It's All About Tea — teaware

Yunomi teacups are medium-sized tea cups ranging anywhere from 90 to 160 ml. They are the most commonly used teacups in Japan and can be found in almost every eatery and home. Unlike the chawan, which is used for more formal Japanese tea ceremonies, Yunomi cups are used for casual everyday tea drinking. (Read more)

A Cha Hai (茶海), also called Gong Dao Bei (公道杯), is the fairness pitcher used in Gong Fu Cha (工夫茶). After brewing in a gaiwan or teapot, tea is decanted into the Cha Hai before pouring into cups, ensuring every guest gets the same strength brew. (Read more)

Today a chasen (bamboo whisk) is undoubtedly one of the most indispensable parts of Chanoyu (Japanese tea ceremony). You might walk into a modern coffee shop or tea cafe and see the baristas preparing your matcha by shaking or blending the matcha powder with hot water (and possibly milk), but to many matcha lovers out there this is simply despicable. If you are present at a Japanese tea ceremony, you will not expect for your matcha to be whisked with anything but a chasen. (Read more)

When the weather is warm, all we want to do is go outdoors. And as much as we love enjoying tea in the comfort of a home, there is plenty of time for that during the chilly winters. Summer, on the other hand, is the perfect time to enjoy tea outdoors, with fresh greenery all around and the sounds of mountain streams...

Although packing for some quality gongfu cha time outdoors can be intimidating. What to bring? How do we make sure the teaware doesn't break? What about the water? What if the tea gets crushed? (Read more)

A common mistake people make is thinking they can use their teapot right away. We often get questions from people who are curious or taken aback by the smell they notice after receiving a piece of teaware. It can be described as “earthy”, “muddy”, “moldy”, and even “fishy”.

While a strong fishy or moldy smell is usually not a good sign, a new Yixing teapot may have a mild earthy or clay scent from the firing and storage. To lighten the earthy smell of clay and prepare the teapot for tea brewing, we should season it before use. (Read more)