Mino Ware Matcha Set — Sakura

Ten minutes where your hands have something exact to do.

The temperature of the water. The angle of your wrist. The rhythm of the whisk, and the moment its sound changes because the foam has turned fine.

You do not decide to concentrate. You do this, and then you notice that you have been.

A chawan made in Mino, in Gifu, where potters have been firing this clay for a thousand years.

The glaze is reactive. It moves in the kiln and settles differently on every bowl, so yours will not match this photograph exactly. That is the point.

The foot is left unglazed — bare white clay, still holding the marks of the wheel. Not an omission. It is how a chawan shows you it was turned by a person.

What is included

Chawan (matcha bowl) — made in Japan, Mino ware

Chasen (bamboo whisk) — made in Japan

Chashaku (bamboo scoop) 

There is no sieve in this set. You do not need one — see below.

Size

4.1 in (10.5 cm) wide, 2.6 in (6.7 cm) tall

12 fl oz / 350 ml

0.6 lb (290 g)

How to make it

The water. A bowl of matcha is almost all water, so the water decides most of the taste. Use soft water. Bottled water in Japan is nearly always soft; bottled water elsewhere varies a great deal, so read the label and choose a low hardness.

Boil it, whatever it is. With tap water, take the lid off the kettle and hold it at a rolling boil for five minutes. That drives off the chlorine.

Then let it cool before it meets the tea. 70–80°C (160–175°F) in summer, 75–85°C (165–185°F) in winter. Never straight from the boil.

The bowl. Warm it with hot water and stand the whisk in it until the tines soften. Pour the water away and dry the bowl.

No sieve, no problem. Sifting makes matcha easier to whisk, but it is not required. Put 1.5 g in the bowl — two scoops of the chashaku, or a light teaspoon — add a little of the hot water first, and work it into a smooth paste against the bottom. The lumps go before the rest of the water arrives.

The whisking. Add the rest of the water, about 2.4 fl oz (70 ml) in all. Stir slowly at first, to lift the matcha off the bottom. Then raise the whisk just clear of the base and shake it briskly back and forth from the wrist — not in circles. You are not stirring the water round. When the foam rises, bring the tip of the whisk up to the surface and move it slowly, to break the bubbles finer. Finish by lifting the whisk quietly from the centre, so the foam peaks.

In hot weather, whisk it stronger with less water, drop in ice, and stir lightly.

Care

Hand wash only. Dry thoroughly. The unglazed foot darkens slowly with use.

Use a coaster on delicate surfaces.