Collecting Yixing pots is an interest that many tea drinkers develop, but for drinking Puer that you’re not familiar with and/or you’re not sure of it’s antecedents , a gaiwan is the best choice. It will produce the most reliable brew with no influence from the receptacle itself. If you’re sampling tea, a gaiwan is a must.

Also, if you can’t stretch to buying a couple of  pots – at least for old teas/ young teas, gaiwans  provide a more affordable, functional choice.

Furthermore, you don’t want to contaminate your cherished Yixing teapot with some questionable bush tea replete with chemical residues.