Hello everyone. I want to start getting into matcha. I guess the best thing for me to do is just to get a small tin to try then see if I like it then get the tea ware. I read the post "matcha" further down the page and got some matcha sources from that but, where does everyone get these beautiful chawans that I see all over TeaChat?
Thanks for your help!
Aug 23rd, '08, 19:06
Posts: 1633
Joined: Feb 15th, '08, 10:15
Location: Pennsylvania
Aug 23rd, '08, 19:24
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact:
chamekke
Most of my chawan are from eBay, with the exception of a few that I discovered locally at pottery shows, consignment shops or yard sales. Almost all were previously owned. I like the idea that I'm drinking from a chawan that already has seen use in a tearoom ... it's nice to think that I am part of a continuum of tea drinkers, and I often wonder about the bowl's previous owners, who they were, and what it was about this bowl that attracted them enough to buy it.
Some people here buy their chawan first-hand from online tea sellers. Many of those bowls are very beautiful. I'm sure you will get many recommendations
Some people here buy their chawan first-hand from online tea sellers. Many of those bowls are very beautiful. I'm sure you will get many recommendations
Last edited by chamekke on Aug 23rd, '08, 20:24, edited 1 time in total.
All but one of my chawans I've bought in person. I feel that the actual holding of it and knowing how it feels in my hand is more meaningful and important. Not to say that if I see an amazing chawan for a good price I might not order it, but I like to hold them before I buy.
That being said there are many places to get a chawn, but if you're just starting into matcha I would suggest getting a matcha starter kit. These tend to have all the fun toys that you will need to make matcha and a little tin of matcha. Suggestions on these will vary depending on who you ask and where you are. One of the common suggestions is to try the one from Ippodo, but the shipping on that is killer in my opinion.
Once you dive head on into matcha though, then we can find a plethora of ways to spend your money.
That being said there are many places to get a chawn, but if you're just starting into matcha I would suggest getting a matcha starter kit. These tend to have all the fun toys that you will need to make matcha and a little tin of matcha. Suggestions on these will vary depending on who you ask and where you are. One of the common suggestions is to try the one from Ippodo, but the shipping on that is killer in my opinion.
Once you dive head on into matcha though, then we can find a plethora of ways to spend your money.
Aug 24th, '08, 00:43
Posts: 2625
Joined: May 31st, '08, 02:44
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:
Geekgirl
I've bought several chawan on Etsy, one from Ebay, and one from Rikyucha. Two I've purchased in person from Uwajimaya. Only one of those (from Etsy) do I find not quite perfect for matcha, but it is so beautiful and well balanced, I use it anyways. 
(btw, if you see something you like in my photostream -www link below -or here, pm me and I'll try and tell you where I got it. )
(btw, if you see something you like in my photostream -www link below -or here, pm me and I'll try and tell you where I got it.
) Aug 24th, '08, 13:22
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact:
chamekke
There are two difficulties I have found with buying chawan locally: availability and quality. (Of course I live in a medium-sized town, so your mileage may vary.) Relatively few potters make chawan, and even fewer know the correct proportions and characteristics of chawan. So while there are plenty of "tea bowls" out there, many of them - I'm tempted to say, most of them - are not actually suitable for whisking matcha. You can whisk matcha in them, more often than not, but you may find yourself struggling with the bowl.
If the potter is Japanese, has studied in Japan, or has studied Japanese pottery techniques, this is still no guarantee that the teabowl will be suitable for whisking tea because most of the time, they are creating different kinds of pieces (e.g. plates, vases, yunomi, sake sets, etc.). Unless that person has made a specific study of chawan, what you are looking at is often their idea of what a chawan is ... in the manner of certain Japanese-style gardens which, while charming, include features that no traditional Japanese garden would have.
I know a tea student who carries a tea whisk (chasen) in her handbag at all times, so that if she is shopping locally and spies a potential candidate, she can quickly "air-whisk" some imaginary matcha in the bowl to immediately determine whether or not it will work as a chawan. I think this is a really good approach!
