Today's MatchaWan :D (new name, but tea's the same)

[Seeker]

Mmm, yummies!
( i must say, that brew looks somewhere between koi and usu - or like a tent usu!)

ps- am in So Cal to see my mom, so no matcha til Monday.

[Seeker]

So, ever since John Baymore gave me a tease about having a matcha can in a photo, and enlightened me as to what a chaire is - i've been searching for one.
I havent found a good source.
Something about rikyucha.com makes me nervous.
Do any of you own chaire?
Anyone know a good source for one?
Do any of our distinguished artisans ever create them?
I also wonder what i should expect to pay for a decent one?
And finally - if you have one, would you be willingto post a pic, hopefully w/ matcha involvement?
Curiously yours in matcha,
Seeker

ps- also, ive been wondering about the utility of chaire; some of them look to me like it would be difficult to get to the matcha and then get the matcha to the chawan, whats up with that?!

[blairswhitaker]

I know a place to get them in sandiego, but outside of the Soan they are not that useful.

[David R.]

Mmm, yummies!
( i must say, that brew looks somewhere between koi and usu - or like a tent usu!)

ps- am in So Cal to see my mom, so no matcha til Monday.

This was just after a koicha, I was putting some water back into the chawan to make an usucha when I realized the difference in colors and took a picture.

I wish you to hold on until monday !

[Drax]

It depends on the type of chaire that you are looking for, but the eBay vendor katsuragi typically has 1-4 new chaire posted every day.

These tend to be mostly kyoto pottery style (like this one), but occasionally there are other styles like hagi (like this one).

The starting prices are usually anywhere from 9.99 to 99.99. The driving price tends to be the age of the piece and the material of the lid (in the case of the ones I listed, they are zoge, or ivory; ones mades of kotsu (bone) or resin will be cheaper).

They usually come with an attached shifuku (carrying cloth).

Also keep in mind, these are quite small.

Katsuragi really does list a couple new ones each day, so look at some of the other ones to see how much they usually go for (they usually don't stay at their starting prices).

I'm sure there are other options, as well....!

[Chip]

The signed wood box is another driver of price, no box = cheaper. It is amazing how many they do offer. They can be quite nice, but fortunately I have not been inclined to buy one as this could lead to buying more.

I would also mention the TC TAs may make one for you. I forget where I saw replacement lids ... may have been lacquered wood, but you could have a body made and add your own lid ...

[Seeker]

Thank you D, D, & C.

[blairswhitaker]

Ok so this is my most "prestigious" bowl, based on craftsmanship and of course price. It is a omotesenke bowl, made specifically for that school. (though I know little about their school and I use it to make MY matcha in it.) It was made by a Master Japanese potter, Kouta Shimazaki. He lives in my neighborhood and teaches ceramics, He knows a LOT about Cha-No-Yu and chadogu. It is an amazing shade of Tenmoku and has a lot more going on than meets the eye. I was especially drawn to the face of this bowl.



face


foot


warming...


Sorry no matcha pics, I had tenkei hana served as koicha and I just wanted to enjoy my tea and not mess around with the camera after whisking.

[blairswhitaker]

ok I snapped a pick of some usucha...

[Seeker]

Cool b!
Nice looking electric warmer youve got there.

[sriracha]

This was from earlier today:

120523.jpg (29.37 KiB) Viewed 1363 times

Humble bowl, even humbler(read: slightly awful) matcha.

Got the job done though.

[Seeker]

Thanks for sharing sri!
I think that is an absolutely beautiful chawan - I love the crackling on the outside and also the form and look of the shomen.
It's a great shot!
You've inspired me to have some matcha!

[sriracha]

Thank you, Seeker!

I've been a little shy-so many folks here with such amazing bowls...but then I decided that's no reason not to post so I just went ahead

[JBaymore]

I would be really interested in hearing about the minor changes you discussed with Eugene to make the chawans more functional?

We talked about the lip, making some adjustments to facilitate an easier wipe down with a chakin. Also discussed the size of the bowl, the foot, and a little bit about interior shaping.... Nothing major, these are after all meant to be sculptural bowls, though I do have first dibs on one to be fired this summer that will hopefully be an equal balance of form and function.

blairswhitaker,

Good to see someone else talking to some non-Japanese potters about some of the important aspects of actual chawan for more formal tea use. Thanks.

best,

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

[hopeofdawn]

A snapshot of my matcha session yesterday evening ...

Before:


And after:



Chawan is by Reid Ozaki. Chocolate is by Godiva.