蓋碗 Gaiwan — White Porcelain

The gaiwan (蓋磗, gài wǎn — “lidded bowl”) is the most versatile vessel in Chinese tea. Three pieces work together: a shallow saucer that catches heat and protects your fingers, a bowl that holds the leaf and water, and a lid that angles to control the pour and holds back the leaves while you decant. No moving parts, no filter to clean, no clay to season. This is the classic Dehua white porcelain format — 130 ml, the standard size for one person or two small cups per steep. Dehua (德化) is the porcelain capital of Fujian Province, producing the finest white clay in China for over a thousand years. The body is thin-walled, smooth and completely neutral in flavour: what you taste is purely the tea, not the vessel. White porcelain works equally well for every tea type — oolong, green, white, black, pu-erh. Serious tea drinkers often prefer it over unglazed clay precisely because it adds nothing and hides nothing. Height 7.5 cm · Volume 130 ml · Weight 230 g.