Closeup of someone enjoying tea from Rishi’s gaiwan

How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea in a Gaiwan

Brewing with a Gaiwan, the traditional vessel for Chinese tea brewing methods, can seem intimidating, but with a little practice and following the right guidance, it is easy to master.

Date:

November 07, 2023

Author:

Rishi Tea

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Mastering how to use a gaiwanstarts with understanding how to utilize its lid, bowl and saucer.

Translating literally to “lid and bowl,” the Gaiwan is most often made from porcelain and flourished during the Ming dynasty when loose leaf teas came into fashion. Among tea enthusiasts, the Gaiwan is a preferred vessel for appreciating the aromas of fragrant teas.

Learn how to use a gaiwan tea set with the steps below.

Layout of each of the tools needed for this traditional Chinese brewing method

How to Use a Gaiwan Set

To prepare tea with a Gaiwan, you will need:

Gaiwan
Waste bowl
Tablespoon
Timer
Serving pitcher
Teacups

Warming a Gaiwan with warm water, the first step for this traditional Chinese tea brewing method

Warm Gaiwan

Add freshly boiled water to the gaiwan to pre-warm.

Close-up of clear teacups as part of the gaiwan set, showing how to use warm water as part of the preparation

Warm Teacups

Add freshly boiled water to the teacups to pre-warm.

Discard

Discard water into waste bowl.

Close-up of gentle spoons of Rishi loose leaf tea into the gaiwan

Add Tea

Fill gaiwan 20% full if using ball-rolled tea; 60% full if using twist-rolled tea.

Awakening the teas, or adding the hot water as an extra rinse

Awaken Leaves & Add Water

For baked oolong and Pu’er teas, add fresh hot water to just cover the leaves, then immediately discard. This rinse helps to “warm and smooth” the taste of the tea. After awakening, slowly pour water over rinsed leaves until covered with water, just below the rim of the gaiwan.

Infuse

Add lid. The water level should rise slightly above the lid to create a seal for locking in aromas. Steep for the recommended infusion time.

Pour

Adjust the lid position slightly to create an open space for the infusion to decant. Hold Gaiwan bowl using thumb and middle finger on the rim, while securing the lid with index finger. Using a swift motion, tilt gaiwan forward and slightly inward to decant into a serving pitcher.

After demonstrating how to use a Gaiwan, the individual pours the tea into clear teacups

Serve

Pour from serving pitcher into individual teacups.

Closeup of adding each infusion to the decanter

Stacking Infusions

Stack multiple infusions together in a serving pitcher by repeating the previous steps. You can keep the “root” of the infusion alive in the serving pitcher, and simply add subsequent infusions to that liquid.

Enjoy

Pour a small amount of your stacked infusions into each teacup, alternating from one cup to the next to ensure each cup has equal concentration of flavor.

Continue exploring Chinese tea brewing methods with our gongfu cha guide. For your next session, try a single origin tea from Garden Direct.

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A Note on How to Brew Loose Leaf Tea

Rishi Tea & Botanicals includes recommendations on how to brew your particular loose leaf variety, including the brewing method, steep time, temperature, amount and teaware. If you’re researching how to brew loose leaf tea without an infuser, the Simple Brew includes a removable strainer, so a separate infuser is not required.

Looking for more brewing guidance? Explore our collection of step-by-step brewing instructions by tea type and teaware.