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What is a gaiwan?
A gaiwan is a Chinese lidded brewing bowl — three parts, bowl, lid and saucer — that works as teapot and cup in one. Tilt the lid and it holds back the leaves while you pour; lift it and you can smell the wet leaf between infusions. It is the most versatile vessel in Chinese tea culture: green, white, oolong, red tea or puer, one gaiwan brews them all. This collection holds eighteen of them, from a classic white Dehua porcelain gaiwan for under €15 to wood-fired and artist-painted pieces at €200.
Which gaiwan material should you choose?
Most of the range comes from Dehua, the Fujian town famous for its ivory-white porcelain, joined by translucent Ice Jade models, glazed designs and rustic wood-fired ceramics — some with hammered or textured walls and matching saucers.
| Material | What it gives your tea |
|---|---|
| White Dehua porcelain | Glazed and completely neutral — shows every tea honestly. The benchmark for tastings and the ideal first gaiwan |
| Ice Jade porcelain | Thin walls with a cool, jade-like translucence — an elegant match for delicate greens and whites |
| Glazed & hand-painted ceramic | Brews as neutrally as porcelain, adds colour and character — including pieces painted by Dutch ceramic artist Tineke van Gils |
| Wood-fired ceramic | Thicker walls keep heat longer for oolong and puer; kiln flames mark each surface, so no two are alike |
Practical details vary too: a gourd-shaped model hides a built-in filter, and one high-profile Dehua design raises the lid knob well above the steam.
How do you brew tea in a gaiwan?
Warm the gaiwan with hot water and fill roughly a third of the bowl with leaf for gongfu-style brewing. Use water just off the boil for oolong, red tea and puer, cooler for green and white tea. Steep short — seconds rather than minutes — and pour off completely, using the tilted lid as a strainer. The grip is simple: thumb and middle finger on the flared rim, index finger resting on the lid knob. The rim stays cool even when the walls are hot, so a proper hold matters more than asbestos fingers.
Gaiwan or teapot — which comes first?
If you are building a gongfu setup, start with a gaiwan: it costs less than a good clay pot, takes on no flavour, rinses clean in seconds and lets you watch and smell the leaf at every step. A dedicated teapot comes later, when you know which tea deserves one. Whether you need an everyday porcelain workhorse or a one-of-a-kind wood-fired piece, explore them at the Moychay tea club — Rozengracht 92H, Amsterdam.
