12 Days of Kyusu

[Jo]

For the 12 days of Christmas, Chip and I decided to use 12 different kyusu during our morning tea sessions. We had planned to use all different artisan pots and similar sencha at each session.
Along with photos, we wanted to share the nuances we experienced using the different clays, etc.

Well, it started out with great intentions, however the hectic days and circumstances of the holidays quickly took over our plans for this to occur.

Good news however, in the next few days we will implement this and share our Tea/Kyusu experiences with you.

We have a few new pots to break in.

[Bok]

Bring it on! Sounds like an interesting experiment.

[Jo]

Bring it on! Sounds like an interesting experiment.

Thanks Bok, very excited to do this, and to share pictures of our collection.

We had a rough year last year in our families, sickness, deaths and hopefully we are back on track. I am looking forward to posting and sharing hopefully daily, my TeaJourney.

[Victoria]

Very exciting, really looking forward to your sharing with us your teas and collection Happy New Year .

[pedant]

Can't wait

[Jo]

I can't either, we will be opening a gifted tea soon, let you know how it sums up

[Archer]

Sweet! I'm a bit jelly of people who own 12 kyusus , but am nonetheless excited

[Chip]

Yamada Sou shudei kyusu:

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More images below.

[Jo]

For our first selection, one of Chip's favorite and first Yamada Sou shudei kyusu. It is approximately 225ml. This is the perfect size for our typical early morning tea session. Note the lid, he calls this "outie " verses "inie", since it is raised verses recessed. As anyone who owns a Yamada Sou knows, the lid and the rim have not been ground smooth so there is a slightly rough feel to the connection.

The patina is very moderate despite being used more than 1000 times. It is more prevalent at the spout and around the rim.

The pour is flawless with a moderate stream and does not dribble. Dribbling is def a pet peeve of Chip's.

The non existent kudai or foot is smooth intead of raised which is unusual for most kyusu. This gives it an overall, continously feel in the hand.

The clay is nubby, yet has become smoother over time.

Some background notes on Chip's brewing ...
Typically he brews and pours with the lid off, but always present as you will see in the pictures. This allows us to observe the leaf brewing. With a well-crafted kyusu you can brew and pour without the lid. We do this except with kyusu with very wide openings..

Now, today's tea is a purposefully blended mixture of 3 parts Asamushi Satsuma Sae Midori and 1 part Asamushi Asanoka from O-Cha.
Rich umami, highly aromatic, smooth with just a hint of astringency and bitterness characterize this blend.

[Chip]

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[Chip]

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[Chip]

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[.m.]

That Yamada Sou kyusu is a beauty. Thanks for sharing and happy new year!

OMG. Are those on the last picture all Yamada Sous? What is the one on the very left?

[Victoria]

Wow, gorgeous Yamada Sou collection. Never thought about the foot, checking all my kyusu only two are footless and smooth; a Yamada Sou and his dad Emu have smooth bottoms. I really really like the Yamada wall filters that have a very slight bulge, most leaves don’t get clogged except fukamushi, takes a little bit of skill to pour with those very fine needles. And they all pour perfectly gracefully too.

Who made the larger cup?

[Jo]

Agree with his direct wall filters and their perfect pour. Chip and I even discussed that, I neglected adding that to the post.