🍵gaiwan or yixing: how i actually decide
the session that settled it for me: a 2023 Mi Lan Xiang that tasted flat in porcelain and came alive in clay
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1
Porcelain gaiwan, 100-120ml
(rinse first) my default for anything I haven't brewed before, it tells the truth about the leaf
2
the tea that started this list. first two steeps in the gaiwan were thin, switched to yixing on steep 3 and the honey note finally showed up
3
Small unglazed yixing pot, zini clay
dedicated to oolongs only, never soap. resteeps well past what the gaiwan gets you on the same leaf
4
Fenghuang Shuixian base cultivar (unroasted)
tasted this next to the Mi Lan Xiang to understand what the honey-orchid processing actually adds
5
Tasting cups, 20-30ml, thin porcelain
6
Gongfu tray with drainage
bought the cheap one for two years, upgraded, wish I had sooner tbh
7
Second yixing pot for green/lighter oolongs
still deciding if I actually need this or just wanted an excuse
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