Can I use a cupping set to brew sencha?

Heliconia
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Mon Mar 07, 2022 8:51 pm

I am a rather minimal person and I would like to enjoy my tea while I am on my desk. Nothing fancy like expensive collector teaware. I also like the versatility of white porcelain. I have a 100 mL tea cupping set like the one pictured below. Would it be good enough to brew Sencha? Any tips on how to use it with Japanese teas?

Thank you!
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teatray
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 8:12 am

Can't see why not, but if you drink sencha frequently, a dedicated Tokoname teapot with a fine ceramic filter could be a nice upgrade in terms of handling and maybe taste (depending on exact clay, shape, and your taste). Do the particles in the liquor and (I assume) bad pour bug you? If not, it's just a matter of taste, and you will not know for sure until you taste for yourself.

Doesn't have to be an expensive pot, by the way. I'm a recent convert, but I really like the flat pots for sencha. Not due to fad/visuals, they just seem to brew what tastes best to me. Of the two flat Tokoname I own, I like the cheaper one best (this one by Koushi Umehara/Gyokko Kiln). If you want to experiment, I think it or something similar would provide a nice contrast to a tall, glazed cupping pot. You will probably find you much prefer one over the other (though which one may depend on the tea!).
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Quentin
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 8:41 am

Welcome to the forum!

You absolutely do not need fancy tea ware to make delicious tea!

With Japanese greens like sencha, the only extra considerations I can think of for cupping sets is maybe you’d want a strainer if you end up with too many leaf bits in your cup.

Otherwise, besides general brewing advice which can be found in a pretty good thread here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1944 you’d likely want to release the steam after each steep. You can do that by just taking the lid off for around 20-30 sec after you pour, this is because sencha is a pretty delicate leaf, and you don’t want end up with off flavors from stewing it.

Beyond that, just try a bunch of stuff out, it’s part of the fun! Playing around with water temp or brewing time changes the taste of your tea, and lets you learn more about your leaves. Again, welcome to the forum!
Heliconia
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:00 am

Thank you so much! There is so much to learn here and I am grateful for your input. I definitely agree about how quality tea can make all the difference. That’s how I got hooked in the first place!

Also, thoughts about a flat bottom kyusu vs a hohin like the one pictured below?

Thank you!
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Heliconia
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:46 am

teatray wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 8:12 am
Can't see why not, but if you drink sencha frequently, a dedicated Tokoname teapot with a fine ceramic filter could be a nice upgrade in terms of handling and maybe taste (depending on exact clay, shape, and your taste). Do the particles in the liquor and (I assume) bad pour bug you? If not, it's just a matter of taste, and you will not know for sure until you taste for yourself.

Doesn't have to be an expensive pot, by the way. I'm a recent convert, but I really like the flat pots for sencha. Not due to fad/visuals, they just seem to brew what tastes best to me. Of the two flat Tokoname I own, I like the cheaper one best (this one by Koushi Umehara/Gyokko Kiln). If you want to experiment, I think it or something similar would provide a nice contrast to a tall, glazed cupping pot. You will probably find you much prefer one over the other (though which one may depend on the tea!).
Thank you for the advice! I do not mind having tea particles in my liquor to get additional nutritional value. The kyusu you suggested really looks great! I might consider it eventually as an upgrade.
Heliconia
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:50 am

Quentin wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 8:41 am
Welcome to the forum!

You absolutely do not need fancy tea ware to make delicious tea!

With Japanese greens like sencha, the only extra considerations I can think of for cupping sets is maybe you’d want a strainer if you end up with too many leaf bits in your cup.

Otherwise, besides general brewing advice which can be found in a pretty good thread here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=1944 you’d likely want to release the steam after each steep. You can do that by just taking the lid off for around 20-30 sec after you pour, this is because sencha is a pretty delicate leaf, and you don’t want end up with off flavors from stewing it.

Beyond that, just try a bunch of stuff out, it’s part of the fun! Playing around with water temp or brewing time changes the taste of your tea, and lets you learn more about your leaves. Again, welcome to the forum!
Thank you for the great read you suggested. I love to cook so playing around with tea brewing won't be a problem :D
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teatray
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:26 pm

Heliconia wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:00 am
Also, thoughts about a flat bottom kyusu vs a hohin like the one pictured below?

