Monday, January 05, 2015

Yixing Gaiwans

I've been using mostly ceramic gaiwans to brew as it's the easiest way to gongfu allowing me to drink puerh even at work.  Recently I smashed a gaiwan lid and needed a replacement.  For variety, I thought I would look for a cheap replaceable yixing gaiwan.   A bit of yixing clay would help diffuse the basement taste on my budget wet-stored pu and I'm not one to waste a precious teapot on such teas.

I spotted this simple $10 zisha clay gaiwan from an ebay vendor who sells the oddest mix of teaware,  cosplay wigs, erotic anime pillows,  Tibetan "babao male enhancer" pills, and quilted doggy tents.  If you are a tea drinking anime addict with a small dog and a potency condition, this might be one of the few one-stop shops to cater to your exact needs.


Despite the suspicious mix of goods, I saw some mica and silica content on the surface closeup of the gaiwan so I pushed buy.  It's most likely low quality yixing clay but I'm willing to give it a go as my plan B is to use it as a tea caddy if brewing doesn't work out.  It will take another week or so to reach me.  At the higher end, there is the Di Cao Qing gaiwan on ebay but for $38 with shipping, this purchase defeats the purpose of having a cheap breakable gaiwan.

The other yixing tea set which did arrive today is this hybrid contraption which is more like a lidless houhin than anything else. I initially didn't want to buy it because the aesthetics is butt ugly and I wanted to maintain some self respect.  But it's functionality appealed to my sense of practicality - side knobs to prevent finger scorching and a slotted lip to keep those wiggly tea leaves back.  But my better judgement was absent as this thing pours much slower than expected and I may ask my husband to drill a few more holes.  He has enlarged holes on ceramic and yixing teapots for me using a special drill bit before and he really owes me after what happened next.

My husband fingered the curve of the attached demi-top quite suggestively and asked me if it was a miniature chamberpot.  You can't see it from this angle but the demi-top curves perfectly as if it was designed to accommodate a seated pair of buns. You can imagine how such a comment will flavor my tea sessions.

11 comments:

  1. While I don't have a dog, I am interested in that shop. Ahem.

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    1. Dear Hobbes,

      Do not (NOT!) be tempted by the the freckle remover from this ebay vendor. I recommend the badass ninja cosplay throwing knives instead.

      Best,
      H

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    2. I am completely covered in freckles, though, so it has some appeal in addition to the knives.

      Delete
  2. PLUS a chamberpot is something I've not yet been able to find to meet my... unique specifications.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Hobbes,

      I've bending my noodle all day wondering what these unique specifications entail. It must be beyond an abnormal thigh to calf ratio that makes British males in general suffer greatly whilst squatting. Perhaps it is best you keep us guessing.

      H

      Delete
  3. How can you stop blogging? where else can we find such interesting and fun reads sprinkled here and there in just one article?

    You go Girl !!!

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    Replies
    1. Dearest Ira,
      I told myself no more cheap ebay gags after this post. I want to post serious tea doings with meaty content but I end up with cream puffs with chocolate sprinkles.

      H

      Delete
  4. OolongOwl has this exact gaiwan in Ruyao style. It is a travel gaiwan, she got hers from aliexpress for about $28. She shows it again in her best of 2014 post recently.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Cwyn,

      I'll take this mini-chamberpot on travel tomorrow and see how it works out. Despite my best efforts, the designation has stuck. It had gone missing this morning and my husband knew exactly what I was talking about. The phrase "new teapot" really doesn't mean anything to him.

      H

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    2. Dear Cywn,

      This yixing version is rather sloppy on the pour and the holes are large enough that a great many tea crumbs pour out. Also the teapot appeared to accentuate the smokiness of a tea. I'd resell it if I could.

      H

      Delete
    3. I have the same problem with my travel sets, the holes are too big. All is well if using a strainer too, but that rather defeats the purpose of the travel set if one needs yet another tool to make it work.

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