It's All About Tea — japanese tea ceremony

In the somewhat intricate world of tea ceremony, there exists a debate: incense or no incense? 

Personal preference aside, we decided to go deeper into why exactly incense can be burned during tea ceremonies. After all, this is a long tradition that has holds its roots in Buddhism and has made its way into the traditional tea ceremony. (Read more)

Gong fu cha refers to the Chinese tea ceremony, and it translates as “skillfully making tea”. Chanoyu, on the other hand, is the Japanese tea ceremony which literally translates as “hot water for tea”. What are some of the biggest differences between the two? (Read more)

The Japanese tea ceremony has a long and interesting history. Throughout the decades it has evolved from an expensive and lavish gathering, to a tea ritual that focusses on simplicity and nature. With it, the tea utensils have also evolved. When entering a Japanese tea house we may find a variety of tea ceremony utensils, each holding their own history and purpose. Not a step goes unnoticed. (Read more)

When thinking of Japanese culture, many of us have come across the term wabi-sabi. Although hard to define literally, wabi-sabi is a concept centered around the appreciation of imperfection. It is carried throughout many aspects of Japanese culture. From art to architecture, literature, poetry, nature, design, and one of the places it’s seen the most… tea ceremony. (Read more)

Whenever we are faced with the harsh reality of our favorite teapot that we painstakingly brought back from Japan breaking, we must ask ourselves the following question:

"Out with the old" or do I try repairing it?

For many merely throwing it away is not an option. Especially if the piece of teaware has a lot of meaning to us or if we just recently acquired it.

A quick search online and you will see kintsugi as the number one suggested method of repairing pottery. But is it really worth it? (Read more)