3 Ways to Use Chinese Gaiwan Tea set Without Hurting Your Hands

　　Tea lovers always have an elegant temperament. They can make tea, pour tea, and taste tea in one go, and their movements are gentle and natural.

　　I still remember the first time I used the Gaiwan Tea Set to make tea. I tried hard to imitate its elegance, but my already clumsy technique seemed even more ridiculous.

　　Later, a senior taught me, "Don't stick up your little finger," and then I suddenly realized.

　　Of course, when making tea, more attention should be paid to the skills of making tea, that is, the taste and flavor of the tea soup.

In fact, there are only two things you need to pay attention to when using Gaiwan to make tea.

1. When pouring tea soup, leave a reasonable gap between the bowl and the lid to prevent the tea leaves from flowing out with the tea soup.
   The gap left depends on the type of tea, but it should not be too big or too small.
   The gap is too large, and when pouring tea, the water flow is too strong, which can easily burn your hands.
   If the gap is too small, the tea leaves will easily block the outlet, making it difficult to pour out the tea.
   If the gap is not easy to judge, it is recommended that novice tea lovers start with a small gap and slowly adjust it to find a reasonable position.

　　2. Choose a convenient way to serve the soup so that it is not hot or the heat is tolerable.

　　If the lid of the bowl is hot, it is easy to drop it, causing the tea and tea leaves to spill all over the table, and even scald the guests.

　　If you force yourself to finish brewing the tea, it will not only be a torturous process, but you will also be unable to concentrate on making tea.

　　Subconsciously, you will want to finish making the tea soup as quickly as possible, which will also affect the taste and flavor of the tea soup.

　　If the lid of the bowl is too hot when pouring the soup, changing the way you hold the bowl may be the solution.

　　When using the Gaiwan Tea Set to make tea, there are three ways to hold the Gaiwan.

　　The first one is the way I usually use.

　　After adjusting the size of the opening at the front end of Gaiwan (mainly by hand), start operating Gaiwan.

　　1. Place your thumb and middle finger at opposite angles and pinch both sides of the bowl.

　　2. Use the first joint of your index finger to hold the cover button of the Gaiwan, or press the cover button with the tip of your index finger and press it tightly.

　　When pouring the tea, press down lightly with your wrist, tilt the Gaiwan to 90 degrees, and slowly pour out the tea. Do not rush to retract the Gaiwan. Wait until all the tea is out before retracting it, otherwise it will affect the taste and mouthfeel of the next few brews.

　　The second method is similar to the first one.

　　After adjusting the size of the opening at the front end of Gaiwan (mainly by hand), start operating Gaiwan.

　　1. Similarly, place your thumb and middle finger at opposite angles and pinch both sides of the bowl.

　　2. At this time, instead of pressing the cover button with the first joint of the index finger, stand up the index finger and press it against the depression in the center of the cover button.

　　The method of pouring out the tea soup is the same as the first one. Gently press down with your wrist. The angle should not be too large. When all the tea soup is out, retract the Gaiwan.

　　This method is not applicable to all Gaiwan, but is suitable for Gaiwan with a certain thickness of the cover.

　　Some Gaiwan Tea Sets have a deeper depression on the lid button with no thickness in the middle to prevent the spread of heat. At this time, the heat from the boiling water will be transferred to the lid button and it is easy to burn your index finger.

The third type is more neutral and is mostly used by men.

　　After adjusting the opening size at the 6th point of Gaiwan Tea Set (close to yourself), start holding the Gaiwan.

　　1: Use the thumbs and index fingers of both hands to pinch the edge of the Gaiwan at the same time, and leave the other four fingers suspended in the air. After lifting the Gaiwan, cover the lid button with the thumb of your right hand, and put the remaining four fingers together to support the bottom of the bowl, with your palm suspended in the air.

　　2: Press the lid button with your thumb and gently tilt the Gaiwan. Put the other four fingers together to support the bottom of the bowl with your palm suspended in the air.

　　Along the opening of the Gaiwan, rotate your wrist inward and slowly pour out the tea. Also pay attention to the tilting angle and speed. When all the tea is out, retract the Gaiwan.

　　The reason why this method is suitable for men is that men have larger palms, so they can hold the Gaiwan more steadily and are less likely to burn their hands. If the Gaiwan is of the right size, this method is also suitable for women.

Attention to details:

　　① Do not pinch the bowl of Gaiwan as it is very hot due to the boiling water.

　　② Do not pour the tea at too large an angle or too fast to prevent the tea from flowing down the lid of the bowl onto your hands and scalding them.

　　③ If you are not sure whether all the tea has been drained out, you can gently swing your arms up and down with gentle and slow movements to drain out as much tea as possible.

　　④ When pouring soup, keep your head and body upright, and do not tilt your wrists and gaiwan.

　　⑤ Regardless of the method, you must pay attention to an important tea table etiquette: the bottom of the bowl cannot be exposed to the guests. Just like the etiquette of not facing the spout of the pot, it is very impolite. In the first two methods, the bottom of the bowl is facing yourself, and the mouth of the bowl is facing outwards to pour the soup; in the third method, even if the bowl is facing yourself and the bottom of the bowl is facing outwards, you still cover the bottom of the bowl with other fingers.

　　There is no need to be so particular about etiquette when making tea for yourself, just do as you like.

　　You should pay more attention to the details to avoid getting burned.

　　When you first start using Gaiwan, your hands will inevitably shake when you press your wrists down. This is normal and will get better with more practice.

　　Regarding the little finger, it is impolite to point it at guests when making tea, but everyone has different habits. If you have nowhere to put your idle finger, you can gently bend it and press it against the finger in front to assist. I personally feel that this will make it much more stable.

 

Article source: https://ibuyteas.com/blogs/3-ways-to-use-chinese-gaiwan-tea-set-without-hurting-your-hands