Journal
The 24 micro-seasons of Japanese tea
The old Japanese calendar has not four seasons but twenty-four. Tea lives inside them — here's what that means.
The 24 micro-seasons of Japanese tea
The old Japanese calendar has not four seasons but twenty-four. Tea lives inside them — here's what that means.
What is a natsume? The tea caddy, explained
A natsume is the small caddy that holds the matcha for a sitting — a serving vessel, not the pantry. Here's how to use it.
What is a natsume? The tea caddy, explained
A natsume is the small caddy that holds the matcha for a sitting — a serving vessel, not the pantry. Here's how to use it.
Usucha and koicha: thin tea and thick tea expla...
Japanese tea has two forms: usucha (thin) and koicha (thick). Here's the difference and which to start with.
Usucha and koicha: thin tea and thick tea expla...
Japanese tea has two forms: usucha (thin) and koicha (thick). Here's the difference and which to start with.
Matcha vs coffee: the calm caffeine
Matcha has caffeine, but with L-theanine it lands differently — calmer, with no crash. Here's the honest comparison.
Matcha vs coffee: the calm caffeine
Matcha has caffeine, but with L-theanine it lands differently — calmer, with no crash. Here's the honest comparison.
What is matcha? A short, honest beginner's guide
Matcha is powdered green tea grown in the shade, whisked into water rather than steeped. Here's the honest short version.
What is matcha? A short, honest beginner's guide
Matcha is powdered green tea grown in the shade, whisked into water rather than steeped. Here's the honest short version.
How to choose a matcha bowl (chawan)
You need less than you think. Width, depth and a weight that settles the hand — that's most of it.
How to choose a matcha bowl (chawan)
You need less than you think. Width, depth and a weight that settles the hand — that's most of it.
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.