Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Look for your own tea ware

In tea history, there are some tea bowls made for other purposes originally, but some tea lovers used them for tea.  I as a tea enthusiast sometimes try to experiment using some table wares for tea.

The other day, a unique figure spoon rest caught my interest.   It is a small plate and has a dimple on its rim that looks like a spout.  I tried using it as a small personal teapot for gyokuro.  I know it doesn’t have a lid and the figure isn’t anything like an ordinary teapot.  But, I thought it is big enough for a single serving of gyokuro. 




I placed 4g of leaves, and poured a little amount of lukewarm water.
And waited for 2 min.




I poured tea into a small cup


The tea is a very small amount.
It had a rich flavor and I was very satisfied with it.  
I didn’t have any problem on the first serving, but on the second brewing I had some drips from the spout when I poured tea in to the cup.  I guess it only works if you use small amount of liquid.  I am disappointed that this spoon rest is not perfect as a tea ware.  But, this kind of experiments is fun!  Do you have any table wares that you are using as a tea wear?


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8 comments:

  1. AdrianoMarch 28, 2012 at 7:34 PM

    Hi,Kohei,

    l always have fun with your playful and creative searches.l personally drink only Japanese tea and use strictly Japanese tea ware to reflect your country's spirit and Zen feeling every time l sip a drop of tea from a cup.Every item only from Japan and made for tea,that's the self made rule.Might be narrow minded but l like it.:)
    Other way round,years ago l was searching for some nice looking little pots for my 2 or 3 succulent plants unsuccessfully.l found them in my Japanese cups and successfully changed their initial purpose.You wouldn't find more beautiful small plant pots on a market.Really.:)

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    1. KoheiMarch 29, 2012 at 10:27 PM

      Other way round, using tea wares for other purposes, that’s a great idea!
      Your succulents must have been surprised being in an Asian cup. But, I’m sure that they are happy now, haha^^

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  2. AdrianoMarch 30, 2012 at 7:29 AM

    They really grow very well for years now.Must have been them experiencing some satori thing while l'm still waiting for it.:)

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  3. ahnnMarch 31, 2012 at 3:45 PM

    I always love tea. I love reading your blog.

    Speciality Tea

    ReplyDelete
  4. sparrisMay 14, 2012 at 8:02 PM

    I read this post when you posted it and couldn't think of anything I use that's not intended for tea-until last night. I came home desperate for some proper tea after a long workday and decided to use this cup-which I'm not even sure is a cup at all-might be a bowl of some sort. Bought at a kitchen and interior decoration store a few years back.

    I put up a picture on my own blog and a link back to you(hope you don't mind)

    http://blekte.blogspot.se/2012/05/saker-som-inte-ar-for-te.html

    -as you can see it's rather large compared to most Japanese cups but at that moment I needed lots of tea! =)

    As always, thank you for writing such a nice blog :)

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    1. KoheiMay 14, 2012 at 10:07 PM

      I have visited your blog to see the photos. It has a mysterious beautiful color like a lake in a forest. I’m not sure if the green color is caused by the cup or tea itself, but very interesting!
      Thanks for having the link to me on your blog^^

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