentea]

Hi Keith, great question! To be honest, this takes quite some practice and happens to everyone at the beginning. It sounds like your finger positioning is great. You want to try to touch only the farthest/slimmest points of the gaiwan with the very tips of your fingers. Avoid using too strong of a grip or the "chunkier" parts of the fingers to hold and definitely avoid touching the body of the gaiwan or the lid because that's where most of the heat is held. If you need to break up your pour as your find your grip, that's no problem. Hope this helps!

[@jajajaja2431]

hello, i'm little bit confuse about gaiwan, someone said "you have to find a gaiwan with a tight top lid" but from some articles i read, the gaiwan has a gap in the top lid? Which one is true? hope you know what i mean 😅

[@treasuregreentea]

Hi! The lid of the well-crafted gaiwan should rest on top and fully seal the body with no gaps. However, when you use the gaiwan and make a pour, you will need to push the lid aside, forming a gap, in order to strain out the tea. That might be where that comment came from. Hope that helps!

[@dumm]

Is it a good practice or procedure when you have to serve 4 on a table,? As I understand the gaiwan cup can serve a small qty and one person.

[@treasuregreentea]

Great question! It is absolutely great practice to serve multiple people with a gaiwan. Traditionally, gaiwans were used as personal cups so everyone would make their own tea in their personal gaiwan and sip directly from it. However, over the centuries, the gaiwan has become more of a brewing tool so it is common to brew the tea and then pour it into a faircup, to be evenly poured into individual cups. We use gaiwans to serve up to 8 people! It does require multiple brews depending on the size of your gaiwan.

[@themacbidaddict]

I love the video editing and music.If you change your mic to a lapel or overhead it will be even better.

[@treasuregreentea]

Thank you for the advice Coubie! We are always on the lookout for better tools as we grow our channel 😊

[@Brwngrlgthc]

Hi there! I am new to Gong Fu Cha and am doing research before purchasing my first set. When using Gaiwan, is it necessary to have a tea strainer before pouring the tea into the pitcher?

[@treasuregreentea]

Hi Crystal, welcome! Yes, we highly recommend using a strainer with a gaiwan. It is quite a necessary step before serving tea to your guests.