I'd like to get a consensus regarding the proper size for a Matcha Chawan. I've been very hesitant to purchase any in the past, mostly because I simply haven't found one that properly fits my aesthetic idea of a good tea bowl (It's rough out there in this mass produced world of ours!). However I thought my search was finally over when I heard about this new offering from Hibiki-an...
http://www.hibiki-an.com/product_info.p ... cts_id/562
It's absolutely gorgeous in such a plain and fugly way. PERFECT for a chawan... or so I thought. the problem is the size, it hardly seems big enough to make matcha in, even though it's being marketed as a Matcha bowl. what do you guys think? Is this just totally bunk? Is it like a Big Gulp sized Yunomi and thus should be used as such? Or is there a precedence to making matcha in a smaller bowl like this?
It's definitely a nice bowl, it does seem a tad small for matcha. But then I prefer a more open bowl so I can really get the chasen going. I have some larger matcha bowls, and I was just thinking how they actually seem too big for one person; I love them but even 6oz gets lost in there. My new Hagi bowl is 5.1" x 2.6" and is just perfect. Too big is better than too small though. Of course that could be an excuse to buy another.
Apr 6th, '09, 23:13
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Dreamer
Definitely a cool looking bowl/cup. It looks like it would feel wonderful in the hands, but I, personally, would not buy it for matcha.
I have two cups just under 4 inches wide and a little taller than this one that I bought from etsy.com. I love the size and how they fit in my hand, but I can't do matcha in them. I need a width of about 5 inches to make matcha.
My cups are too large for using with Japanese greens or oolong, and with no handles they don't work well for nice hot black tea. I use them to cool water and for big cups of houjicha.
I think that if you're willing to part with $82 for a matcha bowl, that you'll be able to find something that really makes matcha prep a joy and that makes your heart sing!
Have fun shopping,
Dreamer
I have two cups just under 4 inches wide and a little taller than this one that I bought from etsy.com. I love the size and how they fit in my hand, but I can't do matcha in them. I need a width of about 5 inches to make matcha.
My cups are too large for using with Japanese greens or oolong, and with no handles they don't work well for nice hot black tea. I use them to cool water and for big cups of houjicha.
I think that if you're willing to part with $82 for a matcha bowl, that you'll be able to find something that really makes matcha prep a joy and that makes your heart sing!
Have fun shopping,
Dreamer
Apr 6th, '09, 23:59
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Ohhhh a smaller chasen, now that would make more sense.olivierco wrote:Chabako chawans are smaller (Width 3.7" : Height 2.2" for instance) but you use also a smaller chasen.
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Apr 7th, '09, 10:16
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Interesting, I don't know if I saw the smaller chasen before, but if a vendor sells a Chabako, shouldn't they sell the smaller Chasen as well?olivierco wrote:Chabako chawans are smaller (Width 3.7" : Height 2.2" for instance) but you use also a smaller chasen.
blah blah blah SENCHA blah blah blah!!!
For chabako it is really best to get a 'kit' or else you may find it difficult to obtain other pieces that fit the box. You can get kits, old and new, from various places.
As for tis modern mass produced world, you can also buy new and old hand thrown chawan which are and were not mass produced. You just have to look. Surprisingly to me, the used market is actually cheaper than the new market for much chawan pottery these days. You can get them for almost nothing on eBay, the shipping may cost you more though upscale auction sites have them for silly prices too (300000 yen or more).
As for tis modern mass produced world, you can also buy new and old hand thrown chawan which are and were not mass produced. You just have to look. Surprisingly to me, the used market is actually cheaper than the new market for much chawan pottery these days. You can get them for almost nothing on eBay, the shipping may cost you more though upscale auction sites have them for silly prices too (300000 yen or more).
Apr 7th, '09, 11:33
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Apr 7th, '09, 13:56
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Thanks Olivier! I have seen them but did not know they were smaller. Are these along with Chabako chawans more in travel sets?
Last edited by Chip on Apr 7th, '09, 13:57, edited 1 time in total.
Nice Olivier!
The NM Tea Co has a cute travel size set.
http://www.nmteaco.com/Travel-Matcha-Wh ... p_238.html
The NM Tea Co has a cute travel size set.
http://www.nmteaco.com/Travel-Matcha-Wh ... p_238.html
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http://victoriasown.blogspot.com/
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I don't know.Chip wrote:Thanks Olivier! I have seen them but did not know they were smaller. Are these along with Chabako chawans more in travel sets?
The travel set I might buy
seems to have a normal chasen if you compare the size of the chasen and the size of the matcha tin on this picture
but many travel sets are sold with small chasens (smaller than my chabako chasens).
Apr 7th, '09, 18:18
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FWIW, section 4 of What to look for in a chawan, Part 1 talks about the dimensions of chawan and the ones used for chabako and nodate.
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"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cosy, doesn't try it on."
- Billy Connolly
Hmm... It's as I suspected. Thanks for the feedback everyone. I'd actually never considered a travel size matcha set, nor a chabako set. I also never considered using a smaller chasen either... hmmmm. things to think about for sure, though I think I'm leaning toward continuing my search. It took me 2 years to find the perfect tea pot and quite a while to find a tetsubin as well, so why should this be any different... the search will continue.