This compact ceramic gaiwan is made for slow, deliberate brewing, the kind where you stay close to the leaves, watch the steam rise, and pour with your hands rather than a machine (believe me, it's very beautiful!). The form draws from traditional Taiwanese lidded bowls used for gongfu-style brewing, but with a contemporary, rustic finish that feels more everyday than ceremonial.

The ceramic body has a softly irregular, kiln-fired surface with areas of exposed texture, giving it a grounded, stoneware-like feel in the hand. Sitting on top, a subtle silver-toned detail adds a quiet accent - not decorative for the sake of it, but a small visual moment that catches the light when steam rises.

This is a gaiwan meant to be used daily.

What makes it special

- True Gaiwan Form for Controlled Brewing
The lid-and-bowl design gives you direct control over extraction. You can smell the leaves between infusions, adjust steep times precisely, and decant cleanly to avoid bitterness. This level of control matters most for teas that shift quickly with time and temperature - green teas, lightly oxidised oolongs, young sheng-style teas, and delicate white teas.

- Silver-Toned Lid Detail (Small, Intentional Accent)
The silver-coloured detailing on the lid adds a gentle point of focus without turning the piece into a showpiece. When hot water hits the leaves and steam rises, the metallic surface catches light subtly - a tiny visual reward for paying attention to the moment.

- Semi-Glazed, Tactile Ceramic Body
The glaze is intentionally uneven, allowing parts of the raw ceramic to show through. This creates a contrast between smooth and lightly textured surfaces in the hand. Over time, the piece develops tiny changes in sheen and feel as it’s used and washed - in the tea world, this is called 'developing a patina'.

- Balanced Thickness for Heat Control
The ceramic walls are thick enough to buffer heat so the bowl warms your hands without becoming painful to hold. This also helps stabilise infusion temperature slightly, which is especially useful for teas that turn sharp when brewed too hot or too long.

- Compact Size for Single-Session Brewing
The smaller capacity encourages short infusions and multiple pours rather than one long steep. This keeps flavours layered instead of muddy, and turns brewing into a small, repeatable ritual rather than a single “dump and drink” moment.

- Each piece has its own character

Because this gaiwan is kiln-fired ceramic with a rustic glaze, you may notice small variations in colour, speckling, glaze depth, and surface texture from piece to piece. The silver-toned detailing may also show slight variation in tone or finish. These differences are natural results of the materials and firing process, and part of what gives each gaiwan its own quiet personality.

Best suited for