Volume is always essential when we choose our tea ware. To help you find the vessels and cups that suit you the best, here is a brief guide about how we measure our tea ware, and what those volume numbers mean.
Teapot:
Teapots are measured without tea leaves, filled with water right up to the brim, until it nearly overflows. Unless it is Chinese tea, we do not fill our teapot this full when we brew tea, but as the amount of water we want to use is subjective, and highly depends on the tea, to be the most precise, we always provide the full volumetric capacity, instead of the functional capacity (which is the amount of tea you can brew in it).
Let's see an example. We determined the Junzō Kurokinsai Small Kyusu holding 180 ml (6 fl. oz) water. However when we prepare Japanese green tea in it, first we fill it with tea leaves and pour water on the leaves, filling the pot approximately 80% full. This means, that the amount of tea it holds will be about 130 ml (4.4 fl. oz). So the Junzō Kurokinsai Small Kyusu's volumetric capacity is 180 ml, with a functional capacity of 130 ml (4.4 fl. oz).
When your focus is on how much tea you can brew in a certain teapot, for Chinese tea take away about 10-20%, for Japanese tea about 30% from the number we determined, and you get the amount of tea the pot can brew.
Gaiwan
Gaiwans we measure wihout tea leaves filled about 80% full, so we determine its functional capacity. The Junzo Kurokinsai Gaiwan holds 180 ml (6 fl. oz) water filled 80% full, but depending on how much tea leaves you use, that can mean anything between 140-170 ml (4.7-5.7 fl. oz) tea.
Pitcher
We determine pitchers' functional capacity, so we measure them 80% full.
Tea cup
Tea cups volume numbers also refer to their functional capacity, the amount of tea you might want to pour in it, approximately up to its 80%.
Matcha tea bowls:
As the amount of water used for matcha is maximum 85-100ml (2.9-3.4 fl. oz), the volumetric capacity of matcha bowls is not determined, only its dimensions.
HANDMADE PRODUCTS
Many of our tea ware are handmade, thus pieces from the same type of teapot or cup may vary. When it comes to volume the difference could be anything from 10ml (0.3 fl. oz) to 30ml (1 fl. oz). The variations depend on many factors, sometimes it is solely the master's precision, but often it is such triviality as weather and firing conditions. If you are particular about either the size, the capacity or the appearance, contact us, and we will share photos or the exact details of our available pieces in stock.
