Thick-Base Glass Gongdao Cup 300ml

Thick-base glass gongdao cup, 300ml

The thick-base glass gongdao cup is a hand-blown borosilicate sharing pitcher for gongfu tea, the vessel the gaiwan empties into before the small cups are poured. Its egg-shaped body sits on a thick disc of solid glass with a dimple underneath, so most of the weight is at the bottom. The coloured glass handle comes in two options, Green and Rainbow.

Pick it up and the weight is the first thing you notice. Set it down and it lands low and stays put. That matters halfway through a session, when the tray is wet, the cups are everywhere, and one hand is on the kettle while the other holds the gaiwan lid. A light pitcher rocks or skates on a damp tray. This one does not.

The spout is a short beak with a clean cut-off, so it pours without running down the outside. The clear body shows the colour changing from one infusion to the next.

Green or rainbow

The handle is a ribbon of coloured glass, joined at the shoulder and flaring out lower down. Green is a single deep solid green. Rainbow is three strands of yellow, blue and green twisted together, and the twist falls differently on every cup.

Product details

• Capacity: about 300 ml
• Height: about 9.5 cm
• Length including handle: about 13.8 cm
• Material: borosilicate glass, hand-blown and hand-shaped
• Base: thick solid glass
• Origin: Dehua, Fujian, China

This works well for

• A heavier cup that does not tip on a tea tray
• Seeing the colour of the tea before it reaches the cups
• Long gongfu sessions with several people at the table
• A first gongfu set, since glass takes any tea without holding the last one

Pick one up at our Salamanca Tea Bar in Hobart and you'll feel the difference straight away.

Using a gongdao cup

The point is timing. When the steep is done, tip the whole gaiwan into the pitcher in one go, so the leaves sit waiting rather than stewing in what is left behind. Then pour into the cups. Everyone gets the same strength and the next infusion starts fresh.

Care

Hand wash and air dry. It takes boiling tea, but do not go from cold to hot in a hurry. Sizes are approximate and each piece is close to the photos, not identical.

Shipping

Ships from Hobart, Tasmania. Free shipping on orders over $95 Australia-wide. We wrap it in bubble wrap inside a padded box.

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Cha Hai (Fairness Cup) · Glass Cups · Tea Gifts · Tea Wares