Tokoname Vs. Hagi (Gloves Off!)

[tortoise]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the leaf, are you ready to rumbaaaaaalllle?!

But seriously, for those of you who have at least one of each -- and placing aesthetics on the back-burner -- which turns out a better brew of sencha ounce for ounce?

Tokoname or Hagi ware?

Ding Ding!

[Chip]

Perhaps 7 times out of 10, I use a tokoname for brewing sencha and Hagi almost all the balance (Bizen, Korean set as well).

But curiously I use no tokoname to brew gyokuro, using Hagi 70% of the time and Bizen the balance (except for the occasional use of Korean like houjin). Actually it is odd that I never purchased a Tokoname Houjin.

This use is natural, not a big thought process going on. I don't get hung up on what is a must use for this situation or that ...

I don't think one is summarily better, one does better at some things while the other is better at others. It is nice having the options!

[AdamMY]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the leaf, are you ready to rumbaaaaaalllle?!

But seriously, for those of you who have at least one of each -- and placing aesthetics on the back-burner -- which turns out a better brew of sencha ounce for ounce?

Tokoname or Hagi ware?

Ding Ding!

Well I am going to be saying some rather odd things for someone who loves Hagi as much as I do.

I do not own any Tokoname Kyusu's with the exception that I think the Den's glazed kyusu-s are claimed to be tokoname ware ( I think).

And It honestly depends on on what you are trying to brew, and what is your goal with the brew.

Anything more steamed than Asamushi is pretty hard to brew in Hagi ware, as the roughness and sandiness of the clay, or perhaps the more rugged aesthetic Hagi artisans seek to create. But even the best and most fine hagi filter does a horrible job filtering out the finer particles.

While I believe in Clays ability to change the taste of tea, I can not speak to Tokoname's effects.

I will say if you were to brew behind a curtain and and just hand people cups brewed from each, they may prefer the Tokoname for including less of a salad with the tea.

But while Tokoname pots are incredibly works of art, I tend to prefer the beauty, ruggedness, feel, and glazing on Hagi Ware.

So a bit of a long winded explanation but I hope it helps.

[iannon]

Ladies and Gentlemen of the leaf, are you ready to rumbaaaaaalllle?!

But seriously, for those of you who have at least one of each -- and placing aesthetics on the back-burner -- which turns out a better brew of sencha ounce for ounce?

Tokoname or Hagi ware?

Ding Ding!

Well I am going to be saying some rather odd things for someone who loves Hagi as much as I do.

I do not own any Tokoname Kyusu's with the exception that I think the Den's glazed kyusu-s are claimed to be tokoname ware ( I think).

And It honestly depends on on what you are trying to brew, and what is your goal with the brew.

Anything more steamed than Asamushi is pretty hard to brew in Hagi ware, as the roughness and sandiness of the clay, or perhaps the more rugged aesthetic Hagi artisans seek to create. But even the best and most fine hagi filter does a horrible job filtering out the finer particles.

While I believe in Clays ability to change the taste of tea, I can not speak to Tokoname's effects.

I will say if you were to brew behind a curtain and and just hand people cups brewed from each, they may prefer the Tokoname for including less of a salad with the tea.

But while Tokoname pots are incredibly works of art, I tend to prefer the beauty, ruggedness, feel, and glazing on Hagi Ware.

So a bit of a long winded explanation but I hope it helps.

ditto!
i tend to actually use my hagi for my ali shans and li shans and such.
my Bizen houhin for my gyo's and temomi
and my wonderfull Tokoname Kyusu of Good Will for almost all my sencha

[britt]

I think a typical Tokoname is better suited to brewing sencha than a typical Hagi or Bizen due to the large holes and heavy weight of the latter two. I do use Hagi and Bizen cups for sencha, but not the kyusu. I have one Bizen that was designed for sencha and has small holes in the filter, and although it does a decent job the Tokoname's do it better, at least to my taste. I think the Hagi and Bizen are better suited to bancha, genmaicha, and houjicha.

[tortoise]

Hagi has lots of charm, but for a sencha devotee such as myself, I will need a tokoname and can't quite believe I don't already own one. Thanks.

[Oni]

Neither, my favourite is Banko ceramic purple clay for sencha and gyokuro.

[tortoise]

Neither, my favourite is Banko ceramic purple clay for sencha and gyokuro.

How exciting this match has become! Banko enters the ring and now we have a royal rumble.

I have looked at Banko on Hojo's website and it is very attractive. I contacted them for some kind of catalogue with prices and availability, but no response yet. Is there another source that will ship to the U.S.?

* I found them on artistic nippon. I guess I had never clicked on that link. Any others?

[britt]

Neither, my favourite is Banko ceramic purple clay for sencha and gyokuro.

I also should have mentioned that Banko is excellent for sencha as well as Tokoname. I don't necessarily prefer one or the other; they are different but I have found both to work very well.

[David R.]

If you are still looking for contestants, I would suggest to consider Mumyoi-Yaki (red clay from Sado Island.) I find it really good with japanese greens.

[tortoise]

I hope to eventually acquire one of each. I just need to make that crucial first choice...

[Chip]

My first choice given today's market would be a Tokoname, likely from AN.

I have some that are much cheaper that I use almost everyday. You do not need a really expensive kyusu. And you can always add to your collection.

[entropyembrace]

I´ve only tried Tokoname so far but it seems to be very good for sencha. Mom and I each bought a Tokoname kyusu from O-Cha and have both been happy with them

[chicagopotter]

I'll vote tokoname. Mine's from Yuuki-cha and I am very happy with it.

[MarshalN]

Can I vote Yixing?