Thank you!
Image
A hohin, esp. this shape, will burn your fingers badly, if you use it for anything other than gyokuro (sencha may be possible but pretty uncomfortable when you increase temps for later steeps). The glaze doesn't help in that regard either. The holes in a typical, lower-end glazed hohin are also larger and not the best for some (most, IMHO) sencha. So not very versatile, unless you count the fingerprint removing functionality. Overall, you may find it's too similar to what you already have, without the benefit of a handle. (Though it will probably pour better & faster and be more elegant in situations where it's usable.)
Heliconia
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:40 pm

[/quote]

A hohin, esp. this shape, will burn your fingers badly, if you use it for anything other than gyokuro (sencha may be possible but pretty uncomfortable when you increase temps for later steeps). The glaze doesn't help in that regard either. The holes in a typical, lower-end glazed hohin are also larger and not the best for some (most, IMHO) sencha. So not very versatile, unless you count the fingerprint removing functionality. Overall, you may find it's too similar to what you already have, without the benefit of a handle. (Though it will probably pour better & faster and be more elegant in situations where it's usable.)
[/quote]

That definitely makes sense! I am still learning about kyusu/ hohin strainer shapes and hole sizes. Thank you!
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LeoFox
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Tue Mar 08, 2022 7:12 pm

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Baisao
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 12:50 am

teatray wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:26 pm
Heliconia wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:00 am
Also, thoughts about a flat bottom kyusu vs a hohin like the one pictured below?

Thank you!
Image
A hohin, esp. this shape, will burn your fingers badly, if you use it for anything other than gyokuro (sencha may be possible but pretty uncomfortable when you increase temps for later steeps). The glaze doesn't help in that regard either. The holes in a typical, lower-end glazed hohin are also larger and not the best for some (most, IMHO) sencha. So not very versatile, unless you count the fingerprint removing functionality. Overall, you may find it's too similar to what you already have, without the benefit of a handle. (Though it will probably pour better & faster and be more elegant in situations where it's usable.)
I must disagree with the Padawan learner. He has a lot of confidence and enthusiasm.

A hohin is even easier than using a gaiwan and the temperatures used for sencha are not terribly high: 140-180°. This is no more difficult to hold than a yunomi or (especially) a gaiwan at these temperatures.

Additionally, there is no specific issue with the filter of a hohin as it is designed for gyokuro, a tea of the same shape as sencha. Pouring without loosing too much leaf is a simple technique of pouring slowly so that the tea just crests over the base of the filter. I’ve used hohin for sencha without issues.

@LeoFox has found a great deal above. For that price I wouldn’t cry if it was broken. If the interior is glazed it may be a better route than the mass made clay kyusu above.

I’ve used this borosilicate glass pitcher for various teas, including sencha, when I was in the office and didn’t want to keep anything too nice on my desk. It’s hard to see but it has an integrated glass filter. It is also smartly designed so that if filled to the neck and poured, the tea will not go over the top of the filter. Hard to explain in words but it is a nice touch when pouring tea at the desk.

https://www.thesteepingroom.com/product ... pot-275-ml

You can certainly use your cup but as others have noted you will want to find a better filtering option than the teeth of the cup. I’ve used paper teabags but they wick tea up and out of the cup and onto the desk. Plastic Japanese teabags work amazingly well but have all the health and environmental problems that come with plastic.

I can’t find any faults with the borosilicate pitcher for work tea. I’ve brewed large leafed teas like Taiping Houkui in it with ease, as well as sencha, and various oolongs. It’s also a breeze to clean. I kept borrowing my wife’s so she made me buy my own.
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teatray
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 1:42 am

Baisao wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 12:50 am
teatray wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:26 pm
Heliconia wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 9:00 am
Also, thoughts about a flat bottom kyusu vs a hohin like the one pictured below?

Thank you!
Image
A hohin, esp. this shape, will burn your fingers badly, if you use it for anything other than gyokuro (sencha may be possible but pretty uncomfortable when you increase temps for later steeps). The glaze doesn't help in that regard either. The holes in a typical, lower-end glazed hohin are also larger and not the best for some (most, IMHO) sencha. So not very versatile, unless you count the fingerprint removing functionality. Overall, you may find it's too similar to what you already have, without the benefit of a handle. (Though it will probably pour better & faster and be more elegant in situations where it's usable.)
I must disagree with the Padawan learner. He has a lot of confidence and enthusiasm.

