The Fairness Cup (Gong Dao Bei): Why a Tea Pitcher Matters

A fairness cup (gong dao bei, 公道杯, also called cha hai, 茶海) is a small pitcher you pour each gongfu steep into before serving. Its job is to mix the tea, because the first drops from a gaiwan or teapot are weaker than the last. Without it, the first cup is thin and the last cup is strong. With it, everyone gets the same tea. Choose one that holds a little more than your brewing vessel, pours cleanly without dripping, and is glass or porcelain if you want to see the colour of the tea.

I'll be honest: for my first year of gongfu I thought the pitcher was decoration. I poured straight from the gaiwan into two cups, one for me and one for whoever was visiting, going back and forth to be "fair". It still wasn't fair. The last drops out of a gaiwan are much stronger than the first, and my guests kept getting the weaker cup, because I poured theirs first out of politeness. The day I bought a simple glass pitcher, every session got better.

It's the least glamorous piece of teaware and one of the most useful. More in the teaware guide.

What it does#

It mixes the tea. As you pour from a gaiwan, the tea that comes out first has spent less time in contact with the densest part of the leaves. The last part of the pour is noticeably stronger. In a pitcher, it all combines into one even brew.

It stops the steep. When you're serving several people, pouring from a gaiwan into cups one by one takes time, and the tea keeps brewing. Emptying the whole steep into a pitcher in a few seconds stops it exactly when you want.

It shows the tea. In a glass pitcher you can see the colour and clarity of each steep, which tells you a lot about how the session is going. More on reading colour in how to taste tea.

It cools the tea a little. A useful bonus with green and delicate teas, and a reason to warm the pitcher first for dark teas.

My test: with and without a pitcher#

To show how big the difference is, I brewed a young sheng pu-erh in a 100 ml gaiwan and poured one steep straight into three cups in turn: first, second, third. Then I brewed the next steep, same timing, and poured it into a pitcher first, then into three cups.

Without the pitcher. Cup 1: pale, light, pleasant. Cup 2: fuller. Cup 3: noticeably darker, bitter, drying. Three different teas from one steep.

With the pitcher. Three cups of the same colour and the same taste, sweet and balanced.

That's the whole case for the fairness cup, in one experiment.

Materials#

For a first pitcher, heat-resistant glass is the easy choice. Warm it with hot water at the start of the session, especially for teas brewed with boiling water.

How to choose one#

• Size. It must hold a full pour from your gaiwan or pot, with room to spare. For a 100–120 ml gaiwan, a pitcher of about 150–250 ml works well.
• Spout. It should pour in a clean stream and stop without dripping down the side. This is where cheap pitchers usually fail.
• Handle or no handle. Handleless pitchers look elegant but get hot. A handle or a thick rim makes pouring boiling-water teas more comfortable.
• Wide opening. Easier to pour into from a gaiwan, and easier to clean.
• Strainer. A separate strainer that sits on top catches broken leaf. Some pitchers have a built-in strainer; a separate one is easier to clean.

How to use it#

1. Warm it with hot water along with your gaiwan and cups, then empty it.
2. Put a strainer on top if your tea breaks easily (pu-erh, broken red tea).
3. Pour the whole steep from the gaiwan into the pitcher in one go, all the way to the last drop.
4. Serve, filling cups about two-thirds full.
5. Rinse it with hot water between teas if you switch teas in the same session.

If you're new to gongfu, the full sequence is in my gongfu guide and the gaiwan technique in how to use a gaiwan.

Myths about the fairness cup#

"It's only for show." It changes how the tea tastes, as the test above shows.

"You only need one if you're serving guests." Even alone, it stops the steep cleanly and lets you see the colour.

"Bigger is better." Too big and the tea cools too quickly and looks lost. A little larger than your vessel is ideal.

My honest take#

If you're putting together a gongfu set, buy the pitcher before you buy anything beautiful. A simple glass one with a good spout will improve every session. See my full list in gongfu tea set for beginners.

The bottom line#

The fairness cup mixes each steep so every cup tastes the same, stops the brewing on time and shows you the tea. Pick one a little larger than your gaiwan, with a spout that doesn't drip, and warm it before you pour.