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Gaiwans / Work Brewing

I just finished a new post, that I thought might make a good discussion starter about brewing tea at work. I know it has been covered in the past, but I know my habits have changed or have been dictated by job changes.

Today's "In Cup" post is actually about the cup itself. Since, like most, I spend most of my waking hours at work I tend to do much of my tea drinking there. I have tried all manner of approach to good tea at my desk, and many have worked well but always had a drawback or two. I've gone from three piece ceramic tea brewing mugs (which were a pain to clean), to People's Brew Baskets in regular white coffee mugs (again a pain to clean and wear out/break quickly), and a few other failed experiments in between... but I never seriously thought of using a gaiwan at work. I always thought them too fragile. I was dead wrong. While I wouldn't bring a very high-end gaiwan, I have only had one incident in two years, a nice regular quality $10-20 gaiwan is perfect. I've been using a very inexpensive one I bought at Kam Man in NYC for about a buck or two for almost all of those two years daily. Here she is:

(My Work Gaiwan Photo)

I had initially thought them to be a bit clunky and formal but the great folks at Rec.Food.Drink.Tea (Usenet group) finally wore me down, and I'm glad they did. I quickly realized that the lack of a basket/ infuser meant one less thing to clean which was perfect for work. Except for my one slip up while drying one out at the sink at work where I spent a good half hour cleaning up ceramic shards, they are extremely capable and resistant to the occasional flub. A good rinse and wipe out can keep one in service for some time before taking it home for a full cleaning.

I tailor my teas to the water cooler/heater temps in my office rather than add another piece to the equation for hotter temps. I'm lucky in that we have two water coolers with two different temps so I have some variety. Greens, some oolongs, and yellows do very well and that is fine with me. I enjoy the more serious teas when I can relax and put forth the proper effort at home. I get between 130 and 175 degrees and in between by going to the hotter one and letting it cool to the desired temp. Bi Lo Chun, Huang Shan Yellow, and occasionally a Shui Xian I have that responds well to 175 degrees are my mainstays, but any and all of my work teas get brewed in this manner in my gaiwan. It takes some trial and error but totally worth it. I had used a Hot Shot personal water heater to get hotter temps, but I've given it up and just go with what works.

The smaller size is perfect for work since I find I can actually get through the whole cup without being called away for some reason and coming back to ruined tea. I can make multiple infusions or change up teas in the course of a day with no fuss. The only downside is having to explain it to coworkers, but even that can be a good chance to open a dialog.

- Dominic

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Reply to
Dominic T.
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The only issue with those Kam Man gaiwans is that they're so big. I think brewing in gaiwan works best when you put enough leaf to expand into whole volume. Then the leaves don't get stale taste even if you brew them again and again for half a day. I used to use a mug without infuser with just leaves floating around at work. I also used a chinese rice cup.. I put some kind of lid on top of it but I don't remember what lid exactly.

I wish Kam Man had varying sizes of gaiwans..

It's a really good store for teaware by the way. Good selection of cups and cheaper than pearl river mart. They have good tetsubins for a very cheap price now. But the lids don't fit too well on them, that's the only problem.

Reply to
andrei.avk

Yes, it is a big one... but again for work use and the fact I don't have to worry about an accident it does well. The one I broke was a much more expensive one which was smaller and heavier weight. It had actually survived a fall at home once, but it lost against the stone floor of my work's bathroom. The lid is indeed a bit of an odd fit, but decent.

I tried the leaves straight in the mug too, but it just isn't as functional. I'd kill to have a store like Kam Man in Pittsburgh, even though their stuff is lower quality it is inexpensive and fairly decent... it puts the even lower quality and more expensive stuff in our Asian markets to shame. It's all relative I guess, I can't even

*buy* a gaiwan in Pittsburgh of any quality at any price.

- Dominic

Reply to
Dominic T.

It's been a while, but I hope I played a part in breaking you down, and I hope I wasn't brutal about it!

My slant is a little different from yours, though. I figure that since I spend so much time at work, and since I'm lucky enough to be allowed to brew tea there, I might as well use really good tools. So I use a really good porcelain 100-ml gaiwan even though I live within walking distance of Kam Man.

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin

Hey, I give props where props are due and try to mention RFDT to as many friends and other tea related folks as possible. Honestly the whole cast of characters here have shaped and grown my knowledge, appreciation, and love for tea way beyond what I came in with. Babelcarp alone has been a huge help a number of times. New teas, techniques, gear, etc. I used to have a much bigger setup at work, but I figured out how to enjoy most of my favorite teas at work without the extra wares. I much prefer the prospect of breaking free from a desk/cube/hole to where brewing tea *is* my job... but with the current beatings I've been taking in the market, that's seeming less likely ;)

Oh, and thanks for rubbing in the proximity to great tea, Kam Man, and the rest of NYC :) I mean, I'm in walking distance of just about nothing useful in most areas of Pittsburgh. I can get stale tea for

10x what it is worth and it's stored with coffee so just about any varietal will taste a bit like Kona. Excellent!

- Dominic

Reply to
Dominic T.

By the way, how are the teas in kam man? I almost bought some last time but I was sceptical about them being in open jars that, now that I thought about it, are in fact clear plastic.. So they're probably all stale? And there are so many boxed teas I wasn't sure which one to pick..

Reply to
andrei.avk

we should have a Kam-Man tasting, and send some samples to Dominic :)

Reply to
SN

In my limited experience, there's no way to be sure of getting stale tea at Kam Man. Try sniffing the tea if they'll let you. If the odor is really foul, go for it!

/Lew

Reply to
Lewis Perin

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