Tag: matcha

Small Drinking Vessels and Refills: Please Let Me Pour More

By:
Ceramics Kazu Oba Food and Craft

Ceramics by Kazu Oba in our shop ->

I get so excited to hear from people that they have been vaccinated for Covid-19. It feels truly good to be on the offensive against this virus! And as I patiently await my turn for the jab(s), which should come soon, I’m starting to look forward to sitting around the table with my friends again.

And when I sit down to have tea, coffee, even water and adult beverages, I like to use small cups and mugs. Sure, it’s always good to have less things to wash afterwards, but I like to give my guests small drinking vessels so that I can bring a pitcher or spouted bowls with refills.

Little cups allow the host to offer a fresh batch of hot coffee to the guests

Why bother, you may ask. It is because little cups allow me to offer a fresh batch of hot or cold drinks to my guests. In addition, there is something very pleasant and soothing about watching and hearing liquid being poured into vessels don’t you think? I consider it as part of the entertainment to the guests. I’m sure the Victorians could have made tea in huge mugs as well, but they too must have felt that the act of pouring adds another layer to the tea experience.

It is pleasant and soothing to watch and hear liquid (in this case matcha) being poured into vessels.

If you ever wondered why there are so many small cups in my shop, now you know the reason. And today I’ve added even more small cups and pouring vessels by Kazu Oba to my shop. As always, Kazu’s spouts are perfectly executed so that there won’t be any drips left on your table. I hope that you’ll find the perfect vessel to add a little more pouring for your next gathering in the coming post-Covid world.

The Unsung Heros of the Tea Room

By:
Tea (Chado) Tanimura Tango

Tea Whisks by Tanimura Tango in our shop ->

Tea Whisks by Tanimura Tango <br /> From the top left: Kazuho, Hachijuppondate, Sohenryu, Araho-Sohenryu, Unmondake shin-kazuho, Shin-kochasen <br /> From the bottom left: Soshuryu, Araho-Soshuryu, Shin-Kazuho, Shin-Araho, Tenmoku, Kurotake Shin Kazuho
Tea Whisks by Tanimura Tango
From the top left: Kazuho, Hachijuppondate, Sohenryu, Araho-Sohenryu, Unmondake shin-kazuho, Shin-kochasen
From the bottom left: Soshuryu, Araho-Soshuryu, Shin-Kazuho, Shin-Araho, Tenmoku, Kurotake Shin Kazuho

I took this photo this morning to show some of the different types of tea whisks that we received from Nara’s master tea whisk maker Tanimura Tango today. It is astonishing to see this photo and then to think that the utensil was originally devised 500 years ago, around the time that Michelangelo painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and that it has remained virtually unchanged since.

The Sistine Chapel is visited by over five million people every year, while the chasen is about the only utensil that is not given a name or revered even in the tea room. So I just wanted to say that the chasen are the little known heros of the tea room. These boxes containing the whisks read: “Great Nippon; awarded for excellence; great Yamato country’s Takayama tea whisk maker; Wahokudo Tanimura Tango”

Guide to Choosing Your Tea Whisk for Matcha

By:
Tea (Chado) Tanimura Tango

Takayama chasen by Tanimura Tango in our shop ->

At Entoten, we carry a wide variety of the highest quality tea whisks made by Tanimura Tango, the master maker from Takayama Nara. His family has been making bamboo tea whisks for the last 500 years. With many different forms and types of tea whisks to choose from, customers have asked me how to go about choosing the right one for them, so here is my guide to choosing the tea whisk that is most ideal for you.

Entoten carries a wide variety of the highest quality tea whisks made by Tanimura Tango.

Foam or No Foam

I think the most popular way to prepare matcha in the U.S. is with lots of foam on top. This is a thin type of matcha called usucha. If you are new to preparing usucha, then the best whisk is either kazuho or 80 hondate chasen. These whisks have approximately 70-80 tines and they are also the most widely available forms of tea whisks on the market. The curled tips of these whisks allow for the tea to be efficiently stirred to create foam.

The 80 hondate tea whisk with curled tips efficiently stirs the tea to create foam
Matcha prepared with fine foam on top

If you are already an experienced tea whisker, then I urge you to try the shin-kazuho tea whisk. This type of whisk has approximately 70 lightly curved tines, and while it requires a little getting used to, it excels at creating very fine foam and less bubbles. The bonus is that the tines do not break as easily because their tips are not curled. This type of whisk in white (hachiku) bamboo is used by the Grand Master of the Urasenke tea school.

Shin-Kazuho tea whisk has gently curved tines

I also want to point out that, contrary to popular belief, creating lots of foam is not the only ‘correct’ way to prepare usucha. While the Urasenke tea school prefers to make its tea with lots of foam, other tea schools and their masters prepare their tea with less foam, like Omotesenke and Mushakouji-senke for example. Soshuryu whisks used by Mushakouji-senke are straight-tined, precisely to create less foam. Personally, I think usucha with less foam allows for the delightful umami and bitterness of tea to be more clearly tasted, and for the flavor to linger longer in your mouth afterwards.

Contrary to popular belief, making lots of foam is not the only “correct” way to make matcha. The Omotesenke and Mushakojisenke tea schools, for example, make tea with just enough foam so that there will be a ‘crescent moon’ of green lake left on the surface.

Thick Tea

A less commonly prepared but delicious version of matcha is thick tea, or koicha, which is made with a lot of powder and little hot water to create the consistency of a gravy sauce. If you regularly prepare thick tea, then rough tined whisks are recommended. These whisks have thicker tines that do not break while you mix the koicha. If you only occasionally make thick tea, kazuho or shin-kazuho tea whisks may also be used for this purpose.

Rough tined Sohenryu whisk on the left in comparison to the Kazuho whisk

Most Important: Choose Freely

The tea whisk is meant to be regularly used and ultimately the tines will break and the handle may crack, at which point it should be replaced. When you are looking for a new whisk, I hope that you try out many kinds of whisks and not restrict yourself to a certain school or form.

Special edition Shin-Kazuho black bamboo tea whisk with pink string. Tea should be fun and whisks should be chosen freely to match your mood and the seasons.

Black bamboo tea whisks, for example, are less commonly known but their dark austere appearance may perfectly match with your tea bowl. Tea whisks tied with different colors may be chosen according to your mood, the seasons, and your own preferences.

Rest assured that every whisk is made with the utmost care by the Tanimura family. You can read more about the process and attention that goes into the making of these tea whisks in my blog post about Tanimura Tango.