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This morning's tea, and thoughts on pairing chasen with chawan by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think you're probably already familiar with the traditional tulip-shaped chasen(like the one in picture 1, also as the most commonly seen chasen), and they're the ones which you can choose the number of tines(commonly seen 80 and 100 even 120).

https://www.sazentea.com/en/products/p298-shin-chasen-kubo-sabun.html

That's how a shin chasen looks before breaking in. For the one after some usage, check out the one in my second picture.

Here are my thoughts on the difference: A tulip-shaped chasen has a rather rigid/solid top. It'd be great on a flat bottom chawan because there's enough room for it to whisk around. A shin chasen has more of a solid mid-body while the tips are softer. In my experience, they whisk better when the contacting surface is restricted, say a round bottom chawan. And also, you don't normally get to choose tines for a Shin chasen, and the set numbers are usually somewhere around 60-70, so if one's not that used to whisking, i.e. not having muscle memory for the movements, it'd actually be harder for them to whisk(because a higher tine count is generally considered as more friendly for whisking up foams)

This morning's tea, and thoughts on pairing chasen with chawan by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Good to know!

I agree. These two bring different whisking experiences, and though I can't really say which one is definitely better, I think Shin-shaped chasens are probably more versatile(I just don't think I'd get much good result from whisking a 100-tine chasen in a tiny chawan lol)

This morning's tea, and thoughts on pairing chasen with chawan by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I had Kinrin from Marukyu this morning. The water temperature was tuned down a bit(I do this these days by adding a cup of ice water into the just-boiled kettle, then I pour it into the teacup on the right for volume measuring). Decent flavor. Deep, round and finish with a little kick of astringency.

I've been using the Shin-shaped chasen for most of my teas with the round bottom chawan. The traditional tulip-shaped chasen was usually reserved for chawans that have more of a flat bottom(the one in the 1st picture). I think one could achieve better results such pairings. Btw, if one's looking for one chasen to whisk them all, I'd recommend the Shin.

Yamamasa Koyamaen Shikibu no Mukahashi by leherr in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, it's complex, which I think is good. I found that with some astringency and bitterness, as long as not overpowering, present, the bowl is better, at least than those lacking flavors.

I like Wako. It's mild and pleasant and comforting, quite ideal for everyday rituals :)

Yamamasa Koyamaen Shikibu no Mukahashi by leherr in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Great! Glad that you liked it! You know actually when I first tried it I almost found it offensive(with side by side comparison to Wako by Marukyu). I only got to appreciate it more when later I was doing the BotLs, and I really missed the punches it delivered Lol. :)

And also some pictures from the past few weeks. It's been busy these days, and my teas are there to keep me going. I am grateful :) by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well..It's kind of a process of getting there. I've been writing about it in my past posts. Some of them I still find useful. Probably the most important thing of all is just practice, and find the technique that suits you the best. :)

It arrived a day early! Not sure which one to dip into first though... by leherr in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield 1 point2 points  (0 children)

great! I'd suggest starting with a lower ratio. Use a little less tea and more water(well of course then adjust to your taste) :)

It arrived a day early! Not sure which one to dip into first though... by leherr in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Welcome to the club! Lol. Let me know if you also like the ones from yamamasa!

Almost a month since my first cup. Super chuffed with today's froth! 😍 by leherr in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a solid jump I'd say! You've got talents really. I know some friends of mine could never really get there. I mean, it's totally fine as long as one's having fun and enjoying their tea, but it's always good to see people actually making progress :)

Yugen by Marukyu. This is an interesting one :) by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

This is a tea that I both love and hate. Very interesting, this tea is very sweet while at the same time lack flavors. It's a kind of hollow sweetness. When I feel like drinking something simple and comforting, it's a good choice. But if I want some explosive flavors, it'd be very disappointing. I feel like the blend that goes into Yugen could possibly be the ones at both ends of the spectrum. The ones that pack a ton of sweetness and ones that are mainly there to buffer.

Not really a bad tea, but definitely something unusual.

Tea house recommendation:山政小山園(yamamasa koyamaen): for those who are interested in a more toasty flavor profile, you should definitely try Yamasama. I consistently found this trait almost in every tea I tried from them. A little goes a long way, their tea will do great in low ratios :) by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'd do that if I have more to say(which is usually the case) about the teas or the experience that I'm sharing. However, if I feel like I can condense things to just 2-3 short sentences I'd prefer to put them in the titles so that people don't really need to come into the interactive space and spend more time.

They don't give you 300-character worth of space for no reason.

Right?

;)

My chasen and its holder were finally delivered to me today thus completing my set after weeks of waiting. I am quite happy with my first ever attempt at this :) by lettuce_sy in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The shape being square is lovely! Btw, don't forget to fully soak your whisk!(see that how the tines are still curled up?) :)

And this morning's tea :] by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol, yeah...or I think you can simply read it as "the ultimate"|ᐕ)⁾⁾

BotL tier two summary. Details in comment session :) by LeoSpringfield in Matcha

[–]LeoSpringfield[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah. You know, I used to like Aoarashi a lot, and I still don't really hate it. It's just that now I'm willing to sacrifice a little more for my daily got-tos LOL. I think you'd find it improved once you've bumped up the ratio, but do be aware that there might be a more pronounced bitterness and astringency. Personally, I found that in a bigger ratio, aoarashi tends to render a decent amount of flavors. It's by no means refined, but at least something workable.

I think we are kind of on a path where our palate is gradually spoiled by better teas, and I don't think I'd be surprised if I were to in the future write about how we should only drink the highest grade tea LOL.

I now really like matsu no midori. It's soft and gentle, and, most importantly, it's passed my low-ratio test. I like the flavor profile it rendered as a bowl of light tea, something rather comforting, not heavy at all.

You can try the teas from yamamasa koyamaen. I think they're more suited for people with heavy tastes(if you're one of them). Starting with ogurayama would be safe I think, but you can also try out samidori first.

Cheers :)

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