I’ve had this cup for about a year and a half, now, and use it at work. Mine is the jade (green) rather than the pale blue pictured above.
It’s lovely to look at, and I enjoy the fact that the crackling glaze of the cup changes over time with prolonged use. It’s a great tool, and I’m glad I have it, but I’ve been realizing more and more that this cup could be improved upon.
PROs:
Cup has matching strainer and cover/saucer
Looks lovely (classier to have on my desk than other options)
The strainer has more holes than otherwise-similar “Italian Mugs” from World Market and the like.
CONs:
The cup heats up quickly and stays hot for a long time. This often means it is very difficult to carry the cup back to my desk or drink from the cup right away without feeling like I’m going to drop it or burn myself. A double-walled cup with insulating air or a handle would eliminate this issue.
The strainer’s holes allow small particles to fall into the cup, so it really only works best with large, full leaf unblended teas (or teas that can steep forever without going bitter). At the same time, there aren’t a ton of holes (like in a mesh brew basket), so it takes the water a while to drain out of the stainer section.
The curved saucer/lid, if left on top of the cup for several minutes while steeping, directs condensation down the sides of the cup, leaving you with a wet ring under your cup. If the saucer were not quite so big and curved and styalized, I don’t think this would be an issue. Then again, it wouldn’t look as pretty that way.
So in general, I prefer to use a brew basket if I’m steeping a big mug of tea (otherwise, I’ll use a gaiwan or yixing pot gong-fu-style). However, compared to other similar all-in-one options on the market, this is both functional and lovely and not ridiculously expensive. I would certainly recommend this over tea balls or “Italian Mugs” or bags any day. I enjoy and appreciate having this at work, and since I don’t mind little bits in my cup at all, it makes me good tea!
SIDE NOTE: I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to put this through the dishwasher, and I’ve definitely run it through the one at work many times. So far, no worse for ware and no signs of cracks or damage. So.. I don’t know?
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I’ve been looking at this cup for a while. I’d love it in jade but rishi doesn’t seem to carry it in that color. Did you get yours somewhere else?
I originally got mine at a local teahouse that used a lot of Rishi teas. It’s since gone out of business, unfortunately. It might be worth asking rishi if any local resellers have it in stock?
Found one! And such a pretty jade color too! I agree with your pros and cons.. and sort of feel like the cons outweigh the pros here but its just so pretty to look at.
I’ve been looking at this cup for a while. I’d love it in jade but rishi doesn’t seem to carry it in that color. Did you get yours somewhere else?
I originally got mine at a local teahouse that used a lot of Rishi teas. It’s since gone out of business, unfortunately. It might be worth asking rishi if any local resellers have it in stock?
Found one! And such a pretty jade color too! I agree with your pros and cons.. and sort of feel like the cons outweigh the pros here but its just so pretty to look at.