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Tea and Zen Introduction

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A cream colored bowl with a design of pine trees and gold clouds. The tea in the bowl is light green and the surface of the tea is covered with fine bubbles.

A buff and cream colored tea bowl sits on a square of brocade with green and purple designs woven into it. The tea is the bowl is grass green and has no bubbles.

Thin tea in a Kyoto style bowl by Joei

Thick tea in a Hagi bowl by Tessin

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Lecture Notes

At a formal tea gathering both thick tea (koicha) and thin tea (usucha) are served. Thick tea is customarily made from higher quality tea than thin tea. There are hundreds of different kinds of tea rituals performed by the matcha schools. They differ by season, according to the utensils used, in purpose, and by their level of formality; however, making a good bowl of tea is essential to all.