NEW! Official Teaware of the Day!

[blairswhitaker]

tea ware of the day for me, Takatori-yaki katatskui chaire.

[debunix]

Water vessel for tea ceremony?

[Drax]

A chaire is for the tea (ire -- pronounced "ee-reh" -- means to put into).

The size of the photo is probably misleading. Chaire are typically the size of a tangerine. The lids are often made of bone or ivory (zoge), but cheaper ones may also be made of resin.

It's very nice, BW! Actually, come to think of it, how does a chaire differ from a natsume? (other than the natsume typically being lacquerware)

[kyarazen]

A chaire is for the tea (ire -- pronounced "ee-reh" -- means to put into).

The size of the photo is probably misleading. Chaire are typically the size of a tangerine. The lids are often made of bone or ivory (zoge), but cheaper ones may also be made of resin.

It's very nice, BW! Actually, come to think of it, how does a chaire differ from a natsume? (other than the natsume typically being lacquerware)

looks v nice for tea awakening i'm waiting for mine from greenwoodstudios

[blairswhitaker]

Water vessel for tea ceremony?

as was mentioned it is a jar that contains matcha, here are a few pics to show reference.

here it is still in the shifuku (silk bag) this is what it looks like at the start of of the koicha portion of a tea gathering.



and here is a pic of it in use during the koicha portion of the tea gathering, notice the chashaku on the lid, the lid is made of zoge (ivory).

A chaire is for the tea (ire -- pronounced "ee-reh" -- means to put into).

The size of the photo is probably misleading. Chaire are typically the size of a tangerine. The lids are often made of bone or ivory (zoge), but cheaper ones may also be made of resin.

It's very nice, BW! Actually, come to think of it, how does a chaire differ from a natsume? (other than the natsume typically being lacquerware)

a chaire is used to hold the koicha (thick tea), in a typical scenario only the amount of koicha that will be made during the the tea gathering is placed inside, and the entire contents is emptied into the tea bowl. chaire are almost ALWAYS made of ceramic, the only exception I ever recall seeing has been glass. A natsume on the other hand refers to a type of container that falls under a general heading of usuki (tea container), these are containers that are used to hold the usucha (thin tea) at a tea gathering. Natsume refers specifically to the shape, it is meant to represent a type of fruit also called a jujube. in the above picture you can see one that is finished in black lacquer sitting on top of the tana (stand). it is a Rikyu Gata, Chu Natsume. the type favored by Sen No Rikyu, and chu means it is of a medium size. Natsume are made from wood and frequently finished with lacquer although it is not a requirement. unlike the chaire it is filled to about 70% full with tea. The thin tea tea is scooped out of it and put into the tea bowl, though a large amount of tea remains, and later the guest will view the natsume, and also look to see how well you formed the tea inside and how neatly you scooped it out. hope that answers everyones questions.

[Fuut]

Lovely knick your chashaku has:) And a very nice mizusashi! Actually it all looks lovely.

[.m.]

the lid is made of zoge (ivory).

I thought selling ivory was illegal with the exception of antique items ... I guess, not in Japan. Anyway, nice chaire. Thanks for posting.

[theroots]

A last cup of tea last night/early this monring (1:00am). Finally a snowy winter.

the lid is made of zoge (ivory).

... I guess, not in Japan.

Japan buys plenty of the "legal" ivory available on the market. Still it's questionable if all the raw material is from this "legal" channels. Ethics on the other hand brings up another questions. That's the main reason why I stick to natsume. Nevertheless a beautiful chaire!

[TomVerlain]

really beautiful picture theroots.

[Chip]

really beautiful picture theroots.

Also, looks so ... surreal, don't you think?

[theroots]

Thank you Tom!

Also, looks so ... surreal, don't you think?

I converted the picture to B/W. But "surreal" is how it starts to feel when I'm learning in the middle of the night.

[hopeofdawn]

My brand new Petr Novak 'phoenix pot', accompanied by yokan (Japanese sweet bean jelly cake). I was recently introduced to this treat by a friend, and am now very addicted--it makes a perfect complement to the great darjeeling sample that came with the pot! And the pot brews beautifully as well--I love watching the change in the yohen colors as it the surface changes from wet to dry.

[futurebird]

I bought this gaiwan from the Chinese tea shop. It's my first gaiwan... that's right. I have maybe 10 yixing teapots but I never bought a gaiwan.

I have a small celadon teapot that I use from time to time, but I thought I needed to learn the "most popular brewing method" at some point.

So here it is!



The surface is textured, it feels fairly delicate. It's bit smaller than I expected, which is good because I wondered is 140ml would be a bit large. That said, many teas just don't have as much flavor brewed this way. Not what I expected! I thought yixing clay could moderate mute and absorb flavor? Well it's really noticeable. Everything is just a bit less aromatic and complex.

Though I will keep experimenting.



I love how easy it is to view the leaves.



It's also easier to tell how far a tea has steeped. I may get a glass teapot or gaiwan too. Which is better? I've also been eyeing this. By the way... what do you all think of those glass brewing kettles? Like these? They seem like another way to control the brew carefully, but I wonder if there are any without plastic parts.



Anyway. Next I set out to try to read the stamp on the bottom of the saucer.


慎德堂 ???
Shende Tang zhi meaning (Made for the Hall of Prudent Virtue), the main residence of the Daoguang emperor (1821-1850)

My gaiwan is supposed to be from the 1980s. It's a reproduction a fairly good one I think.



This is a bit harder to read. Is the lid of the gaiwan like the lid of a yixing teapot and more likely to have the name of the person who painted it?

I might want to buy a real antique gaiwan someday. Any tips on places to shop or things to watch out for? Maybe it's safer to stick to modern reproductions?

[mganz42]

By the way... what do you all think of those glass brewing kettles? Like these? They seem like another way to control the brew carefully, but I wonder if there are any without plastic parts.

You know, I got one of those Teavana PerfecTea makers for Christmas. I was fully prepared to hate it, but I actually quite like it. The teas taste different from gongfu brewing because you're brewing 2 cups at once... I wonder if the downward draining has some impact on the brew as well.

[cnltc345]

A last cup of tea last night/early this monring (1:00am). Finally a snowy winter.

the lid is made of zoge (ivory).

... I guess, not in Japan.

Japan buys plenty of the "legal" ivory available on the market. Still it's questionable if all the raw material is from this "legal" channels. Ethics on the other hand brings up another questions. That's the main reason why I stick to natsume. Nevertheless a beautiful chaire!

The teapot is beautiful. Where can I buy one of those?