Unorthodox Uses For Teaware?

[hopeofdawn]

I have a couple of possibly rather silly questions, but my Google-fu has failed me, so I'm hoping some Teachatters might be able to help me out.

I recently found a deal on a cast iron tetsubin, and since I'd been contemplating buying one for a while, I jumped on it. The kettle seems to be in good shape, judging from the pictures (it's still in transit)--but a bit of additional research seems to indicate that it's a choshi (sake kettle), not a tetsubin, since it has the characteristic straight-sided spout. My question is--assuming there are no leaks or other obvious flaws, is there any reason I couldn't use this as a tea kettle instead of a sake warmer? Or any difference in metal quality, design, etc. that I would need to take into consideration if I did?

I won't be broken up if I can't use this kettle as intended--as I mentioned, I didn't pay a lot for it. But it is a nice piece, design-wise, and it would be nice to be able to do something with it other than collect dust on a shelf ...

My other question--and possibly even sillier one--does anyone besides me actually drink brewed tea out of their chawan? Or am I unwittingly committing a faux pas by putting anything other than matcha in my tea bowl? Inquiring minds wanna know ...

[Chip]

I cannot answer your first question ... although I am guessing it is not "engineered" for the rigors of regular use as a kettle. I am sure someone with some direct experience will chime in.

Indirect parallel regarding the use of a Chawan to drink tea ... I use a Natsume each time I brew tea to hold tea leaves. They are made for holding a single serving +/- of sifted matcha in the tea ceremony.

I measure the amount of leaves I will use for the session, placing them in the Natsume. I set the Natsume on the tea table and when ready pour the leaves from the Natsume directly into the Kyusu.

Reason, I like Natsume and would maybe never use them for the intended purpose. My current fave is unpolished Sakura exterior with a polished Sakura interior. Really quite ... lovely in its natural simplicity. If you look at most of my Teaware of the Day photos, it is a "Best Supporting Teaware!"

I personally have never used a Chawan for "tea." I have pretty many Ippuku-Wan around which are smaller than a Chawan but bigger than most cups. But if it pleases you, go for it!

[edkrueger]

not "engineered" for the rigors of regular use as a kettle.

It certainty was engineered to be able to heat sake in (over charcoal or wood) just like water. There is no reason you can't use it as a kettle because that is exactly what it is. There is really no difference except for the spout. The spout might not be the best for tea. BTW I believe that the spout's design came as a mimicry of the spout on urushi sake pourers.

[debunix]

I have only made matcha half a dozen times, but I have a couple of chawan designed for matcha, and they happily hold any other tea I care to pour in them, and I think their makers are or would be pleased to know they're getting use.

I'm not sure how the teaware artisan who made the tea cup that does such a nice job of holding my hand-carved wooden hairpins would feel about that.....but it really does look great with the other pretty things on my bureau....

[Chip]

not "engineered" for the rigors of regular use as a kettle.

It certainty was engineered to be able to heat sake in (over charcoal or wood) just like water. There is no reason you can't use it as a kettle because that is exactly what it is. There is really no difference except for the spout. The spout might not be the best for tea. BTW I believe that the spout's design came as a mimicry of the spout on urushi sake pourers.

A sake warmer is not a kettle, IMHO. I think they call it a "warmer" for a reason. It is a bit different to warm sake over lower heat versus bringing water to a possible boil on a regular basis.

But if it is engineered/made to take the high heat and water, sure. ... I really do not know.

Even the enamel lined tetsubins sold as teapots in the US can be placed over a tealight warmer (supposedly), but should never be placed on high heat to boil.

[Chip]

... one other little thing, if this was used for warming Sake for a while, the Sake aroma may take a bit of effort to get rid of. It can be quite persistent in Hagi Sake cups.

Not sure how it would be with iron though.

[Chip]

I also use lacquered "sweet plate" also used in the tea ceremony for such things as a Kyusu-Bon Teapot tray ... thing when making tea ...

