I am looking for a reliable place to purchase matcha chawans. I am always afraid of the lead/chemicals etc used to acheive the vibrant colors etc. Preferably a unglazed chawan would be perfect. Anything within a reasonable price range possible guys?
Thanks...
Re: need a place to buy chawan/matcha bowls
What is your reasonable price range?inspectoring wrote:Anything within a reasonable price range possible guys?
Thanks...
A year ago, I would have said "50$ for a teabowl is way too expensive"
Now I would say "spending 150$ for a chawan seems to be perfectly normal"
Jun 6th, '08, 15:56
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I'm sorry to digress a bit from the topic, but does chawan always mean the big bowls for matcha, or are some of the smaller teacups for sencha also called chawan? I guess I'm wondering if the name goes with the function or the shape.
Even further off topic--
When will Chamekke get better so she can come back out and play? If you are eavesdropping, Matcha Babe, know you are missed.
Even further off topic--
When will Chamekke get better so she can come back out and play? If you are eavesdropping, Matcha Babe, know you are missed.
Jun 6th, '08, 19:52
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HowdySalsero wrote:I'm sorry to digress a bit from the topic, but does chawan always mean the big bowls for matcha, or are some of the smaller teacups for sencha also called chawan? I guess I'm wondering if the name goes with the function or the shape.
Even further off topic--
When will Chamekke get better so she can come back out and play? If you are eavesdropping, Matcha Babe, know you are missed.
My shoulder and arm are still hurting a bit, so I'm trying to avoid the lure of the computer until I'm completely recovered. It's pretty difficult, I can tell you.
"Yunomi" always seems to refer to cups for sencha (you never use yunomi for matcha). But... "chawan" can sometimes refer to "chawan for sencha" as well as "chawan for matcha", particularly if the sencha vessels in question are bowl-shaped rather than tube-shaped. Personally I only use the word chawan for the latter, to avoid confusion, but sometimes you'll see chawan used online for sencha vessels. ("Chawan" can even be used to refer to rice bowls sometimes!)
Jun 6th, '08, 20:50
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Re: need a place to buy chawan/matcha bowls
Actually - I have always believed that I would rather spend more on the tea than the teaware....but lately I have been itching to get something....olivierco wrote:What is your reasonable price range?inspectoring wrote:Anything within a reasonable price range possible guys?
Thanks...
A year ago, I would have said "50$ for a teabowl is way too expensive"
Now I would say "spending 150$ for a chawan seems to be perfectly normal"
I would however love to be in the 50 $ range....
Jun 10th, '08, 02:43
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tenuki
I got a beautiful anagama wood fired unglazed chawan that I use as my daily matcha bowl from etsy for $15. It is a perfect daily chawan in every way, nice texture, lightweight with just the right heft and feel, yet strong and 'there'. It brings me great pleasure.
Here's the only pic I have of it so far, hopefully will have a better one someday.
Oh, you said 50 dollars, nm...
Here's the only pic I have of it so far, hopefully will have a better one someday.
Oh, you said 50 dollars, nm...
Re: need a place to buy chawan/matcha bowls
For 50$, you can find nice chawans on ebay. If you want I can PM you the names of some ebay sellers.inspectoring wrote: Actually - I have always believed that I would rather spend more on the tea than the teaware....but lately I have been itching to get something....
I would however love to be in the 50 $ range....
I paid 42$ shipping cost included for this one
Re: need a place to buy chawan/matcha bowls
Ah, but you can always find some pricey tea to use with a pricey bowl. And as you use the bowl more and more the price of the tea that moves through the bowl will outweigh the price of the bowl.inspectoring wrote:Actually - I have always believed that I would rather spend more on the tea than the teaware....but lately I have been itching to get something....olivierco wrote:What is your reasonable price range?inspectoring wrote:Anything within a reasonable price range possible guys?
Thanks...
A year ago, I would have said "50$ for a teabowl is way too expensive"
Now I would say "spending 150$ for a chawan seems to be perfectly normal"
I would however love to be in the 50 $ range....
We can justify anything you want for you here. Thank you for shopping with Lunacy Inc.
Jun 10th, '08, 13:56
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tenuki
Re: need a place to buy chawan/matcha bowls
I find great humor in the fact that my 30g of matcha cost more than my wisk, scoop and bowl combined. One of these days I'll post a pic of all 4 called 'priorities'.Pentox wrote: Ah, but you can always find some pricey tea to use with a pricey bowl.
of course...I just checked out etsy - sounds and looks very very promising...and some guys are willing to take custom order - my only concern is the methods they use to achieve the color and texture. I have heard that some use not so high quality materials to make the cup and then the end result may be a little extra heavy metals/toxins with your daily tea dose...
Actually.... on the topic that Salsero asked -- there are two kinds of chawans, actually. One is sometimes referred to as the "covered" chawans, and those are stuff that we might normally call "rice bowl". Chawan proper should only refer to stuff you make matcha in.
The smaller cups ... there are two kinds. Yunomi are larger, and are the size that you normally see in a Japanese restaurant in USA (3 inches tall, appropriately wide). The smaller stuff, about 1-2 inches tall and maybe 2 inches in diameter, are most often called guinomi, or sometimes, ochoko. Those are really usually for sake, but of course usable as tea cups too.
The smaller cups ... there are two kinds. Yunomi are larger, and are the size that you normally see in a Japanese restaurant in USA (3 inches tall, appropriately wide). The smaller stuff, about 1-2 inches tall and maybe 2 inches in diameter, are most often called guinomi, or sometimes, ochoko. Those are really usually for sake, but of course usable as tea cups too.
I have had good luck with Rikyu, they have pricier offerings but also chawans in the under $50 range.
Inbeya has wonderful unglazed bizen-ware, altho bizen-yaki are less often used as chawan. I have been looking for a bizen chawan myself, most appear to be in the $200+ range, although Inbeya has excellent bizen Yunomi at reasonable prices.
You can also try ebay.
That said, concerning lead or chemicals, glazed Chawan should be fine if it is high-fired like Arita ware. From what I understand, the only potential concern is low-fired pottery like Raku, and even then, I wouldnt worry too much about lead and chemicals... perhaps just use a high-fired Chawan for your everyday uses and reserve Raku for special occasions.
Inbeya has wonderful unglazed bizen-ware, altho bizen-yaki are less often used as chawan. I have been looking for a bizen chawan myself, most appear to be in the $200+ range, although Inbeya has excellent bizen Yunomi at reasonable prices.
You can also try ebay.
That said, concerning lead or chemicals, glazed Chawan should be fine if it is high-fired like Arita ware. From what I understand, the only potential concern is low-fired pottery like Raku, and even then, I wouldnt worry too much about lead and chemicals... perhaps just use a high-fired Chawan for your everyday uses and reserve Raku for special occasions.