Handmade Tokoname Kyusu made with red-fired clay and playful details.
An expertly crafted Kyusu with a balanced and sleek sihouette. The potter reminds us of his involvement and the fact that this is fully handmade with the addition of natural grooves and two thumb 'dimples' which break the smooth uniformity of the shape in a fun and tactile way.
The filter is all clay and the capacity is about 240ml - perfect for all Japanese brewing and larger Gong Fu Sessions.
The Tokoname clay is unglazed and rich in minerals. In our experience, Tokoname clay is less porous than Yixing and similar to high fired Chaozhou clay which means that it will season very slowly. Therefore it is not a big deal for you to mix different tea types in the Kyusu - it will season but it will be very subtle so it depends how purist you are! The mineral rich content does affect the body and taste of the tea, making it slightly smoother and rounder.
This kyusu is great with all kinds of tea. Of course the Japanese greens take center stage but you could brew almost any tea type. However, because it is a clay filter we would say that Fukamushi (deep steamed tea which breaks up into smaller particles) will need you to pour through another fine mesh filter when serving.
Seasoning and washing your Kyusu
It is generally not necessary to season Tokoname teaware in the same way as Yixing clay. You can follow the same instructions as Yixing but really all that you have to do is rinse this kyusu in boiling water a few times and then begin brewing. If you would like to speed up the very subtle seasoning of Tokoname clay then you can leave your chosen tea type to brew for 15 minutes in the kyusu every so often.
As always with clay teaware, do not use any detergents! To clean, all then you have to do is thoroughly rinse out the tea leaves and leave to dry with the lid off.
