>Maybe my cups are a little too
>big or something...the one holds about 5 OZ. Can't really use
>chopsticks with it because of the weight

Melinda, there's a disconnect here. Is the 5 oz. a typo? Yixing cups are
usually 1 to 2 oz. I'd think a 5 oz. cup wouldn't get that terribly hot
because of the large surface area.

I could understand the little 1-oz. cups getting pretty hot, and for cups that
small, the yixing tongs are perfect for dealing with the rinsing process.

If your cups are 5 oz., how big must your pot be?

BTW when I'm doing casual just-for-me gungfu, I often use a 7 oz. pot and a
single 6 oz. cup, and do several steeps. If I were having guests, I'd use the
proper practice and small cups.

Joe Kubera