It's All About Tea — teaware

Yunomi teacups are medium sized tea cups ranging anywhere from 90 to 160 ml. They are the most common 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)

When, where, and by who, the first cha hai was used by is unknown even though now it is an irreplaceable part of gong fu brewing. It is especially important to use cha hai for denser teas. Ensuring that the participants of a tea ceremony have the equal experiences is an integral part of tea culture that should not be overlooked. (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)

If you are only starting to get into the vast and somewhat mysterious world of pu-erh, chances are you’ve been purchasing samples. The samples are an excellent way to get acquainted with the tea and see what you like before investing in a whole cake. An entire pu-erh cake can be pricey, but it is well worth it if you found one that you want as it will last you for many months, if not years, and in many cases only gets better with age.

After you have purchased your first cake or brick, the next step is breaking it into a size suitable for one tea session. For this, we use specially designated pu-erh tea needles. Learn about how to properly loosen and break pu-erh tea. (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)