Tea Facts: Why The Shape Of The Japanese Tea Bowl Is So Important

Japanese tea sets are considered a status symbol in Japanese and Asian households today, and they come in certain shapes and a wide variety of colors, sizes, and styles, both to provide every tea enthusiast with an excellent tea experience. drinking tea as the opportunity to enjoy the creativity and ingenuity of Japanese potters and artists in creating superior quality teapots, bowls and teacups that transcend both time and culture.

A Basic Guide to Japanese Tea Bowl Shapes

The relationship between Japanese tea bowls, also known as Chawan, and Japanese teas can be slightly compared with those of wines and wine glasses, or beer and beer mugs, since their forms basically respond to the needs of preparation, service and service temperature of certain or certain varieties of Japanese tea, which, in effect, bring out the best flavor and aroma of the latter, in addition to responding to the needs of its user.

The Common Shapes of Japanese Tea Bowls

Japanese tea bowls come in various shapes, among which they are in the shape of a semicircle; in the form of a circle, which is usually distinguished by its conical edge; cylindrical, often found among everyday teacups, called Yunomi; semi-cylindrical, which appears almost rectangular due to its low height and the same diameter of the bowl from the bottom to the rim; funnel-shaped, including shallow but wide summer tea bowls; inverted bell-shaped; triangular and square shaped, among many others.

Which way to choose when preparing or serving a Japanese tea?

Basically, it depends on a few factors, such as:

The type of Japanese tea: Aromatic varieties, such as Ryokucha and SenchaFor example, they are often served in the semicircle or bell-shaped bowls, whose wide and concave rim allows their aroma to escape and remain easily, while the same ways are preferred to prepare and serve the Matcha, or powdered green tea used during Japanese tea ceremonies as its wide bowl shape allows good space for the bamboo tea whisk to work with ease and efficiently mix the water and Matcha without spilling.

Tea Bancha and HojichaOn the other hand, they are commonly served in a Yunomi as their taller than wide shape is not only easy to hold for daily tea drinking, their generally thick walls also help keep the Bancha and Hojicha warm for a long time.

The season: In summer, low and wide-rimmed bowls are used, which allow the tea to cool easily, while the narrow and tall varieties are used during the winter to keep the tea warm for a long time.

The occasion: Certain Chawan flaunt a rare shape, such as diamond-shaped tea bowls, which some people reserve for special occasions or choose according to the aesthetic of their design, or are designed for a purpose, such as the Rider’s Cup, whose stem o foot high makes them convenient for ancient horsemen to drink tea.

Choose the right Japanese bowl for your tea

Enjoy drinking your Japanese tea in the correct tea bowl shape and don’t stop there – choose the tea bowl tone, color and style that suits your style, the occasion or your guest; the right size to serve a specific type of tea; And don’t be afraid to try those in fancy ways to make your tea drinking experience more fun and exciting.