This 48 prong matcha whisk is handmade in Japan especially for "thick" koicha matcha. Not to be confused with imports from China, this authentic hand-made tea whisk is made in Nara Prefecture. There are over 120 different types of Nara tea whisks, with the type of material, shape and number of splines varying according to the school of tea, and also on the kind of matcha to be used.
Note: This while you could use this whisk for other types of matcha, it was designed for use with thick "koicha" matcha. For general matcha brewing, we recommend this tea whisk instead.
About our Tea whisk suppler (see photos below) - Sabun Kubo Born 1940. Started making tea whisks in 1964. He is an artisan very keen on protecting traditional crafts.
Differences between Japanese and Chinese tea whisks...
The vast majority of tea whisks seen on the market are made in China, not Japan. There is no market for whisks within China itself, nearly all are exported abroad and surprisingly, to Japan. Japanese craftsmen start the whisk making process using a sharp knife to chip the end of the bamboo, giving it a clean sharp break, whereas in China it's tend to be done with a file. Because of this, the tip of the whisk prongs of Japanese whisks are known to last longer. The bamboo used in Japanese whisks is superior and is dried for well over a year before use. While both will work, in practice the Japanese whisks have been shown to last longer.
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