What makes a good chawan?
A good chawan gives the whisk room to work. It is wide and flat-bottomed, so the bamboo whisk can move quickly from side to side; deep enough that the tea does not splash; and comfortable to hold with both hands, since matcha is drunk straight from it.
Chawan shapes: classic or spouted
A matcha bowl is either a classic chawan, drunk from directly, or a spouted bowl, called katakuchi, whose pouring lip lets whisked matcha go straight into a glass.
| Classic chawan | Spouted bowl (katakuchi) | |
|---|---|---|
| Use | Matcha with water, drunk from the bowl | Whisked, then poured into a glass |
| Suits | Traditional matcha | Matcha lattes and iced matcha |
| In our range | Zen set (GTG203001) | Most sets, Sakura and Kai included |
Glazes
The glaze decides how a chawan looks and whether two bowls match. A hand-glazed bowl has its glaze applied by hand, so the colour gathers differently on every piece; a reactive glaze changes in the kiln, so its speckles and runs fall differently on every bowl; a celadon glaze is the soft, jade-like glaze of classic East Asian ceramics.
Chawan in our range
Our bowls come in four-piece sets with a whisk, a holder and a scoop, or as a bowl and holder. The ZOI Zen and Takumi bowls hold 350 ml and measure about 75 × 120 mm.
| Bowl | Glaze | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Zen (ZOI) | Turquoise, plain | GTG203001 |
| Takumi (ZOI) | Light green, hand-glazed | GTG203002 |
| Celadon set | Celadon-style glazes | GTG203015 |
| Rustic set | Bronze and stone glazes | GTG203016 |
| Lobed bowl and holder | Five glazes | GTG203024 |
Every bowl and set is in matcha sets.