Which Teaware for Japanese Tea and Matcha?
Powdered matcha and leaf teas call for different vessels. Put together a tea service that follows the way you prepare them.
By Roseline Zhou, Founder
Contents
You'd like to put together a Japanese tea service, but a bowl, teapot, and whisk serve different purposes. For powdered matcha, use a chawan, the bowl in which the tea is whisked and drunk, and a chasen, the bamboo whisk. For leaf tea, a teapot with a filter and cups suit the preparation better.
We'd start with the tea you drink before choosing a matching set. The tools for matcha serve a different movement from a teapot for leaves. That helps you avoid buying a piece that will stay in the cupboard, while still enjoying the feel of a beautiful ceramic vessel.
Matcha or leaves: which Japanese tea service should you choose?
Matcha is a powder mixed with water in a bowl. Hojicha, roasted Japanese green tea, and genmaicha, green tea blended with roasted rice, also come as leaves. In that case, you steep the leaves in a teapot with a filter. Their powdered versions are mixed with water without a filter.
| Tea prepared | Useful teaware | Method | Limit of this choice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matcha with water | Chawan and chasen | Mix the powder in the bowl, then drink or pour. | A teapot doesn't help whisk the powder. |
| Leaf hojicha or genmaicha | Kyusu, a Japanese teapot, often side-handled, with a filter, and cups | Steep the leaves, then serve without leaving them in each cup. | A matcha whisk adds nothing to this infusion. |
| Powdered hojicha or genmaicha | A vessel for mixing powder with water | Disperse the powder before serving. | A filter teapot isn't useful for powder. |
| Tasting several cups | An easy-to-pour vessel and cups that feel good in the hand | Divide the tea without making service awkward. | A large set takes up room if you drink alone. |
| Delicate leaf green tea, such as gyokuro | Kyusu or houhin, a small handleless teapot, and yuzamashi, the bowl where the water cools | Let the water cool in the yuzamashi before pouring it over the leaves. | Unnecessary for a roasted tea such as hojicha. |
| Hot water, for every tea | Kettle, or tetsubin, a cast-iron kettle | Heat the water, then pour it into the vessel that makes the tea. | A cast-iron teapot that looks like it may be for steeping only; its instructions say whether it can go on the heat. |
We first choose the vessel in which the tea is prepared: it determines the movement. If you drink alone from a cup, its size and how it feels in your hand become just as important. An attractive set won't make up for a teapot that's hard to pour or a bowl too narrow for the whisk.
For capacity, add up your cups. Two cups of about 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) each, for example, call for a teapot that pours at least about 6.8 fl oz (200 ml). Measure this usable volume with water, up to the level where it stays below the spout, because the stated capacity is sometimes measured to the brim.
How do you judge Japanese ceramic teaware?
Look at the rim, foot, and inside. The rim touches your lips; the foot should stand steadily on the table. You should also be able to clean the places where tea dries. In a chawan, the whisk must reach the bottom without hitting the sides. A small cup holding already prepared tea doesn't have that constraint.
We'd choose a cup that feels good in the hand over one chosen only for its pattern, unless you mainly want to display it. A photo shows the shape, not the weight you'll feel. When buying from afar, check the dimensions and views of the rim and inside. A pattern or the name of a style doesn't prove where a ceramic piece was made.
Before buying, ask whether the inside is glazed. Clay left bare inside stays porous. We'd rinse it with clear water, without detergent, and let it dry open in the air before putting it away. A glazed piece is simpler to wash. For the dishwasher as for the microwave, only the piece's instructions can answer.
Which Japanese tea tools should you add?
For matcha, a chashaku is the bamboo scoop used to measure out powder. It goes with the bowl and whisk, but doesn't replace a teapot's filter for leaves. If the whisk strikes the bowl, choosing a chasen starts with checking the available space; another model won't necessarily fix a chawan that's too narrow.
We'd set aside the idea of a complete service merely for the pleasure of matching pieces. A filter is more useful than a whisk if you only prepare leaves. Conversely, a decorative teapot won't give the chasen the room it needs in a chawan.
Does Coffret verre suit the way you drink matcha?
We'd recommend the Coffret verre for whisking matcha in a transparent bowl before pouring it into cups; the matching naoshi, a stand for the whisk, holds it after use. If you prepare only leaf hojicha or genmaicha, start instead with a teapot and cups that you'll actually use.