The Silver-Lined Porcelain Gaiwan (part of the silver set), adorned with classical motifs, is a harmonious blend of two renowned materials. The body is painted in cobalt blue, depicting a serene landscape and scholars among bamboo.
The inner bowl of this gaiwan is lined with pure silver, which moves heat very quickly and evenly. As soon as you pour in hot water, the whole interior comes up to temperature almost instantly, so the leaves warm and open uniformly. Then, because silver is so conductive, it also starts giving off heat as soon as you stop pouring, so the liquor doesn’t stay at peak temperature for long. In practice, this lets you brew with hot water and short steeps: sweet and savory amino acids, and aroma come out fast, while the slower-extracting bitter compounds have less time to come forward, giving you a clean, sweet, very aromatic cup with fewer rough edges.
Silver is chemically stable in water and doesn’t impart or absorb flavor, so what you taste is the tea and the water, not the vessel. Many tea drinkers notice a cleaner, sweeter cup with good definition, which makes this gaiwan an excellent match for delicate greens, sweet whites, and aromatic oolongs
Silver is a heat-conductive material, and the porcelain shell does the practical work of keeping your fingers comfortable even when you're brewing hot. The lid sits securely, the bowl is wide enough for leaf expansion, and the rim pours cleanly without drips.