Why Kyusu?

[DewDropofJade]

I don't understand the principle behind Kyusus. From what I understand they are inteded for Sencha and Gyokuro. They seem to be made out of clay, which would keep heat in, something I wouldn't want to do for green teas. Why are these vessels preffered?

Are Kyusus made of porous clay, and do they have any similarities to Yixing clay?

Are Hagi related to Kyusus or are they completely seperate?

Thank you in advance for answering any of my questions.

[Chip]

Kyusu are produced in places such as Hagi and Tokoname and generally of clay from those areas.

A kyusu simply works. They feel great, and brew exceptional Sencha. The walls are often quite thin, but not always.

The screens are generally suited for Japanese greens.

But they can be used for other teas, though I tend to brew only Japanese greens in Kyusu-s.

[Victoria]

I really like the feel of the kyusu in hand and I prefer the look.
Tokoname clay is less porous and smoother to the touch, very
close to a porcelain feel.

Most of the hagi kyusu, which of course are made with
coarser/denser clay, are usually glazed.

[JBaymore]

Other aesthetic aspects aside.......

The functionality of the pouring action of a good kyusu meshes a combination of physics and human anatomy better than the more traditional "Western" style handle on the side of a teapot or over the top of the teapot. If you have not used one, do yourself a favor and try it.

The position of the hand close to the pot's center of mass (with the thumb resting lightly on the lid), the lining up of the axis of narural forearm rotation with the axis of the handle, and the pivoting of the pot body around the central point of the volume of liquid all contribute to a great handling piece.... in the best "form follows function" way. The best of these pots have the spout offset as slightly less than a 90 degree relationship to the handle, that compliments the typical positioning of the arm and ther cup(s) being filled.

best,

.............john

PS: "Hagi" is a type of pottery from a particular location in Japan. "Kyusu" is a type of small teapot indigenous to Japan. You can have a Hagi kyusu.... but you can also have a Karatsu kyusu, a Seto kyusu, or a Mashiko kyusu (and so on).

[rdl]

Why are these vessels preferred?

all the above replies have answered this very well, the point implied being that leaving any water in the kyusu will create a very bitter and undrinkable liquid that will affect subsequent steepings. the kyusu, as john described, best suits pouring all the water off.
if you're careful with steeping time and temperature the clay won't have a negative effect.

[Victoria]

When I said "I really like the feel of the kyusu in hand" I meant everything you just wrote. Thanks for so eloquently explaining it. Beautiful.
Now that should go in the kyusu glossary.
Thanks John!

[DewDropofJade]

Wow, thanks for all the replies.

So the main point of a Kyusu is the shape? Or is the clay a big factor as well?

I know that Yixing clay absorbs the flavors of your tea and that's why the legends say that after many brews of one tea you will be able to pour hot water into your yixing and out will come tea. But, Yixing keeps in heat and ergo is no good for whites and greens. Does this not similarily apply to Kyusus? Wouldn't a glass Kyusu be best?

[Chip]

For many it is the whole shebang, for some it is Japanese origins versus Chinese. Bottom line it is simple, find a kyusu you you like and go brew. Yixing can be very complicated in selecting and using.

[debunix]

I've never seen a glass teapot with a good equivalent to the ceramic sasame screens that are so important for the smaller leaf fragments in japanese green teas. I adore my glass teapots with a glass strainer built into the spout, but they take too long pouring with lots of leaf fragments in the tea.

[Victoria]

I have a glass kyusu and it's very difficult to use.
It gets very hot, the steam vent is through the top
knob, so you can imagine. And as Debunix says, the
glass screens are a hassle.

[Tead Off]

Why are these vessels preferred?

all the above replies have answered this very well, the point implied being that leaving any water in the kyusu will create a very bitter and undrinkable liquid that will affect subsequent steepings. the kyusu, as john described, best suits pouring all the water off.
if you're careful with steeping time and temperature the clay won't have a negative effect.

Did John say the kyusu best suits pouring all the water off? I didn't see this and don't think this is true. The pots that typically allow water to thoroughly drain are single holed or multi-holed that are 'not' ball type sasame filters you find in Tokoname and Banko kyusu. The hobin which is often used for gyokuro are multi-holed, simply punched through the clay without creating a separate ball filter.

Teas like gyokuro and sencha fukamushi will muck up any teapot and make it difficult to drain all liquid so there may be a preference for using hobin or kyusu like Hagi that have flat, multi-holed filters.

The ergonomics and aesthetics of kyusu are the main attractions, I think. Shiboridashi is another Japanese brewing vessel similar to hobin but has no filter. Water is poured off like a Chinese gaiwan with the lid slightly askew and filtering out the leaves. There are little notches in the vessel that allow the water to pour off while keeping the leaves inside the cup. This is an excellent vessel for greens of all types.

Clay type is another subject entirely.

[Geekgirl]

My kyusu have the large multi-hole sasame filters, rather than the ball-filters. They drain completely. I agree regarding ball-filters. Some of them drain well, and others don't. I have one (yixing) pot that I quite like, but it doesn't drain completely because the ball-filter holes start about 2mm from where the filter meets the pot. So I really only use it for oolongs that can handle staying in a little bit of steep-liquid.

[rdl]

Why are these vessels preferred?

Did John say the kyusu best suits pouring all the water off? I didn't see this and don't think this is true.

my apologies to john for assuming what he didn't actually write.
if you take his beautifully described design and mechanics of the traditional kyusu and, as i have seen countless times (every time to my recollection) in japan when served sencha, add that special "shake" of the kyusu, my implication is that the design of the kyusu is very well suited for that last shaking to get the final drops of water out, thus emptying the kyusu of water that in a few minutes would become very bitter.