I like them for this purpose, looks very nice and is practical. Plus again, I would never use them for their intended purpose.

Whenever I see Steve Martin, he tells me, "you are a wild and crazy guy!"

[hopeofdawn]

lol, we never knew you were such a radical, Chip!

Thanks for all the info--I'd never thought about using chaire for that, and so I'd always abstained from getting one. You may have sparked a new obsession!

I am a bit concerned that perhaps the choshi might not be as sturdily made as a regular tetsubin, at least for boiling water, but I suppose the only way to find out for sure is to use it. I'm thinking that maybe if I don't stress the metal--i.e. put a cold kettle on a red hot burner--maybe that might help prevent cracks and the like? I'm also hoping that a few rounds of water boiling/rubbing down with tea leaves might help get rid of any sake smell, assuming there is any. *crosses fingers* I guess this will end up being my grand kettle experiment.

For chawan--I have a couple really large chawan that I only use for matcha, but there are a few smaller ones that I like to use for brewed tea, especially during the summer. The tea cools off faster, and it lets me admire the details on the interior decoration and glaze. So I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one!

[gingkoseto]

One could argue drinking tea directly from a chawan is one of the most orthodox use of tea ware, no kidding

I don't make matcha at home and basically only used my bigger chawans to brew tea and drink directly from. But overall I prefer smaller ones (for that type of use). The bigger and thicker ones could retain heat too well (doesn't matter for the tea leaves but matters for fingers).

[JBaymore]

--does anyone besides me actually drink brewed tea out of their chawan? Or am I unwittingly committing a faux pas by putting anything other than matcha in my tea bowl?

Ninja assasins are now being dispatched from Japan to find you. Beware men in dark clothing wearing face masks and carrying swords.

best,

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

[debunix]

Better hope they don't find out about my hairpin cup!

[hopeofdawn]

All these years I joked about being attacked by ninjas--now it might actually happen! Who knew??

My sake kettle/tetsubin has arrived, and after cleaning it and several rounds of boiling water, I'm cautiously pleased with it. There's no sake smell or other odors that I can detect, only minor amounts of rust on the inside and outside, and overall it seems to be in pretty good condition. The long spout actually pours a nice even stream--which makes sense, given its original purpose, and it holds heat nicely.

The only downsides I've found so far are that it's smaller--about 20-30 ounces, so I can't heat up mass quantities of hot water at a time, even if I wanted to. And since the spout is so much lower/horizontal, I have to be careful not to either overfill or let the water come to a rolling boil--otherwise it boils right out the spout.

There are also some shiny/iridescent patches on the interior that I can't identify--they don't appear to be stains, but they're definitely not rust or calcium deposits. I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet, but was wondering if anyone had seen anything like this on other kettles, and what they might be?

[tingjunkie]

Just picked up some beautifully made thin-walled Yixing cups this weekend. Great clay, great craftsmanship, and great price too. They are about 70-80ml, wide and shallow, with a very small foot.

I don't particularly like the idea of using Yixing cups for my tea, but I couldn't pass these up. I tried drinking mezcal out of one today, and I was quite pleased with the results! In a side by side comparison with a port glass, the clay softened the initial burn of the alcohol a bit, made the mouthfeel more rounded, and brought the sweetness of the liquor to the forefront. Very much like a Yixing pot does with tea, I felt the cups "aligned" all of the taste notes and allowed them to focus and transition nicely in the mouth. The finish was long and complex, but that may have just been completely due to the quality of the liquor- it was a new bottle I just opened.

The only thing I didn't like about drinking mezcal from clay was that the clear aromas, before and after finishing the cup, were missing. There's something very beautiful about how the smoky/fruity aromas from a good mezcal hang about a port glass and keep changing long after the liquor is down the throat. I guess I'll have to pour into a glass first, swirl it, and then pour from the glass to the clay cups so I can have the best of both worlds! Why compromise?