Temae, the procedure for making tea, to our American eyes, may seem overly complicated and rigid with rules. But these procedures have been refined for more than 400 years to be able to make a bowl of tea in the most efficient and beautiful way.
When we start to study temae, we start with …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/paring-back-to-the-essential/
As my classes are preparing to host a chakai this summer, I thought that I would talk a little about tea gatherings.
Chakai are rather informal tea gatherings. Sweets and usucha are usually served, and usually no meal is served at a chakai. I have been to chakai in Japan where there were hundreds of …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/the-seven-types-of-chaji/
I talk to a lot of people about chado. It’s what I love and I love to talk about it. Often times the questions are predictible: How long does it take to study? Is there talking during the ceremony? Why do you turn the bowl?
Sometimes I will get a person who knows a little …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/the-true-way-of-tea/
When I started blogging about Chanoyu six years ago, I didn’t know anyone else was writing about the way of tea. But I have discovered or been referred to a number of blogs that has enriched my own study of Chado.
There are a few recent ones that I’d like to call your attention to:
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Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/blogging-chanoyu/
Kanten comes in many types, from powder, to threads, to dried blocks. The trick is to get the ratio right. We used a powder that I was not familiar with and the sweets turned out to be so hard they were like hockey pucks and had to be discarded.
Molding the koi for …
Permanent link to this article: https://issoantea.com/photos-from-the-sweets-workshop/
