Customer Reviews

The Japanese Tea Ceremony Gift Set: Explore the Mysteries and Traditions of the Ancient Japanese Tea Ceremony

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This book was a pleasure to read. It is replete with pictures and diagrams, and explains the tea ceremony with reverence and clarity. However, I must say that I was very disappointed in the quality of the accompanying materials. The kit includes only about 1 teaspoon of the powdered tea, and this tea was of very poor quality- rather than a bright green color, it was a dark brownish color, not ground very finely, and in no way had the characteristic matcha taste. Having had the benefit of having tried "authentic" quality matcha tea before, I can definitely see and taste a huge difference in quality. The bamboo whisk was of fair quality, and the terra cotta bowl is not one I plan on using. In sum, I do like the book because it is very informative, but I would suggest that people looking for the tea brewing supplies (especially the tea) look beyond this kit because of the poor quality of the materials.

The book is informative and nicely produced, but the tea kit which comes with it (which was a main reason for buying the set rather than just a book) was worse than a disappointment. It was simply unusable. The tea bowl (chawan) was of unglazed terra cotta which acts more like a sponge than a vessel, and it is too small for the essential whisking of the tea and not even the proper size of a true chawan. The packet of tea itself was of terrible quality, gray and full of stems, not the fine bright chlorophyl green powder that is matcha of even the lowest grade. So the "matcha" is not matcha and the chawan is not a chawan by any stretch of imagination. Furthermore, the whisk might work if the bowl were large enough, but it, like the other items, is crude and inelegant, which is totally against the spirit of Chanoyu. If one is unable to make and drink the tea how can one experience tea ceremony, even on a trial basis? It absolutely gives the wrong impression of what the tea ceremony is, in spite of the author's grasp of the subject. In the meantime, I have since undertaken studies at Urasenke Chanoyu Center, and know whereof I speak. Caveat to the curious.

If it were possible, I would have given this set a negative star rating.

The book itself may have a redeeming quality. However the accompanying items [ostensibly a teabowl, a whisk, and a packet of green tea] have not the remotest possiblity of being functional, much less authentic, within the context of the Way of Tea ("Japanese Tea Ceremony"). To begin with, the small size and rough material of the bowl render it non-functional for traditional whisking of powdered green tea; then the coarseness of the whisk renders it incapable of producing the marvellous frothy beverage that powdered green tea is; last, the packet contains a substance that shares not a single quality with powdered green tea -- a point which renders the first two objections moot.
This gift set is a cynical rip off of traditional cultures and trusting readers. Buyer beware.

Quoting John Lydon there. It seemed appropriate.

Well, I received this as a gift (perhaps a re-gift). But, it was still wrapped in plastic, unopened. I didn't have very high expectations, but I was expecting a fair amount of quality tea in addition to some proper preparation tools and instructional material.

Instead, I got a fairly average paperback book and some junk. The box seems nice enough, but the contents weren't up to standard. Maybe it will strike your interest. But, you would be better off buying proper tools and tea.