Tea gathering at home

What utensils do you need to serve matcha?  If you want to hold a formal tea ceremony, many kinds of proper utensil are needed.  But, once it comes to a casual occasion at home, you can prepare matcha with few essential wares.

The other day, I had some friends coming over to my place, and we enjoyed matcha.  Nothing formal; No tea room, No brazier.   I brought some basic utensils onto the table and served tea to my friends.  This is nothing compared to a formal tea ceremony, but still people can enjoy the essence of the ceremony.    I think that those basic utensils contribute in creating the right atmosphere.

The Essential items for matcha preparation

1.    Tea bowl

2.    Tea whisk

3.    Natsume, tea container

4.    Tea scoop

5.    Thermos bottle

6.    Small linen cloth (to clean a tea bowl)

7.    Wasst-water receptacle

Only with these seven items, you can already enjoy casual tea ceremony at home.

I let each of my friends prepare their own tea on the second servings.  With awkward halting movements, they were able to perform the ceremony almost perfectly.  They seemed to really enjoy doing it.  We talked, whisked matcha, played with kids, savored tea and laughed!  It was a peaceful moment in Sunday afternoon.