"Rough Diamond" & "Weathered Rock" Handmade Gong Fu Tea Set

Crafted by a talented potter (whom we are honored to call a friend), A Jie, the set is a matching pair of "Rough Diamond" Gaiwan and "Weathered Rock" Teacup. Both pieces have a rugged, natural feel that immediately draws you in. The faceted design of the gaiwan and the textured, wabi-sabi style of the teacup really complement each other. They're perfect if you appreciate teaware that feels like it's been shaped by nature and time.

A Jie

The gaiwan is on the smaller side, holding about 90ml, which makes it ideal for solo or duo tea sessions. It's especially great for those moments when you only have a few grams of your favorite tea left or when you're brewing something so special that it would be a crime to brew a lot at a time. The smaller size encourages you to savor each steep and pay attention to how the flavors develop. The amount brewed in the gaiwan fits perfectly into the teacup, so you don't need a Gong Dao Bei.

The high-iron content clay enhances the taste of tea – it brings out tea's natural sweetness. Both the gaiwan and teacup are wood-fired, which gives them unique glaze and texture – no two pieces are ever exactly alike. The unpredictability of the firing process makes the set more personal, with a story behind it.

First, fired in an electric kiln to fortify the shape, and then taken to a wood-fired kiln

A Jie's studio has a calm, Zen-like energy, and his creations reflect that balance — rooted in tradition but pushing the boundaries of design. A Jie has a deep appreciation for the natural materials he uses, especially the high-iron Dehua clay and the unpredictability of the wood-firing process. Each piece he creates, from teacups to gaiwans, carries a part of his artistic journey and his respect for the art of tea.

This tea set is a beautiful reflection of the potter's craftsmanship, combining tradition with a modern, earthy design. It's perfect for those quiet tea moments when you want to slow down, appreciate the simple things, and enjoy a tea experience that feels a little more connected to nature.

What's in the set:

1 "Rough Diamond" Gaiwan (90-100ml)
1 "Weathered Rock" Teacup (90-100ml)
Material: High-iron Clay (Dehua)

NOTE: Each piece is handmade and wood-fired. It makes each piece unique and one of a kind. Thus, the teaware that you receive will slightly differ from the one in the photos.

NOTE: Avoid using detergents when cleaning.

Beautiful pieces. I had purchased this to use for my white and lightly oxidized oolongs. It turned out to mute those types of tea too much for my liking. After some experimentation with all tea types-I found this set seems to brew green teas extremely well. The astringency is dulled, the grass notes lighly linger, bitterness is dulled and i found the sweetness comes forward substantially. Japanese kamaraicha, clouds and mist green, and dragonwell were exceptional brewed with this. This set also seemed to smooth out most of the rougher mouth feel i would get when i would brew at higher temperatures. Great set as always! Everyones tastes are subjective but for me this is my go to for stronger flavored green teas for sure!

Thank you for the review, Timothy! And yes, we came to the same conclusion – to our surprise, this clay works extremely well with green teas!

Impressive Set

Its my one peice that has a lot of character. It looks asymmetrical, unfinished, yet the giawan and cup are both carefully made to match in circumference and capacity. I enjoy this pairing because there are some nearly perfect and awe inspiring elements. Im most impressed by the cup, some light staining from the end of a session is easily rinsed away and its makes the end of a session bit interesting. It goes from Grey stone to almost near gold sometimes.

Worth it

I have a hard time spending money on myself. Feel like I have to justify every little purchase of anything that makes me happy. So this was a hard decision for me to actually spend the money on something that… I already have tea things that work, after all, why should I do this? I am so glad I did.

The tea set itself is beautiful. I’m not sure the camera they used for the photo really captured the iridescence of the glaze. Sort of purple/green hue within the “grey” that sparkles. I don’t want to say shiny, but my camera has a really hard time doing the glaze justice.

It’s really a wonderful size for my daily drinking. I’m more likely to try two different teas and compare them rather than have a 120 ml of one tea all day.

But more than that, it just feels good in my hands. The texture does have a stone-like quality that gives you a good amount of friction, therefore control, when you’re pouring. All my cheap gaiwans have holes for pouring through, so I’ve had a bit of a learning curve with this one, but even so have managed to not burn my fingers. Seems not to be particularly thermally conducive; holds the water’s temperature well.

The hippie side of me, who is a crafter and a tradesman of a kind, can appreciate when an object is made with a particular intention. Something like this that is handmade by an individual craftsman who makes these because he probably also enjoys tea, and wants those who hold his work to also enjoy their tea, and a peaceful moment of equanimity. Maybe I’m projecting on A Jie here, but it does seem like I can feel that intention in the cup as I’m sipping. The same way when I am creating things, I’m putting intention into my work. Mass produced things seem to lack that. I’m not sure if my words really hit on the quality I’m trying to describe, but I’ve spent an hour trying to put words to it and that’s the best I got.

It’s definitely going to become something I use… maybe not every day, I don’t always have time to sit down for gong fu… but very frequently for as long as I can hold on to it. It would be more than daily if we’re going by number of sessions… based on my past week of use. (Though I was pretty excited about the new gaiwan, and well, tariffs may put a hold on daily tea drinking, so “daily” still might be an exaggeration, unless I figure out how to smuggle…) For something that you’ll use everyday (if this small size fits your lifestyle) I’d say it’s worth spending more for something made with that appreciation and intention. Something that can bring you joy with its use. If someone had gifted this to me, with every use I’d reflect on how this shows how they love and appreciate me, and I’d reflect on how I love and appreciate them. Being I gave this to myself, I can reflect on metta for myself and world. So it’s worth it, in my opinion. Might be for you too.

Thank you, Susan. This review means a lot to us 🙏

"Rough Diamond" & "Weathered Rock" Handmade Gong Fu Tea Set

Customer Reviews

You may be interested in: