Tea Canister Advice

[tdell001]

I have been interested in getting a tea canister. I found two I am deciding between to buy:

http://www.charaku-tea.com/teaaccessories3.html (probably this one)

http://www.charaku-tea.com/teaaccessories4.html

I was hoping I could get some input from the community on teachat about tea canisters. Especially solid wood containers; pros and cons? Do you recommend buying one of these containers from this site? btw I only really drink sencha and Japanese teas.

[Chip]

I would skip both. If you want to go the wood route, get a Sakura one from Artistic Nippon ... they do not have a stainless interior ... shuweet! They are lined with Sakura as well.

They are a few steps up from the stainless lined ones. And will not taint tea flavor like a Paulownia one likely will.

[Chip]

... linkie ...


http://artisticnippon.com/product/teaca ... caddy.html

[rdl]

tdell001,
I use a Japanese artisan stainless steel canister, which I feel keeps the tea very well, however I agree with Chip that the fully made sakura canister, which I use for my best tea, is really a nice thing to own.
If you do purchase a paulownia made canister, just do as I was told to do by the tea shop owner (stressed in her best English) and season it with green tea before use. I don't use it for my highest quality tea and I don't notice any wood smell or taste.
When I visited Horaido he highly recommended a fully made sakura container for practical, aesthetic and storage reasons. That discussion persuaded me but I can't imagine any choice you make would be the wrong one.

[Chip]

Interesting seasoning for the paulownia. I did not season mine, but I noticed a moderate aroma. I have a Natsume version that I would put a single sencha serving into for tea away from home with good results. But then I left the sencha in accidentally for an extended period ... it smells woody to me.

If you get a good Sakura one, you will likely treasure it as I do. There are then higher artisan levels ...

[rdl]

If you get a good Sakura one, you will likely treasure it as I do.

That is precisely the word!

[Chip]

Oh, BTW ...most low end paulownia and Sakura canisters are made in China, so i have been told by Chinese ebayer selling them. It pays to pay a higher price for the real deal. I would venture to say that many vendors are selling them as made in Japan ... perhaps unknowingly.

[Chip]

If you get a good Sakura one, you will likely treasure it as I do.

That is precisely the word!

"... my precious ..."

My favorite one is an unpolished Sakura Natsume which I use each day for each Japanese tea I have. I place one serving in it and place it upon the tea table. So it is opened and closed at least 4 times daily. I expected to see wear, but it seems to be impervious to wear and tear.

[tdell001]

Thank you for your considerate advice. I have decided not to buy one of the tea canisters I previously considered buying. However, I am currently a college student so I do not feel making the purchase of a higher quality sakura bark caddy would be a responsible decision for me to make. I am going to have to hold off and buy a high quality sakura bark caddy, which I will treasure once I have a job.On another note, if I were to purchase one of the caddys from artisticnippon,would I have to worry about extra charges (I forgot what these are called) being added to the purchase after it is shipped?

[Chip]

No customs added!

Sorry, we do tend to do a lot of bait and switch to higher priced alternatives on this forum.

Given budget constraints, either of your original choices would be great.

[Alex]

I want a sakura caddy.....are they really practical chip? say for storage for 2 weeks? or are they more for just putting in what you want to drink for the day?

[Chip]

I want a sakura caddy.....are they really practical chip? say for storage for 2 weeks? or are they more for just putting in what you want to drink for the day?

Alex, I was referring a an actual natsume version which I use constantly, but this would probably hold a week or two worth of sencha ...

I personally just do not use larger ones, though I have one ... but it is not the so called 100 grammer, likely 250 grams.

[Alex]

Sweet....I'm going to get a 100g one (rough finish!) to go with my new tea tray. I only keep one bag of sencha open at a time so should work well for me.

[Alucard]

On the subject of tea canisters I've been looking at air tight cans to store large leaf black tea. The airscape container has come up a few times and there was a PTR here at teachat over 2 years ago. Not many provided reviews and now that it's 2+ years later wanted to ask Chip how the airscape has held up.

[Chip]

The airscape has stood the test of time very well.