Guide: Recently, a tea enthusiast asked me on WeChat (dydy600) which is better for brewing tea, a purple clay teapot or a gaiwan? Purple clay teapots and gaiwans are considered the two essential tools for brewing Pu'er tea, but it's hard to say definitively which one is better. Let's explore the differences between brewing tea with a purple clay teapot and a gaiwan.

1. Brewing Tea with a Gaiwan

The most common gaiwan is the white porcelain gaiwan. Porcelain has fine, dense clay and a thick glaze, which doesn't retain flavors—this is an advantage of the gaiwan. Some tea lovers might mention Ru kiln ware. Many who appreciate Ru kiln ware are drawn to its beauty after cracking, but once cracked, it starts to retain flavors, with tea stains settling into the cracks. But really, is cracked ware that beautiful? Is it??

Gaiwans are more suitable for brewing new teas, as new teas don't require extremely high water temperatures. Older teas, however, demand higher temperatures. Gaiwans are relatively thin, dense, and have a wide opening, so they don't retain heat well. This isn't noticeable in summer, but in winter, using a gaiwan to brew ripe Pu'er can make it hard to fully extract the tea's flavors and aromas.

However, the advantage of a gaiwan is that it's easy to clean and doesn't retain flavors. A well-cleaned gaiwan won't transfer flavors between different teas, making it perfect for those who prefer simplicity and convenience. Nowadays, isn't it trendy to rely on just one gaiwan for all teas?

Another benefit of the gaiwan is that it truthfully reveals the quality of a tea. The gaiwan is honest and straightforward, extracting every bit of flavor from the tea with each brew, laying bare both its strengths and weaknesses. In contrast, the purple clay teapot seems more adept at pleasing its owner with clever tricks.

2. Brewing with a Purple Clay Teapot

Purple clay teapots have no glaze on the surface and excellent breathability. The interior of purple clay has many fine pores, making it much less dense than porcelain. This means purple clay teapots require careful handling. They absorb tea flavors well—a well-used purple clay teapot can brew a faint tea soup with just boiling water, even without tea leaves. But here's the problem: if a teapot has been used to brew teas of vastly different styles, the flavors will inevitably influence each other.

After each brew, the pores in the purple clay retain the tea's aroma—this is called "flavor retention." In the next brew, these retained flavors can mix, leading to cross-contamination. Therefore, purple clay teapots are usually dedicated to either raw or ripe Pu'er, with some meticulous tea lovers even assigning one teapot per tea mountain. Purple clay teapots can be quite finicky, so tea enthusiasts who dislike hassle might prefer to stick with a simple gaiwan.

Tea brewed in a purple clay teapot has its impurities absorbed by the teapot, resulting in purer aromas and a noticeably mellower taste. For pure enjoyment, this is excellent, but the flavor can also feel somewhat altered. For tasting, a purple clay teapot is the best choice, but for evaluating tea, the gaiwan is the fairest and most impartial.

In short, a well-maintained purple clay teapot enhances the quality of tea, while a gaiwan presents the tea's "true nature." Each has its pros and cons. Tea brewed in a purple clay teapot tastes better, but the teapot itself is high-maintenance and requires careful upkeep (I’ve detailed the method for brewing aged tea with a purple clay teapot on WeChat (dyshuocha)—interested tea lovers can check it out). For the lazy, this can be tiresome. The gaiwan, on the other hand, is fair, straightforward, and simple to use (aside from the occasional scalding) and requires no maintenance. Brew, rinse, and reuse—it’s that easy. Both have their merits; it depends on whether you prefer the refined, finicky purple clay teapot or the simple, honest gaiwan.

By Dong Yue | Senior Tea Artisan and Tea Taster, Founder of Nanming Jiaren