If the potter is Japanese, has studied in Japan, or has studied Japanese pottery techniques, this is still no guarantee that the teabowl will be suitable for whisking tea because most of the time, they are creating different kinds of pieces (e.g. plates, vases, yunomi, sake sets, etc.). Unless that person has made a specific study of chawan, what you are looking at is often their idea of what a chawan is ... in the manner of certain Japanese-style gardens which, while charming, include features that no traditional Japanese garden would have.
I know a tea student who carries a tea whisk (chasen) in her handbag at all times, so that if she is shopping locally and spies a potential candidate, she can quickly "air-whisk" some imaginary matcha in the bowl to immediately determine whether or not it will work as a chawan. I think this is a really good approach!
Ebay can be ok, but the quality isn't always consistent, and the nice stuff often gets bid up.
Rikyu Store often has good deals for practical Chawan in the $30-$100. Good bang for the buck, and a pleasure to deal with.
And for just Tea Whisks and Scoops, I would recommend Ippodo or O-Cha.
If you have lots of $ or simply want to browse Tea Bowls, some of the sites that list on Trocadero are nifty: Vessels.jp
Bachmann Eckenstein has some gorgeous antiques.
2000 Cranes is awesome, stunning contemporary Tea Bowls.
Rikyu Store often has good deals for practical Chawan in the $30-$100. Good bang for the buck, and a pleasure to deal with.
And for just Tea Whisks and Scoops, I would recommend Ippodo or O-Cha.
If you have lots of $ or simply want to browse Tea Bowls, some of the sites that list on Trocadero are nifty: Vessels.jp
Bachmann Eckenstein has some gorgeous antiques.
2000 Cranes is awesome, stunning contemporary Tea Bowls.
Wow that's a bit extreme though.chamekke wrote: I know a tea student who carries a tea whisk (chasen) in her handbag at all times, so that if she is shopping locally and spies a potential candidate, she can quickly "air-whisk" some imaginary matcha in the bowl to immediately determine whether or not it will work as a chawan. I think this is a really good approach!
Aug 24th, '08, 14:08
Posts: 2625
Joined: May 31st, '08, 02:44
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:
Geekgirl
Probably no different than a photography nut wanting to try a lens on their own camera body before purchasing.Pentox wrote:Wow that's a bit extreme though.chamekke wrote: I know a tea student who carries a tea whisk (chasen) in her handbag at all times, so that if she is shopping locally and spies a potential candidate, she can quickly "air-whisk" some imaginary matcha in the bowl to immediately determine whether or not it will work as a chawan. I think this is a really good approach!
Aug 24th, '08, 14:13
Posts: 1953
Joined: Apr 6th, '08, 19:02
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Contact:
chamekke
It depends on whether you have a sufficient budget to buy "mistakes."
If you buy a $75 chawan and discover that frankly it works better as a nut bowl, but you would have been happy to buy it even as a nut bowl, then - no harm done.
I have a nice collection of nut bowls
but I can't afford any more. If I'm buying a chawan, it has to be a qualified chawan.
If you buy a $75 chawan and discover that frankly it works better as a nut bowl, but you would have been happy to buy it even as a nut bowl, then - no harm done.
I have a nice collection of nut bowls
but I can't afford any more. If I'm buying a chawan, it has to be a qualified chawan. Aug 24th, '08, 14:18
Posts: 1633
Joined: Feb 15th, '08, 10:15
Location: Pennsylvania
Thanks for the reply's everyone! The links had lots of beautiful chawans but a little more expensive than I would want to spend. I like this one from Rishi. What do you guys think. http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/product. ... =12&page=1
I will probably just end up getting a starter kit. or just get this tea pot with some nice sencha and just stop there for a bit.
http://www.artisticnippon.com/product/t ... kanna.html
I will probably just end up getting a starter kit. or just get this tea pot with some nice sencha and just stop there for a bit.
http://www.artisticnippon.com/product/t ... kanna.html
Personally I'm not a big fan of the chawan. For a starter chawan I would personally think it would be good to get one with a flatter bottom. I'm trying to remember the name for the shape, but it is escaping me at the moment. A white chawan is a nice appearance though, it brings out the green in the matcha quite well.
