Kyusu
A kyusu is a small Japanese teapot, most often with a side handle, designed for brewing green tea such as sencha and gyokuro.
Definition
Kyusu (急須) is the general Japanese word for a small teapot. The best-known form is the yokode kyusu (横手急須), with a hollow straight handle set at roughly 90 degrees to the spout, which lets the brewer hold the lid with the thumb and pour in one motion of the wrist. Back-handled (ushirode) and top-handled (uwade) kyusu also exist. Typical capacity is 150-350 ml, matched to the small cups used for Japanese green tea. A built-in filter is essential because sencha, and especially fukamushi sencha, contain fine leaf particles. Filters may be a ceramic grid cut into the wall behind the spout (sasame), a stainless steel mesh that lines the whole inside wall, or a removable basket. Two pottery towns dominate production. Tokoname in Aichi prefecture is known for unglazed red-brown clay kyusu; Banko ware from Yokkaichi in Mie prefecture is known for purple-brown clay. Unglazed clay pots absorb some tea oils over time; glazed porcelain and Arita ware stay neutral.
In Depth
Choosing a filter: a fine mesh liner handles deep-steamed fukamushi sencha without clogging; a ceramic sasame filter is preferred for regular sencha and gyokuro and is easier to keep clean but can clog with fine leaf. Large removable baskets cramp the leaf and are a compromise.
Pouring: Japanese practice is to pour in rotation across all cups, a little at a time, so each cup gets an equal strength, and to shake out the last drops. The final drops are the most concentrated, and leaving water on the leaf ruins the second infusion.
Rinse an unglazed kyusu with hot water only, without detergent, and dry it with the lid off. A 200-250 ml pot suits 4-5 g of sencha for two cups.
See Also
- Japanese Teaware
- Tokoname Ware
- Sencha Brewing