Journal
How to store matcha so it doesn't go stale
Matcha is fragile. Air, light, heat and moisture kill it fast. Here's how to keep it fresh — and why the caddy is not the pantry.
How to store matcha so it doesn't go stale
Matcha is fragile. Air, light, heat and moisture kill it fast. Here's how to keep it fresh — and why the caddy is not the pantry.
How to tell real Japanese matcha from fake
Counterfeit and blended matcha is real. Four checks — color, particle, taste and the label — tell you most of what you need.
How to tell real Japanese matcha from fake
Counterfeit and blended matcha is real. Four checks — color, particle, taste and the label — tell you most of what you need.
Is 'ceremonial grade' matcha real? An honest an...
There is no official 'ceremonial grade' in Japan. Here is what the word really means and how to judge quality without it.
Is 'ceremonial grade' matcha real? An honest an...
There is no official 'ceremonial grade' in Japan. Here is what the word really means and how to judge quality without it.
Why won't my matcha froth? (It's almost always ...
If your matcha comes out flat and foamless, the culprit is almost never you — it is the whisk.
Why won't my matcha froth? (It's almost always ...
If your matcha comes out flat and foamless, the culprit is almost never you — it is the whisk.
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.