hello tea fans,
i just got a set of white gaiwans--meaning cup, saucer and lid. this is a
stupid question, but can you drink out of the cup with the tea still inside
(lid on, of course, holding back the leaves), or do you have to pour the tea
off into another cup? the reason i asked is that i saw a tea vendor using
the gaiwan like a po

"Darawen Littlestich" hotmail.com> writes:

I wouldn't be qualified to advise you on etiquette, but if you want to
be able to control the brewing of the leaves so you get the best taste
and aroma, you should pour off the liquor into another vessel when
it's done. This is especially true if you aim to get multiple steeps
from the leaves.

/Lew

It was not uncommon to see people sipping from gaiwans with the lid
tilted back in Beijing, mostly for green and jasmine tea.

ITC also teaches this method at the store, perhaps as a way to stop
them from having to wash so many dishes.

But what Lew says I believe, for the best tasting tea and multiple
infusions, it's best to pour off. It's what I do.

~j

Darawen Littlestich wrote:

When traveling solo I use gaiwans with (japanese made) mesh strainers
that just fit inside. That way I don´t need another cup. Steep -
remove strainer - slurp - enjoy.

Karsten

Darawen Littlestich wrote:

You're missing the point. I don't care if you lick from plates but is
a gaiwan the way you serve tea everyday? If not then it's cute. When
I'm in a Thai restaurant I ask for a cup. I think we tend to
romanticze about other cultures. Then we bastardize it. I always use
a spoon for my soup even in Vietnamese restaurants. I don't care for
the bib even though the Maitred' is pissed because I'm holding up the
table for the party who made reservations. We have those kind of
upscale Asian restaurants in the burbs. In fact, one Chinese
restaurant is so upscale you have to ask for the chopsticks because
nothing worse than soiled evening wear before a night on the town.

Jim

PS My grandma could make a pot of tea with a pan and pitcher. I don't
do that because I don't find it practical. Gongfu in China is nothing
more than finding out how much you want to spend.

Michael Plant wrote:

Space Cowboy wrote:

Even being 100%% Italian I actually use chopsticks with perfect skill
and for probably 75%% of the food I eat (although 50-60%% of the food I
eat is Pan-Asian). I have been eating with them my whole life, in fact
the last time I was in Atlantic City eating noodle soup at a ramen bar
I had surprised a few of the "natives" who initially laughed when I
requested them as they were eating.

I agree with your point about romanticizing / bastardizing the
practices of other cultures, but I don't think it applies to gaiwan
use. Tea drinkers in Fujian use gaiwans every day for oolong, and I
don't mean fancy people who go to tea houses, I mean ordinary people.
One time I was waiting for a bus in a remote area of Xiamen City and
the bus driver asked to sit down and have some tea with him. It was
TGY, and he was drinking it with a gaiwan and little porcelain cups.
Believe me, you don't get less pretentious that a Chinese bus driver.
So, personally, I don't think gaiwans are cute or orientalist - in fact
I think they're a superior tool for someone who drinks a lot of
different kinds of good tea and wants to do so with minimum fuss. They
don't need to be cleaned, and they don't build up nasty deposits around
the spout. Thanks to the saucer, they don't spill or drip (unless you
drop them). I make tea in a porcelain gaiwan every day in my office
and I use it for everything except matcha. It doesn't take that long
to get the hang of using one, either - just get your first and second
fingers under the saucer and keep the lid in place with your thumb.
Finally, they are cheap. In China they are practically free, and I got
one from Seb for I think $14 that is really well-made and quite
handsome. Try getting an yixing pot for $14. ...

Alex wrote:

Yep

CYRANO DE BERGERAC

I just wanted to know how many people used a Gaiwan on a daily basis.
More than I would have guessed from the circle of illuminati. I can
see them for corporate use if you don't have to constantly walk buy the
bosses office for refills. I used the same clay pot for my entire
corporate career. A gaiwan still wouldn't be practical for me even if
back in the grind. I could tap the clay infuser on a desk with a
napkin to dump the leaves. The gaiwans I have are to fragile for that.
All I can tell you have to beome a slob for a few moments fishing for
the leaves. Plus I needed more than shots of tea during the day.

Jim

PS Styrofoam will replace Gaiwans in modern China. Get yours while
you can. The East romanticizes about us like we do them.

Michael Plant wrote:

Stop lying.

Jim

oleg shteynbuk wrote: