A tall cup from the same amber melt
This pair grew out of the amber tint Gao Lihua developed for her tinted gaiwans — the same mineral addition, warm and transparent with a whisper of rust, poured this time into a taller cylinder rather than a bowl. Michael Zhan asked for a shape built specifically for side-by-side comparison: height greater than diameter to trap aromatics, a rim thin but rounded for a soft touch on the mouth, and a base sturdy enough to hold residual warmth through a full round.
Each cylinder is 40ml, sized for sharing a single gongfu infusion between two drinkers rather than a full table. The pair format supports the comparison Michael has long pushed for with oolong sessions — one cup for the tea as poured, one held back a minute to see how the liquor shifts. The cups carry a fine rim polish and the faint pontil mark of the blowpipe at the base, the same hand-finishing Gao gives the rest of her Liuzhou line.