Sourced by Michael Zhan in Kunming
These cups began as a request: could we find a tasting vessel that felt at home in both a 1990s factory-warehouse session and a contemporary tea bar? Michael Zhan, our sourcing specialist, spent months visiting small glass studios around Kunming — the city where traditional craft meets Yunnan’s modern tea culture. The Gao series emerged from a workshop tucked beside the old railway line, run by a third‐generation glassblower who normally produces lab equipment. Michael pushed for 25 ml instead of the more common 30 ml, arguing that gongfu devotees want concentration, not comfort. Each cup is individually mouth‐blown from high‑clarity borosilicate, then annealed overnight. The rim is fire‑polished for a seamless lip feel. No mold marks, no seams — just a delicate bowl that weighs only 35 g per cup. Because the workshop also produces scientific glass, the tolerances are unusually tight: capacity varies by less than ±1 ml across the set. Michael’s final sign‑off came after a side‑by‑side session with a 1998 Yiwu sheng pu‑erh, where the clarity of the cup allowed the tea’s evolving shades to be seen at a glance.