(Subject line an homage to Larry Niven)

I like the idea of glass teaware. Having spent a number of years in
academic and industrial research labs, though, my standards of quality
and utility for glassware are somewhat distorted relative to the
pots'n'pans market. I do quite like cut (as distinct from molded)
crystal from Ireland and Bohemia; there, the many irregularities give
voice to the hand-worker's efforts. But I have yet to see a piece of
glass tea-brewing equipment that I thought well-designed and -executed,
especially as regards glass weight over various parts of the object.

Nonetheless, I keep a few glass pots and gaiwans, mainly to give away
and to show newbies what's going on in there. Since hot, strong tea
supersaturates on cooling, leaving tough residues, cleaning is an
annoyance even with greens and whites.

Now that my main daily tipple is cool-brew shu Pu (and the occasional
low-roast fragrant oolong), though, I've been finding a glass gaiwan
ideal. With steep times running many minutes to a few hours, a glance
across the room gives an immediate gauge of infusion strength. And since
nothing is cooling, there are no deposits to clean.

Main feedstock for this is Tuochatea's various Yunxiang bricks, which I
think are about the best value going on ripe Pu-erh. That cherry-cola
note really comes through on room-temperature brewing. Haven't had such
good results with sheng Pu-erhs; good presentation of plum and camphor
notes, but flavor balance otherwise not comparable to that achieved with
fast, hot steeps.

-DM