can I use these for gyokuro?

[chamekke]

I think they would work great. I have a larger Bodum glass and it definitely keeps things warmer.

Japanese isn't a rigid culture. Many things, including tea, kyusu, were absorbed from China and other countries, and this is even more so the case now. So I don't see any reason not to pair great Japanese tea with modern tea ware.

+1

Chinese ustensils were even mandatory in Japan for many tea ceremony specialists (during 16th century for example).

+1 more

My tea sensei hosted a "Christmas chakai" yesterday. Her toriawase (choice of tea utensils) included a red glass cold-water container, a clear cut-crystal lid rest, and a clear cut-crystal container to serve as the natsume - the latter two adorned imaginatively with Christmassy elements. The effect was dazzling and entirely in harmony with the more traditional materials that were also present. (And as an aside: the bright-green matcha looked stunning in its faceted crystal container!)

Glass is perfectly in keeping with Japanese tradition. In fact, one thing to bear in mind is that the Japanese really appreciate some creative contrast in their wares, and glass or crystal can provide that. As Yoshio Tsuchiya, the author of The Fine Art of Japanese Food Arrangement, says:

In China and the West it is customary to serve meals in a set of matched dishes that vary only in size and shape. Tableware materials, moreover, are generally limited to metal, china, and glass.

But in Japan the mukouzuke dish for fresh raw fish, the bowl for clear or thick soup, the plate for grilled or deep-fried food - the receptacle for each separate item on the menu is unique, differing from the rest in shape, design, color, and, sometimes, material. The types and the combinations of receptacles used in a meal are important foci of the diner's appreciation. Dishes must be chosen to harmonize with and set off the foods served; indeed the choice of tableware alone can make the difference between a memorable meal and a mediocre one. (...) Besides the diversity of form related to function, there is a great variety of material, including lacquer, ceramics, bamboo, and plain wood...

So I say - if it's functional and it's beautiful - go ahead!

[inspectoring]

thanks you guys......now I await the shipping from amazon...I got 4 cups ( I think that each gyokuro should yield at least 4 infusions)...

[inspectoring]

wow.....I have one word - A M A Z I N G !!!...in every possible way !!!...

It feels delicate but sturdy with absolutely no weight at all. It does not feel like those cheap heavy shot glasses at all.

To top it - it makes every tea look beautiful.

And for 10.99 for a pair - I could not possibly go wrong.

To all of you - THANK YOU for not talking me out of this.

[Salsero]

They are way cool, aren't they. The big ones too.

[britt]

If you don't weigh the leaves it is very difficult to make accurate comparison.

I don't feel there is a need for thermometers, scales, etc. They make the process too mechanical. The eye is more accurate than many give it credit for. If I used a scale and had the same results as without, then the scale wasn't necessary for the comparison. I doubt very much that the scale would reverse the final results.

I don't understand why cooler temperature couldn't be obtained with double lidded cups. You actually have a better control of temperature with this kind of cups as they are less influenced by the temperature of the room you are in.)

Maintaining a constant temperature is heat retention. With dedicated gyokuro sets being so thin, it seems the Japanese believe that gyokuro benefits from heat release.

If the cups were such a crucial factor for drinking gyokuro, I guess Japanese people would have two types of cups, one for cold months and one for hot months, as it is the case for tea ceremony chawans. Moreover they most of the time preheat the cups.

You're comparing a stone-ground, powdered tea with a leaf tea. One is whisked in a large, heavy bowl which is also used for consumption. The other is brewed in a small, light pot or shallow pan which is then poured into cups. There is a difference of at least 35 degress in the two water temperatures. The cooler water temperature of gyokuro makes it very sensitive to the mass of the brewing vessel and cups. The teas, vessels, and methods of preparation are immensely different, making your comparison questionable.

If the Japanese didn't believe the cups were a crucial factor, why would they make all their gyokuro cups so thin?

[britt]

If the cups were such a crucial factor for drinking gyokuro, I guess Japanese people would have two types of cups, one for cold months and one for hot months, as it is the case for tea ceremony chawans. Moreover they most of the time preheat the cups.

Excellent point. As always, you see to see the essence remarkably well.

Especially when an apple is mistaken for an orange.

