Modern Tea Tools

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Image from Matchasource.com

Tea ceremony tools, specifically their call-and-response relationships with nature, have always influenced my designs. I love that they’re built with binaries; a permanent iron kettle used with a bamboo whisk that lasts for only a month of normal use; one scoops aggressively green powdered matcha tea with a matte, earth-toned and humble spoon. Reflecting nature with conspicuously human-made objects is a nice contrast itself, and the one I tried to emphasize even further with these designs:

The matcha spoon is traditionally a piece of steam-bent bamboo with a flattened end for scooping. I love the simplicity of the shape, but wanted to see the green matcha powder splayed on a different surface, so chose unglazed porcelain. I made the screw that holds the two materials together stand out, preventing the spoon from seeming too sleek or luxurious.

I built this bowl from two off-center circles. As the bowl’s lip goes higher, the thickness of the wall gets thinner, creating a subtle pouring edge that will make drinking directly from the bowl easier. The variable wall thickness will also make the bowl warmer at different points.

A Corian and stainless steel whisk for preparing matcha in the traditional way:

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