Green Tea Forum

Guest

Hello,

I have never owned a Kyusu before but I am currently looking to buy a few of them. I am starting this post to open a discussion about Kyusus. I would like to discuss the various types of kyusus, their use, and any intricacies which may deem one Kyusu better than another in general or for a specific task.

I suppose my first question is what is the plural form of Kyusu? Also, I have seen it written as Kyuusu and Kyusu. Does anybody have an answer for this variation in spelling?

It seems that there are several types of Kyusus. I have read about two types and I would like to learn more about each type.

1. Shudei Kyusu: Shudei refers to the clay used in making the pot and the pot is fired in a gas-fired kiln. This clay has a high iron content which is supposed to enhance the green tea. Does this pot impart a noticeable flavor on the tea?

2. Yakishime Kyusu: An unglazed pot which is fired in a wood-fired kiln. This pot has savor or taste. Does this pot impart a noticeable flavor on the tea?

I would like to find out why or in what circumstances one would select one pot over the other. It seems to me that the Shudei Kyusu would be best for premium, slightly steamed, not oxidized teas while the Yakishime might be best for non-premium, deeply steamed, oxidized teas.

Of course, I have no clue Very Happy

I'm just making a guess. Any insight would be appreciated.

Regards,

Craig

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

Really great question, you've got me stumped on part of it.

First, the proper Japanese spelling of it in English (Romanji) is kyuusu, with an extra long "u" sound. In Japanese, there is no plural form. One kyuusu, three kyuusu, etc.

All of our kyuusu come from the Tokoname area of Japan, which is famous for its ceraminc due to the clay. However, I honestly cannot tell you whether if they are Shudei or Yakishime. Looks like I'll have to do some research myself.

I will tell you this, iron does enhance the taste of green tea. From my experience, this comes from the iron kettle known as a "kama" that they heat the water in rather than the teapot. One of my tea suppliers is "Tsuen", Japan's oldest teashop. I was down in Uji a few months ago and the owner served me tea using a bamboo ladle out of an iron teapot. Have you seen those tetsubin around? I don't think they are too great to brew tea in but they sure are great to heat your water in.

Yakishime - If it's fired in a wood kiln, you're most likely talking about something rather pricey. Here is a link where you can find a really nice, hand made, iron rich kyuusu fired in a wood fired kiln: http://www.2000cranes.com/artists_Nagai/items/NK011.htm

Hope that helps...

Guest · Posted: Sep 30, 2005 11:42 pm Post subject:

OK, so Kyuusu it is Wink

I looked at the link you provided and the Kyuusu they have is unusual. It looks interesting but it's not really to my liking.

Regarding Tetsubin, I do plan to buy one for heating water because cast iron has excellent heat retention which should make multiple infusion brewing much easier. Apparently, there are kettle style Tetsubin for boiling water and teapot style Tetsibin for steeping only. Luckily I discovered this little fact before the purchase Very Happy

Regarding Kama, do they have an enameled interior? The Tetsubin I have seen have enameled interiors and I don't think iron leaches through the enamel.

Regards,

Craig

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

Hi,

First time I've ever heard of this company, so no idea about them.

Well, every tetsubin I've ever seen has a stainless steel insert which is in adequate for brewing. Doesn't mean they're not out there though. All have been enamled as well.

Regarding the kama, I have access to them but have never carried them because they are so heavy, I can't imagine how much that would cost to ship to countries outside of Japan. They are not enameled inside though.

Guest · Posted: Oct 07, 2005 12:04 am Post subject:

Hello,

I have been doing some homework. I’m still confused about all of the Kyuusu options. I thought I would share some of the more interesting links that I have found.

History Of Tetsubins:
http://www.calacademy.org/research/anthropology/tetsubin/hist.html

About Tokoname:
http://www.tokoname.or.jp/cerapath/path-e.htm

Production of Shudei Kyuusu:
http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/crafts/0407/d0407-4.html

Japanese Ceramics; lots of info here; explore the links:
http://www.kougei.or.jp/english/porcelain.html

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

A wealth of good information, thank you for posting.

murphyle · Uh, Can I Add Sugar? Joined: 27 Sep 2005 Posts: 10

Since I wasn't able to find a kama for less than my first-born child ($595 plus shipping - ?!?), I tried buying an American-made cast iron tea kettle instead. The kettle came un-enameled and unseasoned.

The preparation: Scrubbed kettle thoroughly with soap and hot water inside and out, rinsed and dried. I did not season the kettle, thinking that Japanese cast iron ware is not seasoned, and since boiling water removes seasoning (which is just baked-on vegetable oil), this would adversely affect tea. Boiled 1 qt of filtered water, dumped out, dried and refilled; did this four times. Fifth run was also 1 qt of filtered water, which I poured into a clean glass container and let cool to 175 F before brewing.

The tea: One Matcha-Iri bag, brewed for 3 minutes.

The result: Smelled like train oil and tasted worse. I couldn't taste the tea at all - there was no flavor, no astringency, just a salty iron taste. I was unpleasantly reminded of the warm salt water gargle my mother made me use when I lost my baby teeth. The kettle also began to rust almost immediately (there were several large rust spots inside the next day).

Back to the drawing board (and my enameled stainless kettle) on this one. I wonder if the Japanese do something different to the insides of their un-enameled kettles to avoid this kind of result?

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

Hi,

All of those kama, I can get and get them a bit cheaper. I've hesitated making that move, but I may do it on a special order basis. However, I think I may have found a better solution. In a catalog I have I found some really nice tetsubin (iron teapot) and an accompanying heater. The heater sits in a ceramic base. So, I'm thinking it might be good to just use the tetsubin just for heating the water.

yumiko · Posted: Nov 09, 2007 1:29 pm Post subject: kyuusu spelling

I think the spelling of "kyuusu" depends on the prefrence of the user. There are many websites which use "kyuusu", others use "kyusu". The fact is, the second "u" is an elongated "u". It can be written with 2 u's or a dash over the u. In my opinion (for what its worth), "kyuusu" is the correct spelling.

syntheticpanda · 2nd Degree Black Belt Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 198

If you have the character shortcut memorized, it's "Kyūsu." If you don't have it memorized, I think the double-u (not to be confused with "w") spelling would be more phonetically correct than the single-u spelling. Still, as with any romanization, there is rarely going to be just one accepted spelling, so it's not really a huge deal IMO.

Kevangogh · Forum God Joined: 19 Jul 2005 Posts: 904 Location: Japan

If you want to get technical, there really is no one true correct way to spell it as there are different systems of spelling Japanese in English. The "u" sound is long for sure.　きゅうす。