[Smells_Familiar]

The cooler water temperature of gyokuro makes it very sensitive to the mass of the brewing vessel and cups.

This statement doesn't make sense. Sensitive?

[Oni]

Thick or double glass teacups, or iron teacups loose heat more slowly than thin porcelain cups, the material from which the cup is made influences the taste.

[olivierco]

If the cups were such a crucial factor for drinking gyokuro, I guess Japanese people would have two types of cups, one for cold months and one for hot months, as it is the case for tea ceremony chawans. Moreover they most of the time preheat the cups.

You're comparing a stone-ground, powdered tea with a leaf tea. One is whisked in a large, heavy bowl which is also used for consumption. The other is brewed in a small, light pot or shallow pan which is then poured into cups. There is a difference of at least 35 degress in the two water temperatures. The cooler water temperature of gyokuro makes it very sensitive to the mass of the brewing vessel and cups. The teas, vessels, and methods of preparation are immensely different, making your comparison questionable.

What I meant is that temperature drop depends on the room temperature. Hence different types of chawan.

I don't understand your "The cooler water temperature of gyokuro makes it very sensitive to the mass of the brewing vessel and cups."
35°F of difference between the two temperatures is only 6% of difference for thermodynamics anyway.

Maintaining a constant temperature is heat retention. With dedicated gyokuro sets being so thin, it seems the Japanese believe that gyokuro benefits from heat release.

Any reliable sources for this assertion?

At what temperature should gyokuro be brewed and drunken then?

[Pentox]

Thick or double glass teacups, or iron teacups loose heat more slowly than thin porcelain cups, the material from which the cup is made influences the taste.

I'm not so sure about that. This statement is true if you're not preheating as the increased mass/thermal capacity of the cups does drain heat out of the liquid when poured, but if you preheat your cups then it's a different story entirely.

A preheated cast iron cup for example will have a lot more heat stored in it. A thin porcelain cup however would take less heat in the initial preheating. The rate of transfer of the heat to the surrounding environment is at that point a function of thermal conductivity of the materials. I'm not sure what the comparison between iron/glass/porcelain is. The double walled glass is a different matter altogether. Double walled glass is to put a vacuum insulator between the two layers of glass, and reduce thermal conductivity that way. But there are still vectors for heat to escape a double walled cup through, for example steam and heat transfer through the connected glass. But heat loss all boils down to the thermal conductivity of the material/insulator used.

[Oni]

Preheating for gyokuro is a must, so don`t even think of drinkong otherwise, the classic method I use is as follows: pour hot water to the houhin, leave it uncovered for 3,5 minutes, than put on the lid and pour to your yuzamashi and leave it for 1 minute, after that fill 3 cups and wait another minute, and then lift up the lid of the houhin and place tea in (I use 10 g for 100 ml) and pour from the cups and wait for 2 minutes. This is the way of really enjoying gyokuro and the higher the quality the greater the umami, so this way it is not the same wether you use glass or porcelain or ceramics, I have only porcelain set but later on I will buy a set from maikoshop that is made out of ceramic.

[Pentox]

If the Japanese didn't believe the cups were a crucial factor, why would they make all their gyokuro cups so thin?

For this I would say it's one of those, because you can answers. I would venture to believe that the cups are made thinly because the can be made thinly. Gyokuro in nature, in name, and in treatement is considered to be delicate and treasured. A thin cup reflects the delicate nature of the tea. It mirrors the care and dedication to create it, both in the cup and the crafting of the tea. For the same reason you wouldn't want to drink a bottle of Dom Perignon from a coffee cup, the vessel you use to drink it should reflect the beverage itself. So as Gyokuro is a high effort to create work of art, the cup should reflect that.

[trallis]

im a little confused. do you want to brew the gyokuro in the cups? or are you pouring it from a different vessel.

My answer is definitely get the cups they're totally sweet, but if you use them for brewing it might be difficult to get the tiny gyokuro leaves out of your tea.

as others have said.. definitely preheat the cups. gyokuro tea at 150 hitting a room temperature cup goes down to like 130 and thats lousy

[Oni]

This is a classic gyokuro set

[Oni]

Look at the last cup it is so thin you can see the drawing from the other side, when held towards a light it becomes transparent, at first I was afraid not to break it by grasping it too hard.