A gorgeous and unique 150ml gaiwan made from excellent Yixing Zini Zisha clay with great softening and thickening performance. Handcrafted and handpainted in the porcelain capital of the world - Jingdezhen.
I am continuously being asked to source clay Gaiwans but high-quality ones are very difficult to get your hands on. The reason? Good quality Yixing Zini Zisha clay is almost always reserved for pots in Yixing because that is the area's tradition (and pots command higher prices).
I have said repeatedly that we will always be on the lookout for Teaheads but that any Yixing clay Gaiwans we have tried have been very disappointing with poor quality clay and mediocre aesthetics. I also warned that any good clay Gaiwan would probably cost the same as a pot.
After finding our Zini Spiral, we were amazed at the quality of the clay in a gaiwan - it has the same performance as a top quality Yixing Zini pot.
For the Zini Fountain, we asked the ceramic artists to work on a 150ml gaiwan using the same amazing clay - this size is the perfect capacity for solo all the way to large 6 people sessions.
They came back with a gorgeous motif around the lid and a lovely, rich outer glaze to show off the natural hues of the clay.
Inside the clay is unglazed to make sure that it can interact wonderfully with the tea and it has been left unploished to give a beautiful aesthetic and tactile quality against the shiny glazed exterior.
In the hands, the gaiwan has light agility and pours perfectly.
I guarantee that if you can get one of these gaiwans, your other teaware will feel left out because you will be pulling it our for so many of your brews - I recommend using this clay for all teas except for Greens, Yellows and Light Oolongs.
PLEASE NOTE: All of these Gaiwans have been handpainted and so the pattern detail will vary slightly from pictures.
