What's a Gaiwan and why do I love them?

A gaiwan is one of the most ancient and effective tea steeping vessels ever created. The body, called the 'wan', means bowl, and evolved from a simple bowl used originally to hold powdered tea. The large body of the 'wan' allows the leaves to expand and steep properly to release its full potential of aromas and flavors. The lid, called 'gai', means to cover, and the ancient Chinese consider this to be equivalent of the heavens covering us. The lid is essential to holding the steam inside the bowl to steep the tea properly. The lid can also be tilted back gently to act as a strainer and allow the liquid of the tea to pour without the tea leaves. Finally, the saucer, called the 'die', is to hold the bowl without burning one's hands, and was originally developed for someone to serve the bowl of tea with two hands as a gesture of politeness. The large body of the 'wan' allows the leaves to expand and steep properly to release its full potential of aromas and flavors. Gaiwans come in many shapes and sizes, some for serving, some for drinking directly. Most are made of non-porous glazed porcelain or bone china, to effectively steep any type of tea without taking on any aroma. The fluted edge of the bowl is useful as a rim to grasp the bowl and pour with. These bowls are designed to be handle-less so that the temperature can be gauged.
You can brew anything in a gaiwan. Careful you don't burn your fingers though. If a tea requires very hot to boiling water, I use something else!