Matcha bowl?

[auhckw]

I am new to matcha but am planning to go into it soon.

I was at Hojo, and they have few of those bowl.

Purple clay bowl by Tachi Masaki - looks simple cost about = USD126

A nice design bowl that looks old but not purple clay is about = USD220

According to them, nice design bowl are good for presentation and feel, but in terms of taste, matcha in a purple clay bowl is the best. Is this statement true?

[britt]

I am new to matcha but am planning to go into it soon.

I was at Hojo, and they have few of those bowl.

Purple clay bowl by Tachi Masaki - looks simple cost about = USD126

A nice design bowl that looks old but not purple clay is about = USD220

According to them, nice design bowl are good for presentation and feel, but in terms of taste, matcha in a purple clay bowl is the best. Is this statement true?

I don't think I ever saw a Banko or purple clay matcha bowl before. I do know that the taste of sencha is different when brewed in a purple clay Banko kyusu. I said different, not better, because I personally use Japanese teaware from multiple regions and I don't necessarily have one preference. When the matcha bowl is glazed, as most are, the issue goes away.

You may be better off considering other things related to the bowl instead, like the size, weight, thickness, whether it has a depression on the inside bottom, etc. These also affect how the matcha will come out. No bowl will make good matcha out of bad matcha. The whisk and water temp used to make the matcha also have an affect on the outcome. I use much hotter water than I do for sencha.

There are different bowl designs for different seasons, but in most air-conditioned living enviroments this should be of little concern. I prefer thin, light bowls because they preheat very quickly. I prefer a smooth surface inside so as not to damage the expensive Made in Japan matcha whisk. I don't like a depression in the bottom of the bowl because clumps of matcha form there. To get them properly blended requires some abuse of the whisk (scraping and bending in the depression). I use many types of chawan, but these are the qualities I've found to be the most practical.

[TwoPynts]

How about this one as a starter?

http://www.amazon.com/DoMatcha-Handcraf ... 0019FR23S/

I was considering the teavana double walled glass one, but this is more authentic.

[Geekgirl]

That one looks very appropriate as a first bowl. Nice!

[TwoPynts]

That one looks very appropriate as a first bowl. Nice!

Thanks for the feedback. Price is a factor of course. Some day I hope to move up to something more along the lines of what you recently posted.

[TwoPynts]

ACK!

Just came across 4 more. And I do need a whisk. Decisions, decisions...

http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Ceremony-Chas ... 001GRXF7Q/

http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Ceremony-Set- ... 001RJEH70/

http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Ceremony-Set- ... 000LBNFNW/

http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Ceremony-Bowl ... 001RBIEPE/

[JBaymore]

If you are making matcha, you need an inexpensive whisk, and for convenience probably an inexpensive chasahu (bamboo scoop) ....unless you want to go the weighing grams route.

From the ones you presented... I am liking this one the best:

http://www.amazon.com/Tea-Ceremony-Set- ... 000LBNFNW/

best,

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

[TwoPynts]

Yeah, that chawan is probably the nicest looking of the bunch. I wish I could tell if it has a smooth interior so that the power doesn't collect when whisking.

Right now I'm using a spoon for guesstimate measurement of the matcha powder and too stir (or a small metal whisk). Thus I have not been able to froth, but it does the job. So a bamboo whisk is a must.

[JBaymore]

I would be shocked if that commercially produced bowl was not "smooth" on the interior. That is a pretty basic tenet for a bowl used for actual Chaji or Cahkai. Some chajin frown on stuff like yakishime Shigaraki or Bizen chawan for this reason...... but this is a glazed bowl.

If you are talking about the joining of the wall to the bottom of the interior, it is highly likely that the lower interface between the wall and the bottom is also forming a gentle curve at the intersection rather then a hard right angle...... another pretty basic tenet for a bowl used for ceremony. Even if the exterior has a hard angle, if it is well made, the inside does not usually match exactly.

If you are talking about the chadamari in the center of the bottom interior, a properly made chadamari does not interfere with the whisking of matcha if you are whisking correctly. In fact, a chadamari is a desired feature in many types of bowls.

best,

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

[britt]

Be aware that at this low price point for the bowl, scoop, and whisk it is very likely that some of these items are made in China, probably the whisk and maybe the scoop too. Makers of Chinese whisks are known for cutting corners by not properly drying the whisk like the Japanese do. Because of this, the Chinese whisks have fungicides applied to them so mold won't form. I prefer my matcha without the fungicides.

