Shiboridashi

[Salsero]

I got this shiboridashi. It looks for all the world like a pair of clam shells, oyster shells, or castanets. Actually, this vendor photo makes it look deeper than it is. In point of fact, the base is only a bit more capacious than the lid.

I have made gyokuro with it two or three times so far. Unlike a hohin or other teapot, it has no teeth or filter or spout ... just the tiny little spout-like pout you see in the photo. It seems to take forever to decant. Is there a secret to getting the tea liquor out quickly and leaving nearly dry leaves behind?

Is it possible that the shiboridashi (or at least this one) is not a very efficient brewing device? That seems unlikely given my experience with traditional teaware: after hundreds of years the traditional teaware seems to work better than the latest thing. Or is the shiboridashi actually designed for some tea other than gyokuro?

Anyone have any suggestions?

It is pretty.

[chamekke]

I have no personal experience with shiboridashi, and haven't seen anything written in English, but... you might try Googling the word in Japanese and then running the results through Google translation to see if there are any "how to" instructions out there. Here is one possibility.

Shiboridashi in hiragana: しぼりだし

P.S. there seems to be a type of cookie out there that has the same name, so don't be surprised if you get some results that include baking recipes

[omegapd]

I tell ya what...you learn (and see) something new everyday...

EW

[tsusentei]

I LOVE shiboridashi! I use them constantly in Japan. Shiboridashi are typically only used with very traditional, high-quality teas. Any modern tea is too dusty and will clog the seam instantly. So:

1) Find a long, thin, very green tea, such as a gyokuro or a quality sencha.
2) Put an even tablespoon of leaves in the bottom.
3) Start with cold or room-temperature water steep for 3-4 minutes.
4) Repeat.
5) Warm it up and steep at about 65C @ 45 seconds.
6) Warm it up and steep at about 80C @ 35 seconds.
7) (repeat if it still tastes yummy)

Hope this is helpful! I am sure you will love your pot if you can find the right tea. Where did you get this pot? It is very attractive. If you just can't get it to work for you, I might be interested(^^).

[britt]

I have made gyokuro with it two or three times so far. Unlike a hohin or other teapot, it has no teeth or filter or spout ... just the tiny little spout-like pout you see in the photo. It seems to take forever to decant. Is there a secret to getting the tea liquor out quickly and leaving nearly dry leaves behind?

Is it possible that the shiboridashi (or at least this one) is not a very efficient brewing device? That seems unlikely given my experience with traditional teaware: after hundreds of years the traditional teaware seems to work better than the latest thing. Or is the shiboridashi actually designed for some tea other than gyokuro?

Anyone have any suggestions?

It is pretty.

I can't tell for sure from the picture, but if the lid doesn't rest on a lip of the pan you can drop the lid into the pan when your pour, either tilted forward or backwards, whichever works best. I usually tilt it back, and adjust the tilt until the opening at the spout is large enough for the tea to exit but not so large as to fill the cup with leaf. This is how I use the Hokujo gyokuro set, which I initially felt had a sloppy lid fit until I realized why. If it fit too perfectly, I wouldn't be able to get the tea out.

Using the "tilt-the-lid" method requires a bit of practice, but it's worked very well for me once I got the hang of it. Gyokuro leaf tends to be large so there isn't much leaf that gets through and it decants fairly quickly. Where gyokuro is brewed much longer than sencha, I don't think the decant time is a problem unless it's so slow it pushes the limits of your patience.

[Wesli]

First, pour really slow. Then the leaves should remain on the bottom while you pour.

Second, it will work a lot better with leaves that are more whole.

[Salsero]

Thanks for all the help. I will try to incorporate these ideas into my tea selection/brewing methods.

It may be partly a tea quality issue. Looking back over my notes, I see I had better luck with the higher quality gyokuro. Inexpert hands and low quality tea = disaster!

Tsusentei, thanks for offering to take it off my hands, but I do like it and I see now that the fault is in the operator not the tool. I will try your suggested cold start brewing method. Is this a technique specific to shiboridashi?

The shiboridashi comes from Tokoname Yuyaku but is not pictured on their site. Takeyoshi KOJIMA was kind enough to send me the jpeg file of their hohin and shiboridashi which you can see and download HERE. The prices are approximate as this is an old catalog. I also purchased the hohin, item #974 and previously purchased a couple kyuusu and cups from them.

Wesli, I will try to hold my horses and pour mindfully. I probably panicked and tipped too much too fast in an effort to rush things along ... O the irony!

Britt, yes, this is a very lid-tiltable shiboridashi and so I will be applying adjustements there.

Chamekke, I admire your enthusiastic energy. Perhaps someday I will share in it.

[chamekke]

Chamekke, I admire your enthusiastic energy. Perhaps someday I will share in it.

No worries. Googling in Japanese is one of my guilty pleasures

[tsusentei]

I will try your suggested cold start brewing method. Is this a technique specific to shiboridashi?

It is not specific to the shiboridashi, but the shiboridashi is most often used in conjunction with this technique.

[Ritva]

I got this shiboridashi. It looks for all the world like a pair of clam shells, oyster shells, or castanets. Actually, this vendor photo makes it look deeper than it is. In point of fact, the base is only a bit more capacious than the lid.

It is pretty.

It sure is a beauty. Your remark about the shiboridashi looking like a pair of clam shells or oyster shells made me smile. I just bought a Hagi teacup with blue glazing inside and showed the photo to my boyfriend and he said that it looks like the inside of blue mussel or oyster shells. I haven't received my cup yet but here's the photo from the seller (Magokorodo on eBay)

Japanese love seafood so maybe they also like their teaware to have marine notes

The shiboridashi comes from Tokoname Yuyaku but is not pictured on their site. Takeyoshi KOJIMA was kind enough to send me the jpeg file of their hohin and shiboridashi which you can see and download HERE. The prices are approximate as this is an old catalog. I also purchased the hohin, item #974 and previously purchased a couple kyuusu and cups from them.

Salsero, you were very kind to email me the shiboridashi/houhin catalog some time ago. I finally ended up ordering a houhin from the Tokoname Yuyaku main catalog. I bought myself a camera last week (finally, since I've only had a 0.5 Mpix cell phone camera this far) so I'll be posting some photos, including the houhin, in Teaware-section in near future.

[kymidwife]

Magokorodo... hmphhh. I am frowning at you VERY hard because you are evil and you must be destroyed.

I have thus far resisted ordering any teabowls or pottery or any of the gorgeous teawares I see posted here every day... but that blue Hagi pot and the various cups... mmmm, I do like them very much.

Evil, evil, evil.

[Ritva]

Hee hee hee.... The Hagi infection spreads

[Ambrose]

anyone know where I can get that same shiboridashi, ive emailed two vendors with no response.

[Chip]

Styles change a bit from year to year, since this one is several years old by now, it may not be available exactly as pictured.

Good news, there are others available.

For gyokuro I tend to reach for a houjin. A little easier to use maybe?

[Ambrose]

Styles change a bit from year to year, since this one is several years old by now, it may not be available exactly as pictured.

Good news, there are others available.

For gyokuro I tend to reach for a houjin. A little easier to use maybe?

One of the venders got back to me yesterday, they have it in stock and matching cups too

Bad news is last night I bought a new kyusu and matching cups so tea funds are down.

Ive already have one of Petr Novaks shiboridashis, but im using it for senchas