The lightest size Gao Liuzhou makes
Her 120ml fluted gaiwan is the signature piece, but Michael Zhan kept asking Gao Lihua for something smaller and plainer — a gaiwan that matched the speed of a true solo session without the flutes’ extra bench time. This 80ml size is her answer: no mould, no ribbing, just a thin-walled bowl drawn down to about 1.2mm, a point where heat moves through the glass in seconds rather than minutes.
Michael tested several rounds of prototypes with her before settling on this version, discarding lids that whistled or rims that dripped on the pour. At 80ml with a 5g charge, it holds exactly one round for a solo drinker — small enough that the session never outlasts the tea’s interest, sturdy enough at the rim that the thinness doesn’t feel fragile in the hand. Each piece is mouth-blown and hand-finished to remove any sharpness from the lip, the same finishing pass she gives her larger gaiwans.