A hohin is even easier than using a gaiwan and the temperatures used for sencha are not terribly high: 140-180°. This is no more difficult to hold than a yunomi or (especially) a gaiwan at these temperatures.
:mrgreen: My confident enthusiasm in this regard comes from burned fingers when using a similarly-shaped hohin (no flare/rim extension above the lid, as some have) for my sencha some time ago, when I had fewer pots and my preferred one broke. I prewarm the pot, 1st infusion at 70-80°C was doable, but by the 2nd or 3rd (often over 80°C/180°F), I'd be cursing quite badly and couldn't wait for the replacement to arrive. May be a matter of how much spare capacity the hohin has (I brewed for two people then), but it definitely didn't work for me.

In contrast, I have no problem using a gaiwan (after learning how to use it) with 100°C water. It only becomes difficult if I am doing consecutive multi-minute 100°C steeps.
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LeoFox
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Wed Mar 09, 2022 6:07 am

teatray wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 1:42 am
Baisao wrote:
Wed Mar 09, 2022 12:50 am
teatray wrote:
Tue Mar 08, 2022 1:26 pm


A hohin, esp. this shape, will burn your fingers badly, if you use it for anything other than gyokuro (sencha may be possible but pretty uncomfortable when you increase temps for later steeps). The glaze doesn't help in that regard either. The holes in a typical, lower-end glazed hohin are also larger and not the best for some (most, IMHO) sencha. So not very versatile, unless you count the fingerprint removing functionality. Overall, you may find it's too similar to what you already have, without the benefit of a handle. (Though it will probably pour better & faster and be more elegant in situations where it's usable.)
I must disagree with the Padawan learner. He has a lot of confidence and enthusiasm.

A hohin is even easier than using a gaiwan and the temperatures used for sencha are not terribly high: 140-180°. This is no more difficult to hold than a yunomi or (especially) a gaiwan at these temperatures.
:mrgreen: My confident enthusiasm in this regard comes from burned fingers when using a similarly-shaped hohin (no flare/rim extension above the lid, as some have) for my sencha some time ago, when I had fewer pots and my preferred one broke. I prewarm the pot, 1st infusion at 70-80°C was doable, but by the 2nd or 3rd (often over 80°C/180°F), I'd be cursing quite badly and couldn't wait for the replacement to arrive. May be a matter of how much spare capacity the hohin has (I brewed for two people then), but it definitely didn't work for me.

In contrast, I have no problem using a gaiwan (after learning how to use it) with 100°C water. It only becomes difficult if I am doing consecutive multi-minute 100°C steeps.
Not too hard when not filled to the top. Just takes adjustment
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debunix
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Sat Mar 12, 2022 4:37 pm

I start my sencha sessions between 160 and 170 degrees, and keep infusion hotter until my 5th is usually 205 or above.....so I never trust a pot design to not burn my fingers because 'tea x is steeped at lower temps'. Even gyokuro can be lovely with a final infusion at near boiling.

For sencha, the key to me is filter size. I want a quick pour and not too much leaf coming through. I don't mind a bit of dust-speck sized fines, but not a lot of leaf that feels weird to spit out and too small/isolated to really chew and swallow.
Heliconia
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Sat Mar 12, 2022 5:02 pm

Thanks every for the valuable advice. I can see that experimenting and developing personal preferences are part of the process. I guess I am better off with an entry level kyusu as suggested above.
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Baisao
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Sat Mar 12, 2022 7:03 pm

Heliconia wrote:
Sat Mar 12, 2022 5:02 pm
Thanks every for the valuable advice. I can see that experimenting and developing personal preferences are part of the process. I guess I am better off with an entry level kyusu as suggested above.
Consider an entry level kyusu a lost cost. It will serve you well and you’ll love it for a while but soon outgrow it for kyusu made with much better clay and having other qualities that you’ll come to appreciate.

Nevertheless, it is probably better than getting a higher end kyusu without yet knowing what you like.

It may be hard to imagine but clays, shapes, and forms change the character of teas. And you won’t know what you like until you dive in. This can get expensive.

If you simply want a way to brew tea while working, I’d recommend the borosilicate pitcher. It will be neutral and reliable. Some fines may get through the filter but it’s hardly a show stopper. It’s inexpensive and will not be a sunken cost. I have an extensive teapot collection yet I still use my borosilicate pitcher for every day loose leaf like bancha and sencha.

HTH
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