Journal
Should matcha be foamy?
Foam changes the texture of a bowl, not its flavor, and in some schools of tea the surface is deliberately left partly open. What it does and does not tell...
Should matcha be foamy?
Foam changes the texture of a bowl, not its flavor, and in some schools of tea the surface is deliberately left partly open. What it does and does not tell...
How long does wagashi last?
From a single afternoon to more than a year. The stated shelf life of a dozen real Japanese sweets, the two kinds of date on the packet, and why the...
How long does wagashi last?
From a single afternoon to more than a year. The stated shelf life of a dozen real Japanese sweets, the two kinds of date on the packet, and why the...
Do Japanese people burn incense for the dead?
Most incense in Japan is not bought for its scent. It is lit for the people who have died, at the altar, at the grave and at funerals, and this...
Do Japanese people burn incense for the dead?
Most incense in Japan is not bought for its scent. It is lit for the people who have died, at the altar, at the grave and at funerals, and this...
Wagashi and matcha: why the sweet comes first
In Japan the sweet comes before the tea, not with it. It is closer to a recipe than a rule, and it decides which sweets are worth finding outside Japan.
Wagashi and matcha: why the sweet comes first
In Japan the sweet comes before the tea, not with it. It is closer to a recipe than a rule, and it decides which sweets are worth finding outside Japan.
How many grams is a chashaku scoop?
Every guide says two scoops and almost none say what a scoop is. Heaped or level is the whole difference, and it is why the teaspoon conversions contradict each other.
How many grams is a chashaku scoop?
Every guide says two scoops and almost none say what a scoop is. Heaped or level is the whole difference, and it is why the teaspoon conversions contradict each other.
What is tencha? The leaf before matcha
Tencha and matcha are the same tea at two stages. The more useful thing to know this year is that the price rise happened at the leaf, at auction.
What is tencha? The leaf before matcha
Tencha and matcha are the same tea at two stages. The more useful thing to know this year is that the price rise happened at the leaf, at auction.
Tomari (とまり) is an old word for a mooring — the place a boat ties up for the night. A bowl of tea is meant to be the same: a few minutes to put the day down. You do not need to know the rules to begin.
Who chose this
I choose everything here by hand, in Japan. I practice tea rather than simply selling the tools for it — I am not a tea master and I do not claim to be. I am a practitioner, which mostly means I have ruined enough bad whisks to know what a good one feels like in the first second of holding it.
Nothing is drop-shipped and nothing passes through a third warehouse. I pack each order in Tokyo and post it from Japan, ceramics double-boxed by hand. If something arrives broken, write within 7 days with photographs of the piece and the box, and I send a replacement or a refund; there is nothing to post back unless I ask. Who writes and chooses all this, and the longer version of why this shop exists.