Description

Japanese Tea/ Matcha Cups Set (Chawan Set) ‘Yoru & Hiru’, 2 pieces, ‘Black & White’, ceramic, 180ml. The aesthetically appealing, perfectly matching Japanese Tea or Matcha tea cups in characteristic tea cup shape are perfectly suitable for the preparation and relishing of Matcha Green Tea in sweet togetherness – or alone, left with the choice of color. Unlike Japanese leaf green tea, Matcha tea is usually prepared in the same vessel than it is drunk from, mostly a dedicated Matcha bowl or Chawan. The shape of a Matcha Chawan essentially resembles that of “common” tea bowls, but the former are tendentiously bigger than the latter, due to the space requirement arising from the process of whisking the matcha powder in the hot water by means of a Matcha Whisk (Chasen). There are two characteristic basic shapes of Matcha Chawan, one of which is the tampered shape that is typical for many other Chawan, too, while the other one is that of a low-walled, vertical mug with a relatively flat, only lightly concave bottom.

The Matcha cup (Chawan) is an essential tool of the Japanese Tea Ceremony, which is all about the preparation of Matcha tea. At this, the Matcha powder is put into the Chawan, poured over with hot water previously tempered in a cooling vessel (Yuzamashi), and then whisked until frothy with a special Matcha Whisk (Chasen). A distincition is made between „Koicha“ (strong, thick Matcha tea) and „Usucha“ (light, thin Matcha tea), which are both prepared served in the same type of Chawan, each at specific times during the tea ceremony. „Chawan“ is both the Japanese and the Chinese word for tea cup or tea bowl and in Japan is also used for the Matcha bowl. Japan has long developed its very own individual style tea ware handicrafts. This becomes obvious, for example, in the design of the characteristic Japanese Sidehandle Teapot (Kyusu), but also in the art of creating tea bowls. Among Japanese tea ceramic artists, the Matcha Chawan is considered as one of the most demanding work pieces at all.

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