Japanese Tea at Home: How to Choose a Teapot, Tea Set or Matcha Set

Ceramic Japanese teapot

Japanese tea is about simple tools and small rituals. The right teapot or set depends on the tea you drink and how you like to serve it. This guide walks you through the main options so you can build your own tea corner at home.

Start with your tea

  • Sencha: the everyday Japanese green tea. Brew the leaves in a teapot with water around 70 to 80 °C.
  • Matcha: powdered green tea that is whisked, not steeped. It needs a bamboo whisk (chasen) and a scoop (chashaku).
  • Hojicha and genmaicha: roasted tea and green tea with toasted rice. Both are forgiving and can be brewed with hotter water, around 90 °C.

Choosing a teapot

Our Japanese teapots come in three main materials:

  • Cast iron: heavy and durable, it holds heat well and keeps tea warm for longer. Some models include an infuser for loose-leaf tea.
  • Ceramic and pottery: warm finishes and comfortable handles for everyday green tea. The Tea Pot Eiko holds 300 ml, ideal for one or two people, while the Tea Pot Haru holds 900 ml for the whole table.
  • Porcelain: light, elegant and smooth.

A simple rule for capacity: count about 150 to 200 ml per person and cup. Capacity and dimensions are listed on every product page.

Tea sets and travel sets

If you want everything to match, a Japanese tea set combines a teapot with cups. Travel tea sets pack a small teapot and cups into a case; the Travel Tea Set Ikari-Jinja, for example, pairs a 150 ml ceramic teapot with 60 ml cups. Teapot warmer stoves are another good addition: they keep the pot hot at the table while you chat.

Matcha sets

To prepare matcha you need a bowl, a bamboo chasen to whisk the powder with water and a chashaku to measure it. Our matcha tea sets bring these tools together, and you can also buy a spare chasen when yours wears out. Sift the matcha, add a little hot water and whisk in a quick zigzag until a fine foam appears.

Caring for your tea tools

  • Rinse ceramic and porcelain teapots with warm water after use and let them dry with the lid off.
  • Empty cast iron teapots after each use and dry them completely, ideally while still warm.
  • Rinse the chasen in warm water without soap and let it air-dry so it keeps its shape.

Build your tea corner

Explore our teapots, tea sets, matcha sets and the full Tea & Coffee collection.

Back to blog