A gaiwan-maker’s answer to the bench-top
Storage jars are Gao Liuzhou’s way of not wasting a good gather. Her gaiwans and cups draw on precisely measured glass; the offcuts and cooler ends of a firing session are more than enough for a simple cylinder, so the jars came about as a way to use what would otherwise go back into the cullet bin.
The 250ml size is formed from the same laboratory-grade borosilicate as her tea vessels, tolerant of the temperature swings a kitchen counter sees through a day. The lid is carved from seasoned bamboo root by a woodturner she has worked with since her early Liuzhou years, chosen for its slight breathability and the soft, dry sound it makes when it seats. Jars are sold in pairs, in keeping with a habit most regular drinkers already have — a green open for the morning, an oolong or black for the afternoon.
Each jar is annealed for 24 hours for clarity and resilience, then finished without any signature mark, since these are a minor line rather than a numbered piece of her main work. This is not a jar for years of aging — it bridges the long-term ceramic and tin storage at tea.furniture and the immediacy of the tea table, holding whatever you’ll finish within the week.