Your ideal cup shape for green tea?

[d.manuk]

I've tried a few different cup shapes for drinking green tea, and the cylindrical type has been my favorite cup so far:

Cylindrical + textured grains on the cup: http://www.korin.com/TEC-146_2
I also have this cup that flares outwards: http://www.kettl.co/teaware/ureshino
And also this which is a more standard gong fu type of cup: https://teaware.house/products/ruyao-fish-teacup

So those are the 3 different cups I've tried with green and white tea, and the Korin one is my favorite. It seems to give teas a thicker body (which is a quality I love!), and seems to either have neutral or slightly positive impact on the flavor as well (possibly because the aroma travels upwards in a small cylindrical shape). The light grainy texture to the cup might be what gives it the added body, though it may be from the material of the pottery itself? Do you have any thoughts on that?

I dislike the porcelain cup that flares out a lot, the tea is less flavorful and just doesn't do it for me as much.

The cup with the fish in it makes the tea silky to the tongue, but that is not something I'm looking for in my green/white teas. I use this cup for every other type of tea other than greens/whites. I will eventually upgrade this as well but it's good enough for now.

When I was in Japan, pretty much every sencha I drank was from a similar cylindrical cup. Would you say this cup shape is also your favorite for greens, and if not, what type of cup do you use? Since I like the effect of the Korin cup so well, I am looking for a more expensive and higher quality version but I'd first like to know if you have any other suggestions first.

[Noonie]

I’ve had Sencha from a few different cups, though I haven’t tried to compare one to another. I do find the idea of the tall, cylindrical cup giving off more aroma making sense. I have cups that are not as tall and narrow as your first one, but it makes me want to get one like this!

[Jo]

Chip and I prefer guinomi size cups, artisan usually with a lot of texture. We prefer smaller cups, approx. 3 ounces each for our greens, even smaller for gyokuro.

Chip brews sencha in small quantities.
I am sure he will chime in with corrections or additions

[Elise]

For sencha I personally prefer light color to appreciate the color of the tea.

[Chip]

It depends partly on the season. In warmer months I tend to prefer lower and wider to allow for cooling.

As the days get shorter and colder, I go for cups that are taller and not so wide to retain heat.

Since I tend to favor finer sencha and I use around 1.5 grams leaf per 1 ounce (30 ml) water ... in order to keep costs down, I favor guinomi or smaller sencha cups versus yunomi. Usually around 3 ounces (90 ml).

But sometimes I just reach for cups ... I see them as old/new friends and desire their company.

[Chip]

For sencha I personally prefer light color to appreciate the color of the tea.

Likewise! I especially love viewing Japanese greens in light or white interior cups. The liquor is so ... beautiful and green, my fave color.

[d.manuk]

It depends partly on the season. In warmer months I tend to prefer lower and wider to allow for cooling.

As the days get shorter and colder, I go for cups that are taller and not so wide to retain heat.

Since I tend to favor finer sencha and I use around 1.5 grams leaf per 1 ounce (30 ml) water ... in order to keep costs down, I favor guinomi or smaller sencha cups versus yunomi. Usually around 3 ounces (90 ml).

But sometimes I just reach for cups ... I see them as old/new friends and desire their company.

Would you call the Korin cup that I like a yunomi cup? Based on wikipedia it looks like it might fit the description.
I like being able to see the color of sencha, but after brewing in the dark cylindrical Korin bizen cup the flavor was much better so I decided to compromise in favor of flavor.

[d.manuk]

Chip and I prefer guinomi size cups, artisan usually with a lot of texture. We prefer smaller cups, approx. 3 ounces each for our greens, even smaller for gyokuro.

Chip brews sencha in small quantities.
I am sure he will chime in with corrections or additions

It seems like there are several types of guinomi cups, this is what I came across on google: http://www.esake.com/guinomi.HTM

Is there a certain shape that you find liking the most?

[Jo]

I prefer more of the wabi-sabi styles in my cups, like the kutsugata. But we have other styles too, like the Wan -gato

[debunix]

No one 'ideal' shape. I bought my first nice ceramic cups from a potter on TeaChat after a lot of research and obsessively looking at many different potters' styles and various shops. I thought I'd buy just right and have one cup at home, and one cup at work, and that would be that. But....I love ceramics, different textures, styles, glazes, clays, shapes, and sizes. And now I have a lot of cups that I use with different teas, different seasons, different moods.

For sencha or gyokuro, when I know I'll be brewing at cooler temps at least at the start, I more often pull out some of my thinner walled/thinner glazed cups, not because of their shape, but because they're not so comfortable for the fingertips when brewing quick flash infusions of sheng puerh with very hot water, and they're 'reserved' for green tea because of that. For my most aromatic greens, sometimes I want a big wide bowl of tea to just sniff around and around,



and sometimes a taller cup to let the aroma concentrate and then take in with a big sniff.



No 'ideal' here.

[Elise]

Great « Rock » and interesting teapot, nice match.

[Dua342]

I don't mind trying new styles but I am delighted to have seen some of the very creative designs here

[Sweetestdew]

For chinese greens since so much is in the complexity I enjoy using wider cups like the fish cup. (the flavor cup wouldnt load for me)
I find it spreads the flavor out and allows you to catch subtle notes.