*Orders will be shipped out by November 6th
How would you like to begin every morning of December with a new Japanese tea prepared with authentic teaware? With this bundle, you not only get to take part in the green tea advent calendar, but you also get the clay kyusu teapot, chasen matcha whisk, chawan matcha bowl and chashaku bamboo tea spoon.
What is the green tea advent calendar
The green tea advent calendar is an idea we came up with a couple of years ago and to this date it is among our most popular products, as it quickly sells out every year. This is a great way to get into the mood for the holidays, as you try out a new type of tea each morning and read a short poem to teach you a little bit about it.
In this advent calendar, you will get samples of some of the best teas we’ve found during our travels around Japan. We tuck each of these sample packs into decorative red envelopes along with a short poem and some brewing instructions. The red envelopes are a fun way to keep the mystery going until it's time to drink the tea!
We also thought it would be nice to include some authentic teaware, so we decided to put this bundle together so you can get a great deal on everything you need!
What kind of teaware is included in the green tea advent calendar
In this bundle, you will get one of the most famous utensils used to prepare Japanese green tea. The Kyusu teapot, is well known for this side handled design, which serves some important functions when it comes to brewing the tea.
Kyusu Teapot
This is the perfect tool for preparing loose leaf Japanese green tea. The clay teapot is made with a wider base that allows the tea leaves more space to expand and fully release their flavor into the water. It also has a built in strainer and side handle that make pouring easier.
The side handle is hollow, so it stays cool to the touch even when there is hot water inside. The side handle also makes pouring much easier, as all it takes is a simple turn of the wrist to pour out your tea. Once you pour out the tea, the built in metal strainer will automatically filter the leaves out so they don’t end up in your cup. Once the leaves and water are separated, the tea stops brewing and you can enjoy it!
The clay itself can also benefit the flavor of the tea. Clay teapots have been known to reduce some of the bitterness of a tea and even accentuate some of its tasting notes. The clay used to make this teapot is from Tokoname, the most famous region for pottery in Japan.
Chawan Matcha Bowl
This is the clay tea bowl you may recognize from the Japanese tea ceremony. It may look like a normal bowl at first, but it has a few key design features that make it especially suited for preparing bowls of matcha tea.
First, the chawan tea bowl has steeper sides that help to keep the matcha in as you whisk it up. Also, the bowl is made out of a thick clay that retains heat well. This means that as long as you preheat the bowl beforehand, it can keep your matcha tea warmer for longer. It can even keep your hands warm on a cold December morning.
The heavier clay bowl helps to convey a sense of importance, and can add new meaning to your tea practice. There is something about the traditional teaware that can really enhance your enjoyment of premium tea.
Chasen Matcha Whisk
This bamboo whisk is the perfect tool for making matcha. It’s carved out of a single piece of bamboo and the 100 small bristles are able to move through the water quickly to aerate the tea. This yields a thick, light green foam on top of the matcha.
The foam is not just for looks, it also has a huge impact on the flavor of the matcha. A well-made foam can give a much airier texture to the tea and a smoother and creamier taste. This makes the matcha taste almost like a latte, but without any milk or sugar.
You can try to create the foam with a metal whisk, but it will be much more difficult. Not only will it not produce as much foam, but it will also take more effort and the sound of the metal bristles scraping against the bowl will be jarring compared to the gently sounds of bamboo moving through matcha.
Chashaku Bamboo Spoon
The chashaku bamboo spoon is another matcha utensil that you will see being used during the Japanese tea ceremony. Like the chasen, this spoon is carved out of a single piece of bamboo. Although it is simply designed, it is the best tool when it comes to scooping the matcha tea.
It has a more vertical design compared to the horizontal design of most spoons. This makes it easy to scoop powder out of a deeper container like a matcha tin. The end of the matcha spoon is also the perfect measuring tool for matcha powder. In the tea ceremony, you will see the tea master measure out 2 heaping spoonfuls of matcha powder for each bowl of tea. Although this might not be perfectly accurate, it is a good way to measure out your tea the traditional way.
What’s in the green tea advent calendar
In this advent calendar, you will find 28 different kinds of matcha, gyokuro, sencha, hojicha, kukicha, bancha, kamairicha, genmaicha and more! Let’s learn a bit about each type:
Matcha
This is a powdered tea made from younger leaves of the tea plant. This powder is mixed directly into water to create a stronger tea that is loaded with health benefits.
Gyokuro
This is the most sought after leaf tea in Japan, made from leaves that have been shaded for 3 weeks or more before the harvest. This tea has a powerful sweet and savory flavor and a smooth finish.
Sencha
Sencha is the most common tea type in Japan, and it’s made from leaves that have been steamed, rolled and dried. Depending on how and where the leaves are grown and how they are processed, sencha can take on a bunch of different forms.
Hojicha
Hojicha is a special type of roasted green tea. Once the tea leaves have been dried, they are roasted in either a pan or a roasting machine to produce warmer flavors of coffee, caramel and chocolate.
Kukicha
This is a green tea made from both the stems and leaves of the tea plant. The addition of the stems creates a milder flavor and it reduces the caffeine content of the tea.
Bancha
This tea is made from older tea leaves picked lower down on the tea plant. Bancha is lower in caffeine and higher in minerals and it has become the second most popular tea in Japan after sencha.
Kamairicha
Kamairicha is a partially roasted tea made in the Chinese pan roasting style. The flavor falls somewhere in between a sencha and a hojicha, with these toasted nut notes and a hint of caramel.
Genmaicha
This famous green tea is made by mixing tea leaves with roasted rice. This is low in caffeine and it has a pleasant cereal flavor that is nice at any time of day!
Get your green tea advent calendar today!
Once you order this bundle, you’ll have everything you need to start getting into the holiday spirit. Explore many different types of premium green teas from all over Japan, and learn how to prepare them the traditional way, with artisan crafted teaware. Whatever you decide, we at Nio Teas wish you a happy holiday season!
