Laugh Lines | 100ml

I'm an obsessive collector. I have probably 30 gaiwans in my cupboard and have lost or given away just as many over the years. Handmade, cast, glazed, unglazed, cai shao—all of it. But I regularly use maybe five of them. Experience has taught me that the best gaiwans are more bowl-shaped than vase-shaped, have a perfectly sealing lid (many out there do not), and feature a wide lip to keep your fingers from burning. That last point is essential when you're serving others and doing repeated, back-to-back steeps. This piece is easily the best of the 'Essentials' gaiwan line at TaoTeaware.

In addition to meeting all my baseline criteria, this piece is thick-walled, making it both remarkably sturdy and even less likely to burn your fingers. It features a crackle glaze, meaning the surface has fine fissures that will stain and develop a beautiful patina with use. If you drink real tea, you will quickly come to love watching that patina evolve. The glaze also has a uniquely matte yet smooth tactile feel that I haven't found in other cast gaiwans, which are usually standard white porcelain or glazed to feel exactly like it.

I am lucky enough to own many expensive teaware pieces from various artists and vendors, many of which are one-of-a-kind. Yet, this is one of the only gaiwans I have bought multiples of simply because I keep giving them away to friends. It is the absolute perfect entry-level gaiwan, but it remains a genuine pleasure to use even for someone with a cupboard full of other options.

Laugh Lines | 100ml

My second purchase of this gaiwan; as it figures, my first one was destined to become a kintsugi gaiwan, by executive order of my blind munchkin cat, Zatoichi. She remains true to her namesake, lol. Still, well worth the second purchase. It brews and pours beautifully.

Gorgeous. I love celadon, and as a woman approaching 40, I'm learning to love the wrinkles starting to show up as I age. I bought this as a reminder of the beauty life has, even as we get older, and that some aspects grow even more lovely as they mature.... just like this gaiwan! Fits lovely in the hand, haven't yet had a chance to brew it in (my order only just arrived yesterday,) but have spent the last 24hrs-ish oogling my new additions. The crackle pattern glaze on this has a wonderful blend of very straight, almost squarish cracks, and long, delicate, curving cracks that contrast in a way that is rather elegant.

Genuinely one of my favorite US-based teaware sellers. Quality products, affordable prices, sample tea coins that smell **so scrumptious** as free samples! They even offer more expensive teaware too, so you can grab everything from your basic essentials, to high-end specialty teaware that will make a proud addition to your collection. You genuinely cannot go wrong here.

Beautiful!