A traditional three-piece gaiwan — lid, bowl, and saucer — made from egg-shell porcelain. Pure white, unadorned, and thin enough to hold up to the light.
Why egg-shell porcelain
The name comes from the body itself: the walls are so thin you can see light through them, and the surface has the smooth, fine texture of polished jade. The whole set weighs only about 80g — light enough that a full bowl is easy to lift and pour one-handed, which matters when you're working through several steeps.
Despite the thin walls, the fired body is hard and dense. The glaze is smooth and tightly bonded, so tea stains and aromas rinse away cleanly instead of lingering. If you brew different teas in it, you won't carry yesterday's oolong into today's green.
Size
- Fills to 130ml; comfortable working capacity about 100ml
- Total height: 7.2cm
- Bowl rim diameter: 8.5cm
- Saucer diameter: 9cm
- Complete three-piece set: about 80g
100ml is a good working size for gongfu tea — enough for two or three small cups per pour, or one generous cup if you're drinking on your own.
Which teas
It suits all six tea categories. White porcelain is neutral: it doesn't add or hold onto flavor, so a delicate white tea and a heavily roasted oolong both come through as themselves. The white glaze also lets you read the color of the liquor clearly, which is one of the quiet pleasures of drinking from a gaiwan.
Before first use — please read
Egg-shell porcelain has a hard body but low impact resistance. It chips or shatters more easily than thicker ware if knocked, and it does not tolerate sudden temperature changes — pouring boiling water into a cold bowl is the most common way these break.
Warm the bowl first with a small amount of hot water, then brew. It takes a few seconds and it's the simplest thing you can do to keep the set intact for years.
Care
Rinse with clean water and a soft cloth. No microwave, no dishwasher, no oven. Avoid abrasive sponges and sudden temperature swings.
Packaging
Ships in a padded paper box. It's protective and simple — we'd rather put the cost into the porcelain than the box.
A note on handmade character
These are made by hand, and we can't promise every piece is flawless. You may find a very small imperfection — something you'd have to look closely to notice. It doesn't affect use or durability. We consider it part of what a hand-finished piece is, and we'd rather tell you than have you wonder.
If anything arrives damaged, contact us — we'll sort it out under our shipping policy.
Explore the full range: Return to the gaiwan collection to see all our gaiwans.
