Ceremonial Matcha Tea Set

The ceremonial matcha set contains our white porcelain chawan (matcha cup) which is specially designed to work with our traditional chasen (bamboo whisk). The larger size of the bowl allows the matcha to be whisked with hot water until it produces a lovely, foamy crema.

The cups are made of translucent white porcelain and look wonderful when held up to the light. The inside of the cup is glazed and the outside has been sanded and polished to leave a beautifully smooth, matt surface.

The cups are made by Arjan Van Dal in his studio in East London. Each cup is unique and has been hand thrown by Arjan on his potter's wheel. Subtle details uncover Arjan's mark on the porcelain, such as the throwing lines on the inside or the turning lines on the bottom of the cup.

Arjan is an incredibly talented ceramicist whose work has been exhibited around the world. Arjan creates pieces that are clear and balanced, reflecting his background as an engineer and ethicist. He throws on the potter's wheel and searches for the crossline between design and craft. The result is work that through simplicity of form and austere handling of material communicates honesty with a refined touch.

The matcha brewing kit contains our traditional chasen (matcha whisk) which is made from white bamboo. A chasen is essential for the preparation of matcha because the matcha powder needs to be mixed with the water before it can be consumed.

The bamboo is of a very high quality and is grown in Japan. It is dried slowly for three years without any preservatives, which results in a whisk that is stronger, longer lasting and better for the environment.

Our chasen comes in the Shin Kazuho style favored by the Urasenke tea school in Japan. It excels at creating a very fine crema with smaller bubbles. While primarily used to make usucha (thin matcha), the Shin Kazuho can also be used to make koicha (thick matcha).

The whisk is handmade in Nara, Japan, in the workshop of master craftsman Sabun Kubo whose family have been making tea whisks for 24 generations.

The production of chasen by hand is a meticulous and time-consuming process. Each whisk is made from a single piece of bamboo, split several times and woven with string to create 70 tines. The ends of the tines are then cut individually with a knife.

Sabun Kubo was recognized as a traditional master craftsman by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan in 1987 and has won awards and been commended for his work since. His whisks were exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2008 and he has demonstrated their use in the tea ceremony at numerous expositions around the world.

The matcha brewing kit contains our white chashaku (scoop) which is designed to measure the correct amount of matcha. It can also be used to ease the matcha gently through our chakoshi (matcha sieve).

The chashaku is made of white bamboo and is appreciated for its graceful look and function. The bamboo is dried in rice fields in winter after the rice has been harvested and becomes white after about a month due its exposure to the cold wind and UV rays from the sun.

Like our whisks, our scoops are handmade in Nara, Japan, in the workshop of master craftsman Sabun Kubo whose family have been making matcha utensils for 24 generations. Sabun Kubo was recognized as a traditional master craftsman by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan in 1987 and he has won awards and been commended for his work since. His whisks were exhibited at the Louvre Museum in Paris in 2008 and he has demonstrated their use in the tea ceremony at numerous expositions around the world.

Our ceremonial matcha set contains our exquisite chakoshi (matcha sieve) which is perfect for sifting matcha.

Matcha is so finely milled that static in the air causes the particles to clump together. Sifting the matcha ensures the tea is smooth and light and helps to produce a wonderful crema. Our chakoshi has an ultra-fine mesh which means it takes a little longer to sift the matcha but the resulting matcha is silky smooth.

The sieve is made from Japanese stainless steel. Wires are meticulously intertwined to form a basket using traditional techniques such as kiku-dashi which produces a beautiful chrysanthemum pattern. The fine mesh is then fitted and folded into shape and the basket is attached to the elegant handle.

Our chakoshi are handmade by Torii Kanaami in Kyoto, Japan. Established in 1889, Torii Kanaami specialize in creating utensils from wire netting ("kanaami" in Japanese). They have a long history of making utensils used in the preparation of tea and traditional Japanese cooking and their tools have been cherished by chefs in Kyoto for decades.