Where should I start with matcha?

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

208 is very hot. I don't think it will do anything to the tea but they recommend using lower temps so you don't burn your mouth or your hands trying to hold the bowl. I use water around 175.

[Victoria]

Thanks for posting olivierco, very nice! We started with the same matcha.
:o)

[Space Samurai]

I don't think temperature matters that much. I've used 150-ish to 180 with only subtle variances. I've noticed that the Chiyo Mukashi has a tendency to become too astringent which has to be kept in check, and using a low temperature helps with this, but mostly I just pour water in a samashi and use it whenever I'm ready for it. I am in no way consistant with temperature.

I do think chawan vary in sizes, as you can see from my collection.



I think sometimes when a company sells a chawan, they kind of mean tea cup, and not something you would use to prepare matcha. You certainly can use something smaller, but I do think it is more dificult to whisk in one of those.

[Mary R]

Man...if I could find a blue one like yours the size of your pink or black one, I would find the money to buy it. Car insurance? Pfft. Totally unnecessary when faced with such a lovely piece.

[devites]

This is kind of a double post, but I think this is an exception (PICS!!!). My experience with matcha http://www.flickr.com/photos/23944331@N04/

[Chip]

I repeat your thanks to Space Samurai for his beautiful work in promoting matcha at his website and to Chip for being the first human being that I personally knew who was foolhardy enough to try matcha.

I am not human! And didn't your parents ever tell you, Sal, "if he jumped off a bridge, would you follow him?"

It is nice to gain some mention, Salsero for my modest involvement. It is seriously rewarding knowing I played a small part in another "human being" trying matcha.

In honor of this occasion, I will have matcha today.

[Chip]

I don't think temperature matters that much. I've used 150-ish to 180 with only subtle variances. I've noticed that the Chiyo Mukashi has a tendency to become too astringent which has to be kept in check, and using a low temperature helps with this, but mostly I just pour water in a samashi and use it whenever I'm ready for it. I am in no way consistant with temperature.

I do think chawan vary in sizes, as you can see from my collection.



I think sometimes when a company sells a chawan, they kind of mean tea cup, and not something you would use to prepare matcha. You certainly can use something smaller, but I do think it is more dificult to whisk in one of those.

*checking out my inheritance!!!*

[Buzz Fledderjohn]

Man...if I could find a blue one like yours the size of your pink or black one, I would find the money to buy it. Car insurance? Pfft. Totally unnecessary when faced with such a lovely piece.

You mean like the one I posted over here?
http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?t= ... &start=360
Don't be fooled by the picture. The blue chawan only looks small next to the monstrous oni hagi but it is a "full size" bowl measuring about 5" across.

[Salsero]

didn't your parents ever tell you, Sal, "if he jumped off a bridge, would you follow him?"

Plllllease don't jump off any bridges!

[melissalive33]

what exactly is matcha and what are the benefits?

[olivierco]

what exactly is matcha and what are the benefits?

Many posts about matcha on this forum

Some basic informations here

Benefits?
The taste.

As you actually drink the tealeaves, you get the max of all the healthy components of green tea, but tea isn't any medicine.

[Pentox]

what exactly is matcha and what are the benefits?

Benefits:
One of the most unique forms of tea availiable.
Taste
you get to play with all kinds of neat tea toys.

[chamekke]

I don't think temperature matters that much. I've used 150-ish to 180 with only subtle variances. I've noticed that the Chiyo Mukashi has a tendency to become too astringent which has to be kept in check, and using a low temperature helps with this, but mostly I just pour water in a samashi and use it whenever I'm ready for it. I am in no way consistant with temperature.

I do think chawan vary in sizes, as you can see from my collection.



I think sometimes when a company sells a chawan, they kind of mean tea cup, and not something you would use to prepare matcha. You certainly can use something smaller, but I do think it is more dificult to whisk in one of those.

Bowls for koicha (thick tea) are usually a little larger than the ones used for usucha, which is the "regular" thin tea. I think it's because the matcha is kneaded rather than being whisked in the usual brisk fashion... and also because it may need to hold up to 5 servings of tea (i.e. to be shared among multiple guests).

Sometimes you do find smaller chawan that are unmistakeably chawan (tea bowls for drinking matcha) rather than yunomi (tea cups for drinking sencha). These smaller bowls are almost always intended for portable/out-of-doors tea preparation. They're known as nodate-jawan ("out-of-doors teabowl") or sometimes just kojawan ("small teabowl"). For example, the chawan inside a chabako or tea box is usually appreciably smaller than a standard chawan (and the whisk that's used is smaller, too).

P.S. Ultimately, if you're wanting to work out whether a vessel is a chawan or yunomi, it's usually a question of looking at the proportions. Also, if a chawan was prepared for use in the context of tea ceremony (as most of the Japanese ones are), there should be a decent "foot" or ring on the base, so that the bowl can be rinsed and poured out single-handedly without danger of it slipping and breaking. For more on this, see Robert Yellin's article Kodai - what's the fuss about the foot.

[Salsero]

Cripes, this woman is like a PhD in Matcha! She is the awesomest matcha babe. Thanks so much!

[Sydney]

I've been sent some matcha in its normal form for a tasting, as I've enjoyed it mixed in with various other teas.

Upon examining it, I headed to o-cha and put together a matcha starter kit:

kiri no mori, chinese whisk, teaspoon,

whisk keeper


and blue mino-yaki matcha bowl.