For a tea drinker, loose tea significantly improves the experience over bagged tea: manufacturers ship lower quality, poorly processed tea leaves and stems in bags of measured quantity; whereas loose tea provides higher quality product and the ability to precisely measure how much tea versus how much water, allowing more flavor without forcing more astringent tannin extraction.
The Japanese Tetsubin accepts hot water and itself heats up; by filling first with hot water and then exchanging for fresh hot water, one can make a pot of tea that stays hot for almost an hour. Further, the use of a tetsubin allows the making of roughly 18 ounces (some are larger, 30 ounces even) of tea at once, reducing the amount of tea used-- extra is needed to encourage diffusion-- and the amount of labor performed.
The 18 ounce Rikyu Japanese Tetsubin makes, unsurprisingly, around 18 ounces of tea. The designs available are simple but elegant: dragonfly, bamboo, round or square. The craftsmanship is excellent. The enameling inside prevents rusting. The whole set comes with two 4oz cast iron teacups, and a tea infuser basket that fits inside the lip under the lid, packaged in an inornate cardboard box with a lid that lifts off elegantly rather than any glue joints to damage.
As with all such things, this must be taken proper care of: hand-washed, dried properly, and used with hot water rather than placed over flame. If cared for, it will last simply because it is made well; unlike most modern devices, joints and plastic bits won't crack simply because they only last so long in typical use.
There are other Tetsubin available from Iwachu and others for $80, $100, $120, and so on for the same sizes. We know from high-quality straight razors that a $300 razor and a $100 razor are essentially identical, save aesthetics and ridiculous quality concerns that extend well beyond practicality. It is no mistake for an enthusiast to spend $80 or $100 on an 18 ounce Iwachu just as it is no mistake for him to spend $300 on a straight razor; however, in the same way that an $80 or $100 Dovo commands the same respect as a $1000 Thiers-Issard, so does a $30 Rikyu Tetsubin. Both the Iwachu and the Rikyu are made in Japan by excellent craftsmen who value their work.
The Japanese Tetsubin accepts hot water and itself heats up; by filling first with hot water and then exchanging for fresh hot water, one can make a pot of tea that stays hot for almost an hour. Further, the use of a tetsubin allows the making of roughly 18 ounces (some are larger, 30 ounces even) of tea at once, reducing the amount of tea used-- extra is needed to encourage diffusion-- and the amount of labor performed.
The 18 ounce Rikyu Japanese Tetsubin makes, unsurprisingly, around 18 ounces of tea. The designs available are simple but elegant: dragonfly, bamboo, round or square. The craftsmanship is excellent. The enameling inside prevents rusting. The whole set comes with two 4oz cast iron teacups, and a tea infuser basket that fits inside the lip under the lid, packaged in an inornate cardboard box with a lid that lifts off elegantly rather than any glue joints to damage.
As with all such things, this must be taken proper care of: hand-washed, dried properly, and used with hot water rather than placed over flame. If cared for, it will last simply because it is made well; unlike most modern devices, joints and plastic bits won't crack simply because they only last so long in typical use.
There are other Tetsubin available from Iwachu and others for $80, $100, $120, and so on for the same sizes. We know from high-quality straight razors that a $300 razor and a $100 razor are essentially identical, save aesthetics and ridiculous quality concerns that extend well beyond practicality. It is no mistake for an enthusiast to spend $80 or $100 on an 18 ounce Iwachu just as it is no mistake for him to spend $300 on a straight razor; however, in the same way that an $80 or $100 Dovo commands the same respect as a $1000 Thiers-Issard, so does a $30 Rikyu Tetsubin. Both the Iwachu and the Rikyu are made in Japan by excellent craftsmen who value their work.
