This gaiwan is incredible! It definitely requires intention and slow movements to use it (and not break it) but it's a stunning piece to add to your collection.

An excellent niche gaiwan

I’m an obsessive collector. I have probably 30 gaiwans in my cupboard and have lost or given away just as many over the years—handmade, cast, glazed, unglazed, cai shao, you name it. But I regularly use maybe five of them. Experience has taught me that the best gaiwans are generally more bowl-shaped than vase-shaped, feature a perfectly sealing lid (many out there do not), and have a wide lip to keep your fingers from burning. That last point is essential when you're serving others and doing repeated, back-to-back steeps. A word of caution: this should not be your first or second gaiwan. You will burn your fingers; I burned mine, and I use them daily. That said, I was determined to master this piece and figure out its best application. The lid and bowl feature the most precise fit I have ever seen. It excels at maintaining a remarkably thin opening to pour from, which shines at keeping small, broken leaves in the gaiwan and out of your cup. Because of this, it has become my dedicated vessel for aged shou mei tea cakes, where the small, brittle leaves from breaking the cake tend to slip right past the rims of most other gaiwans.

Elegant with a Skillcap

This is fancy looking piece and it certainly has folks attention. What I love is that there was a sauce plate that was not shown included and at full brim its 110ml...but you would never fill this to the top. Due to its very very thin brim heat transfers really quick, but if you practice with it you can still pour without burning yourself. It can be less practical but if you want to be fully immersed and present the gaiwan demands your attention, no mindless brewing here. Be present