From a Kunming workshop, via Sandry Law
Sandry Law spends months each year on the road between Yunnan’s tea mountains and the wholesale markets of Kunming. Between appointments, he makes tea in hotel rooms, on tailgates, in the back of Land Cruisers. A full-size gaiwan and cha hai never fit — so he kept a notepad of what a real travel set needed. Then he found a small family-run porcelain studio off a back lane near the Jinma Biji market. The workshop had been making thin-walled gaiwans for three generations, and Sandry worked with them to trim the weight without sacrificing the rim feel. The pitcher was shortened to nest inside the gaiwan bowl when packed. Four 25 ml cups — deliberately a bit taller than usual — were added to fit the case without rolling. For the case, Sandry walked the covered textile stalls of the city’s northern market until he met a tent maker who sewed military-grade canvas. Together they prototyped a padded, zip-up shell with elastic loops and a buckled strap that doubles as a carrying handle. The result is the minimum for a real session on the road: nothing rattles, nothing cracks, and the only thing you smell when you open it is clean canvas and the chance for a quiet cup.