LOVE
I got this adorable little gongfu tea set for $32! Let me tell you, it's my FAVORITE teaware.The cats are so cute. The ceramic feels sturdy and of decent quality. It does a great job filtering leaves and the lid stays on perfectly while pouring. It pours very well and looks and feels satisfying while doing it. I love that it came with a carrying case. I have already traveled with it to a friend's house to share some Yame Sencha tea (from Spirit Tea). The pouring mechanism works perfectly and it's easy to clean. I have only hand-washed it as it's easy for me, though I believe it says it's dishwasher safe (aside from the handle attachment).The wood part of the tea tray has slightly warped with water/tea but still works and fits in the bottom tray. It is sturdy enough to carry around my tea as well. The styrofoam in the carrying case does shed a bit when I take out the cups, but I'm just gentle and always rinse off my cups before use anyway. I mean, for $32, I don't expect all of it to be perfect. They seemed to prioritize the ceramic cups' quality, which I appreciate.Key Points:AffordableAdorableEffective/Simple Gongfu MethodQuality Teaware that works as intendedUseful compact carrying case -- styrofoam does tend to shedCheaper Quality wood in the tray, but still functional
✔ Verified Purchase
R
Ralina Greer
December 21, 2025
Worth the money
Beautiful handmade pieces the colors are so pretty and fade and appear with temp change
✔ Verified Purchase
Very well made!
Gifted and very well loved
✔ Verified Purchase
M
Micah Cowan
December 27, 2023
Excellent and very enjoyable. Not for gongfu tea.
This tea set is beautiful and fun to use (I've the dark blue floral one). There is something very satisfying about the simple mechanism of pouring from this swiveling, combined gaiwan-and-pitcher. I am using this every day and am quite satisfied with it. The travel pack is very convenient, and even when not traveling it's the best way to store the set while not in use. I rinse out the set every morning when I'm done, wait for it to finish drying, and then replace in the travel case to protect the items from chipping, etc.Although it's advertised as a "gongfu" tea set, I don't really see how it would be possible to brew in gongfu style, since with no separation between the gaiwan and the pitcher, it is not possible to serve multiple people while keeping the same brewing strength (the first person served will have a markedly weaker cup than the last person, whose brew will be far too strong if brewed in the gongfu style). If serving a single person, you will have to use much more hot water for brewing than is appropriate for a single serving, in order for the water to stay in contact with the leaves, meaning that you will leave some to continue brewing in the pot (ruining the flavor, at gongfu strength).But I mean... I figured that out before ordering, and wanted it anyway. If you use it for more western-style tea brewing (~3g of leaves per 8oz, brewed for a couple minutes at least), it works very nicely (even if the portion sizes will be quite small). I'm putting ~3g of leaves into the gaiwan, filling it up with hot water (to the bottom of the lip, about where the lid will sit), and letting it steep for two and a half minutes before pouring the first cup. After serving, most of the hot water will stay in the pot and continue brewing, so I add more water to the top and let it steep another minute before serving again. And repeat until it's brewed out.After boiling the water, I pour it into a very-well-insulated (Contigo-brand) thermos, whose interior has already been preheated by holding hot water (which is then discarded, unused except to heat), as otherwise the water in the kettle will cool too fast, before the leaves have lost their potency. If you have a kettle that will keep the water warm, then I'm sure you can eliminate the need for a thermos.I do have two rather minor annoyances with this set: first, the wooden knob that serves as a handle to the gaiwan's lid, becomes loosened pretty easily, and it's a tad awkward to tighten, as you must hold the knob still while tightening a nut on the underside of the lid (which can be done with your fingers). I'm finding I have to do this every other day at least. Second, if the pitcher's wooden handle is screwed in just a little too tightly, it won't unscrew again unless you use pliers to hold the metal on the pitcher-side still while unscrewing the handle-side. This isn't an actual problem unless (like me) you intend to return the pieces back to their foam-lined case, which only has space for the pitcher and its handle if the two are separated.
✔ Verified Purchase
Esthetic
It does it's purpose 😌. I am very satisfied with my purchase 😊. I love the esthetic ! ❤️😍
✔ Verified Purchase
C
C. Banker
February 25, 2025
beautiful and functional
This is a beautiful tea set with great functionality. I bought one for work and liked it enough to buy another for home. The pivoting inner cup allows you to pour tea out without removing the leaves or strainer, so you can pour more water right into it again.Easy to use and clean. A full pot to the lid is about 2 full teacups.One set had some minor QC issues (misaligned handle, burr on one cup bottom), but they were able to make it right.
✔ Verified Purchase
S
Salamander13
February 23, 2024
Soooo pretty in person!!
I love love love this tea set! I just got some Chinese teas and it holds the right amount of leaves to water. When full with the strainer, it holds about 6 ounces of water. Without the strainer, it's a full 8 ounces. Each little cup holds about 2 ounces. I recommend having a separate small pitcher (preferably clear glass, though I have a stainless steel one) to hold excess tea between steeps, to avoid over steeping.The tea tray is definitely smaller than you might expect, just from going off of the pictures. It's lovely for a nice, personal gongfu session, though. The tray holds a whole wash of tea (6+ ounces) without issues.The holder is well made, and the foam insert is a perfect touch. I rinse and dry my whole set each time before putting things back, and make sure the bamboo for the tray is dry before placing it in and sealing everything up. I hope for it to last a really long time, and I'm pretty sure it will!
✔ Verified Purchase
