Cha Kouro

[trent]

Has anyone ever used a cha kouro?

"Incense (Cha-kouro):
Green Tea, especially Karegane HS with kukicha makes an exceptionally light, all natural, aromatic incense while Chanoma-hoji Bancha
creates a deeper aromatic scent. Choose one of our attractive tea incense burners and try it yourself. These authentic cha-kouro tea incense burners are imported from the original artisan."

I found one in my basement and gave it a try... good way to use used tea leaves.

[chamekke]

Oddly enough I asked this very question on a Japanese incense forum... but no one admitted to having tried the incense approach with green tea leaves.

I've never seen a "proper" cha kouro in real life, but I did try it out with a simple essential oil burner. It didn't work too well - probably because the bowl portion was (1) too small and (2) too distant from the tealight candle.

Here are some webpages that talk about cha kouro:

http://www.kanshin.com/keyword/97509
http://www.kanekoen-jp.com/htmls/kourotoi.html
http://www.bijingama.com/02/04yakishime/yaki-0404.html
http://www.kanekoen-jp.com/cgis/top.cgi
http://www3.ocn.ne.jp/~turfwind/top.html

Which tea is best used for this "potpourri", do you think? The second webpage seems to suggest that any green tea will do, but that kukicha is particularly good (and suggests that half an hour's wait should be sufficient to work up a good scent). The first page seems to say that you have to be patient because it takes about an hour to heat the tea leaves to the point where they scent the room.

If anyone has experience with these, I too would love to hear about it!

[daughteroftheKing]

You found this in your basement ? What a wondrous magical house you must live in.

[Chip]

You found this in your basement ? What a wondrous magical house you must live in.

Yeah...invite me over!!!

[trent]

Yeah, my grandpa went to japan in the 50's and got a bunch of cool stuff. I recently realized that my grandma has a bunch of somayaki ware that she uses for cereal! She doesn't use the japanese teaware that they have, so she's letting me take a look at it and see if I want any.

[chamekke]

Yeah, my grandpa went to japan in the 50's and got a bunch of cool stuff. I recently realized that my grandma has a bunch of somayaki ware that she uses for cereal! She doesn't use the japanese teaware that they have, so she's letting me take a look at it and see if I want any.

Wow, you are very lucky Congratulations!

[daughteroftheKing]

Somayaki ware ... oh my but I love that stuff. Is it the double-wall design or something else? I have a Kyusu and cups that were sent to me by a friend in Japan about 25 years ago, plus a coffee service I found at a local antique mall a few years ago.

[chamekke]

Yes, Somayaki is the double-wall design - usually with a horse outline in gold on the side and/or the interior bottom of the cup. (Always reminds me of the White Horse of Uffington.)

How do you use your Somayaki cups, by the way? I almost never use mine for tea, maybe because washing them is so complicated. But I do like them for serving mulled wine in wintertime.

[daughteroftheKing]

Mostly they sit on a shelf and look pretty...and get lightly dusted. But I have used the kyusu and small teacups for lower temperature teas (none of my friends are fans of Japanese teas). I'm always afraid of wearing off that gold, so they're washed very gingerly.

The coffee pot has been used to serve hot chocolate since it holds so much and keeps it warm for quite a while. The handled coffee cups were used quite a bit by the previous owners and are not something I would have bought because they're not exactly pretty, but they MATCHED so I HAD to have them . The pot, 4 cups and saucers, creamer and lidded sugar were only $60. So yes, I HAD to buy them.

Now I'm thinking I should get some of the Sincha everyone here keeps talking about just to celebrate this set.