What is a Shouzhuawan?

In an earlier post, I wrote about why I think the Shouzhuawan should be one of the first items on the list of tea lovers who are just getting started. This article elaborates what is a shouzhuawan.

What is a Shouzhuawan?

A shouzhuawan- 手抓碗- is literally translated as a ‘hand-gripped bowl’. A bowl that can be gripped with your hand. That pretty much sums up what it’s meant to be.

It is a variant of the ubiquitous gaiwan which in my opinion is geared more towards new drinkers who might find the good ol’ gaiwan too intimidating or difficult to use.

Some of the problems we first encounter with using a gaiwan include:
i)   Hard to grip

ii)   High propensity to scald our hands

iii)   Difficult to find an optimum angle to pour out smoothly without allowing too much leaves to seep through

Those were the issues most shouzhuawan designers set out to correct.

Above are 3 of the common shouzhuawan around.

You can see the grips on the sides of each shouzhuawan, some with padding, with different materials or an extended grip so that it is easier to grip and it provides some insulation against the heat.

This makes it more ergonomically designed so the user can easily grip and pour out the tea, without fear of fumbling or scalding the hands.

The shouzhuawan also comes with a spout which allows the water to spill out directly from the vessel. There is no need to struggle with finding the right angle to pour out. Too small an angle will result in slow water flow and the heat causing discomfort to the fingers while too big an angle will result in the leaves gushing out as well.
With a spout, the water flow is regulated and smoother while your fingers can rest squarely on the insulating grip as you pour out.

Some shouzhuawans have small holes to prevent the leaves from coming out. The problem as most owners of pots with such holes would know is that the leaves might block the hole.

Other shouzhuawans use filters to correct that. Of course for filters, you should clean it regularly, else there might be residual taste on your filter and hence the subsequent brews.

Limitations

What is its greatest strength though, is ironically its weakness. The spout of the shouzhuawan while creating an easy outlet to decant, allows the fragrance of the tea to escape and in a side-by-side taste test it would then pale in comparison to the simple gaiwan.

Perhaps the best analogy for how I view a shouzhuawan is that it’s like training wheels- it provides an accessible entry point for new tea lovers to get acquainted with the joys of gongfu brewing and is versatile enough to brew all 6 categories of tea.

The novice drinker can then gain confidence with the shouzhuawan and subsequently feel comfortable to move on to a gaiwan when he or feels a plateau has been reached.

Disclaimer

We sell a shouzhuawan in our store but that’s not why we laud its merits. Rather, it’s because we believe it’s the best entry point that’s why we brought it in and made it part of our starter kit.

See the Peony Set in stores