An elegant and refined teapot matched with its 2 small bowls.

Cast iron. Red inside black.

The tea tradition

This delightful KHLA tea set will enable you to serve your favorite Asian teas by KHLA in a delicious Asian atmosphere, alone or in pairs.

Description:

• This teapot is made of cast iron which will allow you to keep your tea hot for longer than in a porcelain teapot.
• This KHLA teapot has a capacity of 0.9 L to share 7 to 8 cups* of tea
• Removable stainless steel filter
• accompanied by its two cast-iron cups, it allows you to reproduce at home the soothing ritual of tea preparation and tasting
• Outer color : red
• Interior color: black enamel

Maintenance:

A cast-iron teapot is not dishwasher-safe or detergent-safe: a light rinse with clear water is all that's required for maintenance. The tannin deposited on the inner walls should not be removed.

Never put your KHLA cast-iron teapot in the microwave. To enjoy your tea, follow the preparation instructions on your KHLA Tea packets or on our site.

Cast iron? To keep tea hot for a long time

Stemming from an ancestral Japanese art, cast-iron teapots have seen their uses evolve over the centuries. Initially, they were mainly used as kettles, as cast iron is known to be a good conductor and retain heat much longer than other materials.

Learn more about the tea ceremony in Asia?

The main schools, Omotesenke and Urasenke, and again Mushanokôji-Senke have evolved, each with notable differences in the way tea is served. There are also other, lesser-known schools. At present, the Urasenke school is the most active and widely followed.

All the schools and most of the variations, however, have a number of points in common. The host, male or female, usually wears a kimono, while guests may wear kimonos or dark formal clothing. If tea is served in a separate tea house, rather than in the tea room, guests will wait in a covered garden until called by the host. They then ritually purify themselves by washing their hands and rinsing their mouths in a tsukubai (small stone basin) containing water. They then head for the tokonoma, or alcove, where they admire the scrolls and other decorations. Then, they sit in the seiza position on the tatami, in order of prestige.

Tea houses and tea rooms are generally small. The standard size is four and a half tatami mats. The smallest teahouse can be two tatami, and the largest is limited only by the wealth of its owner. Building materials and decorations are deliberately simple and rustic.

A light and simple meal, called kaiseki (懐石^?) or chakaiseki (茶懐石^?) can be served to guests, followed by sake. At the end of this meal, they return to the covered waiting "room" until called again by the host.

If no meal is served, the host will proceed directly to the serving of small treats. To be tasted, these sweets will be placed on a special paper called kaishi (懐紙^?); each guest brings their own, often in a small, decorated wallet. The kaishi is put in the breast pocket of the kimono.

Each utensil - including the tea bowl (chawan), whisk (chasen) and tea scoop (chashaku) - is symbolically cleaned in the presence of guests in a set order and using very precise gestures. The utensils are placed in the exact order in which they are to be stored, in accordance with the preparation that will follow. When the cleaning and utensil preparation operations are complete, the host places a quantity of powdered green tea in the bowl according to whether he is preparing a light or thick/strong tea and adds the appropriate quantity of hot water, then mixes the tea into it.

Conversation is kept to a minimum. Guests relax and enjoy the atmosphere created by the sounds of water and fire, the scent of incense and tea, the beauty and simplicity of the tea house and the appropriate seasonal decorations.

The bowl is then served to the guest of honor (初客, shokyaku, literally the "first guest") either by the host or an assistant. The customary greetings are exchanged between the host and the guest of honor. The guest greets the second guest and raises his bowl in a gesture of respect for the host. The guest turns the bowl to avoid drinking from its "front" and, in the case of thick/strong tea, takes a small sip, responding to the host's question as to whether the tea is to his or her liking, before taking two more sips, wiping the rim, turning the bowl back to its original position and passing it to the next guest with a bow. This procedure is repeated until all guests have taken tea from the same bowl. The bowl is then returned to the host. In the case of light tea, each guest drinks from an individual bowl, always turning the bowl so as not to drink from its "front side".

If thick/strong tea, koicha, has been served, it will be followed by the host's preparation of light tea, or usucha. However, depending on the invitation that has been made, the usucha may be served on its own.

Once the guests have each drunk the tea, the host cleans the utensils. The guest of honor will ask the host to allow the guests to examine the utensils, and each guest in turn examines and admires each object, including the tea scoop, the tea caddy - the tea bowl having been admired just after the tea has been drunk. The objects are treated with extreme care and reverence as they are frequently priceless, irreplaceable, handmade antiques.

The host then collects the utensils and the guests then leave the tea house. The host greets them from the door, thus ending the invitation.

A tea preparation can last between one and five hours, depending on the type practiced and the type of meal and tea served.

See also: The Tea Ceremony in Asia