[Recommendations for Chinese Tea]

Chinese tea is currently experiencing a bit of a boom in Japan, though it may carry an image of something to be enjoyed formally with a set of high-style utensils. In mainland China, especially in southern Fujian and Guangdong provinces, the habit of drinking Chinese tea daily is deeply ingrained. Walking through the streets, you can see ordinary people spreading out light, portable bamboo low tables or folding tables by the roadside, arranging their own tea sets, and enjoying tea while chatting in a relaxed, unpretentious manner.

Among such tea utensils, the “gaiwan” is frequently used locally as an all-mighty tool for brewing any kind of tea. It looks like a large teacup with a lid and a saucer, but in the gongfu tea style, it is used as a substitute for a teapot rather than drinking directly from it. You place the tea leaves inside, pour in hot water, cover them, and wait for the leaves to open. Then, you slightly slide and hold the lid with your finger, pouring the tea into a “chakai” through the gap between the lid and the body. By transferring the tea to a chakai first, the strength of the tea becomes uniform, and you can prevent the leaves from soaking too long. The chakai resembles a Japanese katakuchi (spouted bowl) in shape. From there, the tea is poured into a “chahai” to be enjoyed. The chahai is a very small cup, similar to a Japanese guinomi (sake cup).

There is also a brewing method that omits the chakai. In that case, you line up several chahais on a tray and pour the tea evenly by moving the gaiwan in a circular motion over the cups. Instead of filling them one by one, pouring in a circular fashion ensures that the strength of the tea is distributed equally. Since this method assumes a certain amount of tea will spill, a tray is essential. Locally, this tray is called a “chaban,” and types with holes on the surface to catch spilled tea in a container below are also commonly used.

To enjoy this in Japan, you can use a lidded bowl as a gaiwan, a small katakuchi as a chakai, and a guinomi as a chahai. However, please choose items with heat resistance, as you will be handling boiling water. For instance, Koizumi Glass's Flat Bottom Evaporating Dish is a heat-resistant glass spouted bowl, making it perfect for use as a chakai. Also, Susumuya's Matcha Set is useful for brewing Chinese tea as a chakai and chahai. While matcha guinomi come in both large and small sizes, the smaller one is recommended for chahai. Why not start enjoying Chinese tea easily, using tea leaves and tools available even in Japan?

Koizumi Glass's Flat Bottom Evaporating Dish 90mm
https://www.shokunin.com/en/koizumi/johatsu.html
Susumuya's Matcha Guinomi S
https://www.shokunin.com/en/susumuya/matcha.html
Watanabe Mokkogei's Chabon S
https://www.shokunin.com/en/watanabe/chabon.html