Why brew with a kyusu (急須)?
Those first entering into the world of Japanese tea might wonder about the humble, unique, side-handled teapot known as 急須 (kyusu).
Ranging in color from red shudei clay in the Tokoname style, to porcelain white, or a deep black, brewing tea in a kyusu elevates the tea-drinking experience in multiple ways.
They are seen in all places - as the most humble and modest workhorses of “omotenashi” (Japanese hospitality) greeting weary travelers in a traditional ryokan country inn, or as exquisitely crafted national treasures used in the most elevated of formal tea ceremony.
But more than just beautiful aesthetics, the kyusu has very practical advantages over western style teapots, which is why we encourage everyone to try and see for themselves how delicious tea prepared this way tastes.
1) It suits the brewing style
Japanese green tea is prized for its fresh and grassy character. Compared to more oxidized oolong and black teas, the vegetal sweetness comes from a delicately steamed and fired leaf that can become astringent if left in water for too long. For this reason, Japanese green teas taste best brewed in smaller volumes multiple times, and quality tea allows for these multiple brews before flavor fades. To this end, the volume of a kyusu is generally in the range of a few hundred milliliters (roughly 8-10oz) to allow for the complete emptying of the water from the leaves, and perfectly filling of two or so “yunomi” (larger sized teacups). When pouring out the tea, the flow is fast to ensure that the last of the water can be emptied quickly to prevent over-brewing.
2) It suits the tea leaf characteristics
Japanese green tea such as sencha and gyokuro feature glossy, needle-thin dry leaves which appear like grass. When steeped, however, the volume expansion is significant, and what was previously a thin layer of dry leaves along the bottom fills at least a third of the teapot once fully hydrated. Kyusu feature a wide body which allows these thin dry leaves to fully unfurl for the best extraction from the tea. As some teas like fukamushi (deep-steamed) sencha feature smaller leaf particles, kyusu also have a fine built-in filter inside of the teapot which does not restrict the leaves from expanding like some removable teapot filters. And when finished, the wide opening allows for easy removal of the leaves by simply tapping them out of the pot and rinsing the interior with water (no soap).
3) Ergonomics
Although intriguing on initial glance, the side-handle aspect of kyusu is quite ergonomic. Pouring tea out into teacups lined up involves simply holding the handle in the palm of the hand, with the index finger on the knob of the lid (to prevent it falling off), and simply rotating the wrist right to left. A quick flick of the wrist allows one to easily stop the stream of the pour to move to the next teacup. It is also customary to pour out the tea between each of the cups evenly so each cup gets some of the start, middle, and end of the tea from the teapot to ensure an even taste between cups. This includes pouring out every last drop equally between cups, since this is considered the most delicious part of the tea.
While many artisanal kyusu can be found, most nostalgic to us are these iron-rich shudei red clay “everyday” kyusu in the traditional Tokoname style, which are durable, thought to help “soften” the briskness of sencha, and have a beautiful gentle warmth of texture. These are the teapots we enjoy using each day to bring out the best characteristics of quality teas.
