Matcha stained chawan and chashaku

[Starfire]

Hi!

New to this forum!

I just bought my very first matcha set and tried matcha for the first time and I love it!

Issue I found after first time making the matcha was that when I was cleaning the chawan I noticed that the matcha had stained the bottom bit of the chawan that is unglazed and I can't get rid of the now green/brown stain made from the matcha! How do I get rid of those stains from the unglazed part of the bowl??

In addition I noticed the underside of the chashaku I can't completely clean the matcha off and it leaves slight green stains. Seems like the underside is without some sort of glaze whilst the topside of it is slightly shiny like there's a glaze and easily cleans off. Is this normal?

Thanks!

[tingjunkie]

Yeah, that's normal, however most chawan I've ever seen are glazed completely on the inside for that exact reason. If we can use unglazed Yixing teapots without worry from bacteria, I'm sure you'll be fine using a chawan that's not completely glazed. Just try pouring some boiling water in the bowl after use to clean it, and enjoy watching your bowl become "seasoned" and "patina-d" not stained!

[miig]

Hi Starfire, welcome to the forum. Would you mind posting a photo or two?

I'm quite interested because I bought a Chawan myself and didn't dare using it for Matcha yet for exactly that reason.

[Pig Hog]

Right, so I don't get this. Tea stains / seasoning / whatever is perfectly normal. It's going to happen when you use your stuff.

A chawan is designed specifically to drink matcha from. Buying one and then not using it is similar to buying a car but not driving it because you're afraid of the tyres wearing down...

I really shouldn't worry and just enjoy using it.

[miig]

Yes you're probably right.
For me, there is a difference between seasoning and stains - of course I would expect that the pieces would develop a certain used character which is very welcome: changes of color, micro-cracks showing more obviously etc.

But the thing is that mine has these 'macro'cracks on the inside and I was afraid that powder rests would get stuck inside them and be hard to remove - that would not be welcome, you see?

But you're right - they're made for matcha so its probably a good idea to trust the Japanese to have gotten the things right Still, I'm curious about his (her) photos for an entirely unglazed Chawan.

[debunix]

I've used a damp paste of baking soda for this chawan



to keep the white shino glaze free of tannin staining and the unglazed (slipped?) interior portions free of tanning or hard water rings. Because it's rubbed around by hand, it cleans the flat surfaces without affecting the cracks, which continue to stain pleasingly and stand out better against the cleaner expanses of white glaze.

[blairswhitaker]

Hi Starfire, welcome to the forum. Would you mind posting a photo or two?

I'm quite interested because I bought a Chawan myself and didn't dare using it for Matcha yet for exactly that reason.

I saw your chawan in the hagi topic, you should always soak hagi completely submerged in water for a minimum of 15 min prior to use, though I usually go for an hour. This prevents stains and helps the clay with thermal shock.

[Starfire]

Thanks for the reply guys!

Sorry for not being clear, the stains are actually on the outside of the chawan on the bottom unglazed part. I'll attach a photo

[Pig Hog]

Mate, your bowl's the wrong way up. You're supposed to drink from the inside!

[blairswhitaker]

Op the white clay used on kyoyaki bowls stains easily, use a toothbrush and baking soda with hot water.

I rather doubt you have a lacquered chashaku as they are very rare and not inexpensive.
A chashaku has two sides one is the "skin" side of the bamboo, the other is the "flesh" side. The skin is very easy to wipe off, the flesh may be prone to holding matcha if it wasn't sanded fine enough. Clean it up and sand it down with 1000 grit sandpaper and matcha won't stick anymore. You should be able to get it completely clean with a tissue.

[Pig Hog]

Is 1k grit what mine's sanded to? That's a good tip!

[blairswhitaker]

Is 1k grit what mine's sanded to? That's a good tip!

I went up to 16K on yours, most commercial ones rarely go up 1k but going to those finer grits makes a big difference on getting a really glassy surface.

[Pig Hog]

Oh right. I'll check what I have lying about. Think my highest is 5k. Best just be careful with it!

[Starfire]

Thanks! I'll try the baking soda and see how I go!

Ah I see skin and flesh side that makes sense!

[miig]

you should always soak hagi completely submerged in water for a minimum of 15 min prior to use, though I usually go for an hour. This prevents stains and helps the clay with thermal shock.

Very interesting input, thanks for the info - I didn't think about that!