The little kyusu is quite nice looking, I was surprised by the price, I might end up getting one. I didn't realize they were that cheap (for that one).
But the matcha/sencha question is totally your call.
The little kyusu is quite nice looking, I was surprised by the price, I might end up getting one. I didn't realize they were that cheap (for that one).
But the matcha/sencha question is totally your call.
Aug 24th, '08, 14:41
Posts: 1633
Joined: Feb 15th, '08, 10:15
Location: Pennsylvania
Well I've never had any real good quality sencha or basically any good quality Japanese tea, so I was looking around in O-Cha and saw this tea http://www.o-cha.com/green-tea/daily-sencha.html, and for that price it seems pretty good. So I was thinking of getting that pot and that tea, I could get the pot and tea for only $60 which is really cheap! I think it would probably just be better to try some good Japanese stuff before going matcha crazy, which is actually more expensive than my puerh addiction. Also I had no idea you could ship a tea from O-Cha for only $4, thats soo cheap!
One more question, How do you keep your sencha fresh? Just a sealed tin or refrigerator?
One more question, How do you keep your sencha fresh? Just a sealed tin or refrigerator?
Aug 24th, '08, 15:01
Posts: 5151
Joined: Dec 20th, '06, 23:33
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Gainesville, Florida
At the risk of repeating myself, I loved the Ippodo starter kit. It has everything you need for about $60, arrives on your doorstep in less than a week, and you are ready to brew matcha. The chawan is perfectly serviceable but not art quality (in fact it stars in my yesterday Matcha Daybreak photo.) I love matcha, but don't make it very often, so this is still my only real chawan. Had I spent more money, I probably would not be making more matcha. EO also has this set. It used to be that there were a couple glowing reviews on the site from Wesli (?) I think and from me. The matcha that comes with it is very respectable ... not the $60 a tin stuff, but better than average. I have found that you can order more cheap, good matcha from Maiko if you choose the less expensive shipping option BTW. By cheap I mean under $15 including shipping.
Here are some pics i posted when it arrived: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p= ... podo#28537
Here are some pics i posted when it arrived: http://www.teachat.com/viewtopic.php?p= ... podo#28537
Aug 24th, '08, 15:44
Posts: 2625
Joined: May 31st, '08, 02:44
Scrolling: scrolling
Location: Portland, OR
Contact:
Geekgirl
Beautiful cup, but much too small for Matcha, you'd have a very difficult time whisking in that.shogun89 wrote:Thanks for the reply's everyone! The links had lots of beautiful chawans but a little more expensive than I would want to spend. I like this one from Rishi. What do you guys think. http://www.rishi-tea.com/store/product. ... =12&page=1
I have one of those gyokko pots, and I think a couple of people here on TC have the little tobikanna pot, they are very nice quality, and you can't beat the price/quality ratio anywhere, IMO.I will probably just end up getting a starter kit. or just get this tea pot with some nice sencha and just stop there for a bit.
http://www.artisticnippon.com/product/t ... kanna.html
For chawan at a great price on this side of the pond, there's Ron Mello. I have two of his chawan, and I love them. They are so well balanced, lightweight porcelain, the glazes are wonderful. Each of mine was under $40. Of course there are other artists doing equally amazing work. If you are in a city, you could try your local crafter's fair. Many "cereal bowls" are very suitable for use as a teabowl, and very inexpensive. Don't feel hesitant to try a bowl that isn't labeled "chawan." I used a ceramic dog dish for my first attempts. Hey! it was the perfect size, shape and weight.