As an example, the link below is to a similar set from Yuuki-cha which includes bowl, scoop, and whisk for $30. The scoops and bowls are all made in Japan, but to get the Japanese-made whisk costs an extra $15, bringing the total price up to $45. Personally, I will not knowingly use a whisk that's made in China for safety reasons alone, but also because buying cheap Chinese ripoffs of Japanese hand-made crafts contributes to their demise. Someday, they may no longer be available and we can thank ourselves for that. This is my opinion, and I know many will probably disagree.

http://www.yuuki-cha.com/Organic+Matcha ... ter+Kit+3P

[JBaymore]

Be aware that at this low price point for the bowl, scoop, and whisk it is very likely that some of these items are made in China, probably the whisk and maybe the scoop too.

britt,

That is almost 100% certain for all three items.

The Japanese "production" ceramic scene.......the small to medium scale manufacturers that produced a lot of the Japanese public's day-to-day ceramic wares....... has just about been put totally out of business by cheap ceramic imports from China and south-east Asia.

As a potter, it is distressing to walk around famous pottery centers in Japan and see production pottery facilities that literally look like a scene from Steven King's "The Langoliers". The buildings there..... but no people. Greenware pots are still on wareboards, towels are still hanging on lines, and equipment is rusting in place or crumbling. Weeds growing over buildings. One of my good friends is very involved in the Japanese ceramic manufacturing association... and he says that 80% of this type of clay business in Japan has been closed in the last 15-20 years. Most of it due to Chinese imports.

best,

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

PS: I'd go with the tenmoku one there too. The two with the glaze pours are very, VERY "self-conscious" and the white one is sort of characterless. The black one has an interesting guchi (lip) and a subtle variation in the body.

[TwoPynts]

Thanks for your feedback folks. I may go with the Japanese online store, we'll see. The tenmoku chawan seems almost too stark (like the white)for me, but I'm sure that may be just a matter of taste.

I may give the local Japanese Museum and Gardens shop a call and see if they have any in stock:

http://www.morikami.org/

[britt]

Be aware that at this low price point for the bowl, scoop, and whisk it is very likely that some of these items are made in China, probably the whisk and maybe the scoop too.

britt,

That is almost 100% certain for all three items.

The Japanese "production" ceramic scene.......the small to medium scale manufacturers that produced a lot of the Japanese public's day-to-day ceramic wares....... has just about been put totally out of business by cheap ceramic imports from China and south-east Asia.

As a potter, it is distressing to walk around famous pottery centers in Japan and see production pottery facilities that literally look like a scene from Steven King's "The Langoliers". The buildings there..... but no people. Greenware pots are still on wareboards, towels are still hanging on lines, and equipment is rusting in place or crumbling. Weeds growing over buildings. One of my good friends is very involved in the Japanese ceramic manufacturing association... and he says that 80% of this type of clay business in Japan has been closed in the last 15-20 years. Most of it due to Chinese imports.

best,

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

PS: I'd go with the tenmoku one there too. The two with the glaze pours are very, VERY "self-conscious" and the white one is sort of characterless. The black one has an interesting guchi (lip) and a subtle variation in the body.

Thanks for the description of the situation in Japan. It seems even worse than I imagined.

When I questioned why their prices were so low and asked where the products they carry were made, Toki USA explained to me that most of the tableware they sell to Japanese-Americans is made in China, but is popular due to its affordable price. I made my purchases elsewhere.

If it bothers me this much it must bother you 100 times more. It is really sad that so much has been lost to China from both the US and Japan. What's sadder is that China had already lost much of its culture since the communists took over in 1947, so the arts that are being lost due to competition with China aren't being replaced with similar ones, but with low quality mass production. I do buy some products from there myself, but I try to support only the Chinese businesses that have some sense of quality, art, etc. This limits me to a few pieces of tea ware and a few types of tea.

We paid a much higher price for those $25 DVD players than most people imagined.

[entropyembrace]

We paid a much higher price for those $25 DVD players than most people imagined.

And the Chinese pay with poor working and living conditions

Whose idea was it that a "race to the bottom" would be a good idea?

It´s sad and frustrating this insane international trade policy is affecting even our tea experience.

[britt]

We paid a much higher price for those $25 DVD players than most people imagined.

And the Chinese pay with poor working and living conditions

Whose idea was it that a "race to the bottom" would be a good idea?

It´s sad and frustrating this insane international trade policy is affecting even our tea experience.

"And the Chinese pay with poor working and living conditions"

Life under communism is always like that. Looks like we're well on the way to trading places with them.

"Whose idea was it that a "race to the bottom" would be a good idea?"

Bush Sr, Clinton, Bush Jr, Obama, and the next president along with all major, greedy corporations. Ross Perot and Ron Paul warned Americans about this.

"It´s sad and frustrating this insane international trade policy is affecting even our tea experience."

Yes, it is having a major affect on everything including tea and teaware. That's one reason I have purchased far more tea ware than I can possibly use; it may soon be unavailable or the dollar so weak as to be unaffordable. Buy it while you can.