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rdl wrote: ↑

Tue Feb 14, 2023 1:00 pm

Saito Issei is not a member of the Hagi Ceramic Association but is well known. I don't know much about him. You have a quality teabowl in your hands, and very good taste.

Thank you.
My decision buy/not buy depends on the first impression when I see chawan. It has to catch my attention and what feeling chawan evokes in me. Who made it is not so important for me. This way is quite difficult because I am choosing via Internet

Matcha day

My first experience with matcha was terrible. It says it was culinary grade. Very bitter, grainy and gave me stomach trouble later. Maybe I'm not using the right kind.

Culinary grade is not very good to drink - some people wouldn't even cook with it.

Matcha is an acquired taste, even if prepared using higher-quality powder and the traditional accessories.

Ty for that info, it is definitely acquired. Thinking I might use little bits of it to cook with and stick to my teas.

it took me quite a while to figure out Matcha. I bought some that was intended for drinking from a fancy grocery store, a couple of different brands, instructions I found in a couple of places on the Internet and I did not like any of them. They were definitely better than Culinary grade, but they were not fine quality.

when I got to Japan, I twice had the opportunity to prepare Matcha myself, once when we were instructed in every step on a Tea Farm tour (Obubu in Wazuka), and another time at a temple where there was an illustrated laminated guide provided with the Tea set up. I liked it both times. After that I felt confident enough to pay the price for some fine Matcha, and I've been happily enjoying occasional Matcha since.

But until that first time when I prepared it with guidance, I was very wary of paying the bucks for fine Matcha without knowing whether or not I would like it. if you like sencha and/or gyokuro, I would add a midprice Matcha to your next order from your favorite supplier, study a few videos, and try it. I'd save the stuff as culinary grade something like ice cream where the cold numbing your tongue and the vast proportion of sugar will help to balance out the unpleasant flavors.... or just feed it to the compost bin.

Started today with matcha, Gokou from Obubu, whisked up in the newest chawan from Petr Novak, too tasty to get a shot before most of it was slurped up

Cheap, but still incredibly good Kiri no Mori matcha from o-cha.