Kobiwako clay kyusu, current generation (Chip)

Buy and sell tea, teaware, and accessories
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Chip
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Tue Mar 12, 2019 6:14 pm

I have 2 groups of Hojo Kobiwako clay kyusu made by Maekawa Junzo. Kobiwako clay in my experience brews sencha incredibly well. Others have shared their experiences with other types of tea under the Japanese Teaware forum.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=704

This is the 2nd group. I purchased these a few weeks ago. They are current generation Kobiwako clay kyusu.

Unlike the first group, these are perfect and brand new ... just a bit lower in height than I generally prefer. It was hard to tell by Hojo's single photo of each.

They are direct wall filter/screen. I have 2 (taller) that  I am keeping, and the filter works flawlessly and the pour is perfect! Very well made!

TBH, I would not mind keeping any of these. I love the texture, feel, and function of them. And they brew my tea of choice to a perfect 10 ... arguably as well as any clay I own.
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The one on the left is the largest at 260 ml.
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Middle one is 230 ml.
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SOLD! And on the right, 210 ml.
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Each sold for 13800 Japanese Yen or 125 USD plus shipping. 125 USD each is my sale price plus 10 USD shipping to anywhere in the USA ... will refund any overpayment for shipping. (I paid for EMS shipping from Japan but am NOT passing this on)
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Chip
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Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:50 pm

One comparison between these and the first gen Kobiwako that I posted in another topic ... that you cannot see.

The first gen kyusu have a very rapid pour ... among that fastest of any kyusu I own. The spout opening is considerably wider.

This current generation version has a more ... refined pour. It is slower, less apt to splash, and I do not feel the need to control it. I can be a bit more of a show off when I pour ... and who has not with a kyusu! :mrgreen:

Perhaps as a result, these do not seem prone to dribbling under the spout like the first gen.

I sense an overall refinement to the ... process. As I would expect.
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Bok
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Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:52 pm

Wow! I guess we are going to get quite a few reviews of Kobiwakos clays performance in the future!
I own one and can highly recommend them for anyone liking green-ish teas, Japanese or Taiwanese HM.

Fabulous clay!
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steanze
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Wed Mar 13, 2019 5:40 pm

Nice pots, I have one as well :)
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Victoria
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Fri May 03, 2019 2:04 pm

Okay, okay, I can’t resist trying this kyusu. Going for the more horizontal 210ml with nice big opening :)
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Chip
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Fri May 03, 2019 3:27 pm

210 ml is sold.

Two remain, 230 ml and 260 ml.

It is shincha-time! Perfect time to get a great clay for brewing sencha. I just brewed the O-Cha 20th anniversary Sae Midori. The direct wall screen pour was flawless and the liquor was mesmerizing!

I also brewed this with a Gisui direct wall screen kyusu and had a lot of difficulty with it clogging up ... just sayin ...
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Victoria
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Sat Sep 07, 2019 5:03 pm

Look who came home today :) . The proportions and form are more pleasant and sharp in person. From pictures I was expecting something a little more flintstone like. Looking forward to trying it out in coming days, especially after all the high marks from everyone on TF. Thanks again @Chip for sending it my way.

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Bok
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Sat Sep 07, 2019 7:09 pm

Victoria wrote:
Sat Sep 07, 2019 5:03 pm
Look who came home today :) . The proportions and form are more pleasant and sharp in person. From pictures I was expecting something a little more flinstone like. Looking forward to trying it out in coming days, especially after all the high marks from everyone on TF. Thanks again Chip for sending it my way.


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Nice! Keep us posted on your own results with it!
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Victoria
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Sat Sep 07, 2019 7:28 pm

Bok wrote:
Sat Sep 07, 2019 7:09 pm
Nice! Keep us posted on your own results with it!
I’m going to try it with a Kagoshima Kabusecha Sencha I’ve been having all summer from Birouen Tea House. Did members find the kyusu needed a few rounds to come to life, since it looks pretty absorbent/porous? @Chip @Bok @pedant and others :) ?
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Chip
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Sat Sep 07, 2019 8:54 pm

I brewed O-Cha's Sae Midori 20TH Anniversary Shincha in my new one first time out of the box.

Brewed like a champ, all the nuances were right up front. No break in. I just rinsed it out right before using.
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nasalfrog
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Sat Sep 07, 2019 9:03 pm

Mine also brewed great from the first go. Rinsed it out per Akira's instructions.
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Bok
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Sat Sep 07, 2019 9:25 pm

Yes, good from the first use onwards!
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Victoria
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Sun Sep 08, 2019 1:12 pm

Yeah, gotta say this kyusu is great! Birouen Tea House sencha steepes nicely in Junzo pot, it’s slightly thicker and brothier. I really like how big the lid opening is, makes putting leaves in, cleaning, and observing easier. Pour is really fast, although some liquor came out from lid seam at spout when the pour angle was too steep. After putting 10gr leaf in pot it is max 210ml. Will be interesting to see how this clay compares to Masaki Tachi’s Shigaraki clay. Very happy to have this kyusu in da house :) 🍃
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Bok
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Sun Sep 08, 2019 7:40 pm

@Victoria also try to do a water only blind test with it!
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Victoria
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Thu Sep 12, 2019 12:06 am

Bok wrote:
Sun Sep 08, 2019 7:40 pm
Victoria also try to do a water only blind test with it!
Today, Akira Hojo asked me to do the same thing. But I’ve been using it round the clock with kabusecha sencha. It’s so good. I’ll give it a break soon and let water rest in it. Water does drip out of lid at spout though, not great engineering compared to my other kyusu of a similar horizontal form with wide lid opening by Gyokuryu (Mr. Umehara Jiro) kyusu. That one is super engineered, nicknamed ‘Ferrari’, this Kobiwako clay though is very interesting for sure. I like it :) 🍃
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