Proper Chasen Use and Maintenance

A Delicate Utensil

One of the keys to a great performing chasen or other tea utensils is proper maintenance. This leads to better longevity for your items as a whole. In the culture of matcha and the tea ceremony in Japan, items would be treasured throughout the ages, with tea items being passed down from masters to students, forming long lineages.

Good maintenance also has the more pragmatic benefit of not requiring you to spend money often on replacing your items! So, today we will take a look at how you can not only better care for your chasen to ensure its longevity but how you can also use it properly. Proper usage further contributes to a better cared-for chasen, and thus, better longevity as well.

 

How to Use your Chasen

The chasen is a delicate and special item. Proper use can ensure its longevity. Here’s how to properly use a chasen to whisk matcha.

 

• First, set aside two bowls. One for matcha whisking, and one for just hot water.
• Heat up and pour just enough hot water into your water bowl to give your chasen a good pre-clean and post-whisking rinse.
• Next, add the desired amount of matcha to your matcha bowl. Use a spoon or bamboo scoop to break apart any lumps or clumps of matcha.
• Then, pour in just about 2-3oz of water to the matcha.
• Now, for the fun part! Using your wrist, whip, whisk, and sweep in an “W” motion until the surface has become frothed with green foam. When whisking, one can sweep the bottom of the bowl but be sure to do so quickly yet gently. Pushing or sweeping too hard can bend or even break the chasen’s tines. Be sure to whisk along the sides and rim of the bowl to get all of the matcha paste off and properly whisked.
• Last, add 5-6oz of water to top off the concentrate. Enjoy your freshly whisked bowl of matcha!
• Oh, and use your bowl of hot water to rinse and wash off your chasen! Pat it dry with a towel and set it up right to air dry.

 

Chasen Maintenance and Care

As mentioned before, chasen and other utensils could be passed down for generations suggesting that they were well taken care of. Though we may not be aiming to pass down our tea utensils to a disciple like a traditional tea master, we certainly want them to last a long time and do their job well. Here are some ways to maintain your chasens' longevity:

• Only wash with warm water. Do not use detergent or soap, but rather try to carefully rub any matcha that is caked on off the tines.
• First, pat your chasen dry then let the air do the rest. Do not keep it in its plastic container otherwise, it might get moldy! If it does get moldy, just wash it with boiling water.
• Be careful of the bamboo tines as they can chip off or bend if you are too rough or zealous with your whisking or cleaning. You can carefully straighten or reset your tines if they bend a little out of shape with the use of a tea egg. However, if the tines crack or chip off then you may need to look for a new chasen!

 

Long Live the Chasen!

With these tips, we hope your chasen can last a lifetime. Be sure to be gentle, and be sure to always take good care, both with yourself and your tea items, too!