TeaForum.org

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:39 am

Have you ever had any trouble with burning your fingers on the houhin?

Not really. The hohins I have gotten all have skirts that do not get hot enough for that to become an issue in day-to-day use. After my sessions, I always rinse my pots with boiling water, filling and emptying them 2-3 times to make them hot enough to dry quickly, and I always do that with my bare fingers holding the pots by the skirt.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:39 am

Also, did you get any clash with using gaoshan and sencha in the same pot?

I am not sure I am the best person to answer that question. I tend to keep my pots quite clean, using percarbonate when deposit buildups become visible, probably a couple of times a year for my most used teapots. I have never noticed any negative impact from using the same pot for many different teas, but then again I am not an expert on the subject given my limited experience. I have never dedicated a pot to a specific kind of tea, so I do not know what I am missing by not doing that, either.

After several 2 to 3 am email exchanges, i caved, and pulled the trigger on a kobiwako shibo and a reduced fired akitsu pot, as well as some tea...

At one point, he suggested reduce fired nosaka:

The earlier batch of Nosaka tends to reduce body and therefore people feel flavor has reduced. It does not mean flavor has reduce but body get lighter in exchange to the intense aftertaste.

The latest batch of Nosaka is totally different as we changed the source of clay and firing method. It increases the body a lot. 

Didn't go for that one though.

OCTO wrote: ↑

Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:56 am

I'm in direct contact with his Marketing Manager here in Malaysia. Do let me know if you would like to contact her personally. I can give you her mobile number. Queries and photos can be sent directly through WhatsApp. That's how I usually get my stuffs from Hojo, Very fast response time.

Cheers!

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here as a new user, and I'm sorry I'm reviving an old-ish thread, but would you mind sending me the contact info as well @OCTO? I've ordered from Hojo many times in the past, so I'm pretty used to him not responding for weeks sometimes, and it's not that I'm impatient now, but I recently sent an email for a couple teas and a teapot which Akira responded to within a week, and after I sent another email just confirming the order he hasn't responded back with the invoice like he usually does. I've send some follow-up emails and he hasn't responded back. It's been around 3 weeks since his last email, so I'm almost positive it's just that he's busy traveling and hasn't had the time to respond back yet, but I'd like to move the order along, so any help would be appreciated!

Ackernym wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:30 am

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here as a new user, and I'm sorry I'm reviving an old-ish thread, but would you mind sending me the contact info as well OCTO? I've ordered from Hojo many times in the past, so I'm pretty used to him not responding for weeks sometimes, and it's not that I'm impatient now, but I recently sent an email for a couple teas and a teapot which Akira responded to within a week, and after I sent another email just confirming the order he hasn't responded back with the invoice like he usually does. I've send some follow-up emails and he hasn't responded back. It's been around 3 weeks since his last email, so I'm almost positive it's just that he's busy traveling and hasn't had the time to respond back yet, but I'd like to move the order along, so any help would be appreciated!

A note, the prices of Hojo in Malaysia store are higher than in Japan (website) for teaware and tea, also the selections are different, so what you’ll find on Hojo’s web site will probably not be the same as in the Malaysia physical store. If you are looking for Japanese teas, and teaware that pairs with those teas, I recommend you wait for the Japanese store to reply.

If Hojo went to China to source, then he might still be in government Quarantine center who knows where with no access to get over the great fire wall of China... 14days if the rulese did not change...

If on the other hand you want fast service and are looking for pu, oolongs and special smaller pots that will never see the light of day on the antiquated Japanese site and are willing to pay a bit more for the pots (20-30% more), then Malaysia is a good option.

Do the pots that go up on the Malaysian site just sell out within a day? There never seems to be anything up there. I'm curious if they ever get rear handle Kobiwako pots, or if they are only made in side handle.

wave_code wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:58 am

Do the pots that go up on the Malaysian site just sell out within a day? There never seems to be anything up there. I'm curious if they ever get rear handle Kobiwako pots, or if they are only made in side handle.

I believe most is sold in the physical shop, not online.

wave_code wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:58 am

Do the pots that go up on the Malaysian site just sell out within a day? There never seems to be anything up there. I'm curious if they ever get rear handle Kobiwako pots, or if they are only made in side handle.

Havent seen a rear handle but the Malaysian manager sends out circulars in whatsapp to her circle of buyers of interesting pots. Recently there was a 80 mL kobiwako- smallest that I've seen. Got snatched up in minutes.

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 8:28 am

wave_code wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 7:58 am

Do the pots that go up on the Malaysian site just sell out within a day? There never seems to be anything up there. I'm curious if they ever get rear handle Kobiwako pots, or if they are only made in side handle.

Havent seen a rear handle but the Malaysian manager sends out circulars in whatsapp to her circle of buyers of interesting pots. Recently there was a 80 mL kobiwako- smallest that I've seen. Got snatched up in minutes.

That’s a very clever sales and marketing strategy of the store in Malaysia -sales last only a few days, so hurry up and get it now while supplies last, pots are posted on WhatsApp and gone within minutes like tickets to a pop concert. Haha, pretty astute sales tactic, seems to work

Or a more active market with clear preferences.

Messenger sales groups are quite common in Asia as well. Nothing out of the ordinary or malicious.

Another thing I’ll add is shipping to USA was almost 100$. Very high for 35oz of tea.

Victoria wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 2:28 am

Ackernym wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 02, 2021 12:30 am

I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds here as a new user, and I'm sorry I'm reviving an old-ish thread, but would you mind sending me the contact info as well OCTO? I've ordered from Hojo many times in the past, so I'm pretty used to him not responding for weeks sometimes, and it's not that I'm impatient now, but I recently sent an email for a couple teas and a teapot which Akira responded to within a week, and after I sent another email just confirming the order he hasn't responded back with the invoice like he usually does. I've send some follow-up emails and he hasn't responded back. It's been around 3 weeks since his last email, so I'm almost positive it's just that he's busy traveling and hasn't had the time to respond back yet, but I'd like to move the order along, so any help would be appreciated!

A note, the prices of Hojo in Malaysia store are higher than in Japan (website) for teaware and tea, also the selections are different, so what you’ll find on Hojo’s web site will probably not be the same as in the Malaysia physical store. If you are looking for Japanese teas, and teaware that pairs with those teas, I recommend you wait for the Japanese store to reply.

Ah, you know the fact that there's a Malaysian store always slips my mind. But yeah, your advice is probably the best way to go about it. I remember when I bought my tetsubin from Hojo they only had it in stock in the Malaysian store, so they shipped it from there and it took around a month and a half to get here and if shipping is that high, you're definitely right that it's best to just wait for the invoice from akria. Eh who knows, if it doesn't come within a week or so I'll just shoot him another reminder haha

TBH, I've had many months go by and never got any email back from Hojo even after sending another email later so I go through Chrystal. She's friendly, prompt and is very knowledgeable. That DHL cost is high but when I got no response from Japan I started going through her. I got a pot from her via DHL in 4 days, and Malaysia was shutting down because of Covid.