I’ve become used to drinking tea in small teacups and teapots.
Of course, in the case of many guests I would use a bigger teapot.
But for few people, or when preparing tea for myself (which is usually the case), I like to use small teaware.
Right now, my favorites are a 60 ml (2 oz) kyusu and a shiboridashi of the same size, both from Tokoname.
Note that this doesn’t apply to Western style brewing, where water volumes are higher.
A small teapot is easier to use
Small teapots are light because of their size, which makes the pouring process easier.
I feel that I have more control this way.
Besides that, serving a smaller amount of water takes less time.
A small teapot is also easy to store and to carry, such as when you are traveling with it.
A full teapot results in a better tea
If you use a large teapot and only fill one third of it with water, it will have a lot of empty space and the heat will tend to dissipate.
Hence, if you want to prepare just a small amount of tea for yourself, you might want to consider using a small teapot.
However, a small teapot will lose heat quickly.
A low amount of hot water cools down quicker than a higher amount of hot water.
But this isn’t an issue if you’re infusing green tea, which often needs lower temperatures anyway.
You can also warm up your teaware by filling with hot water and discarding the water before brewing your tea.
It’s better to appreciate tea at lower water volumes
First of all, the small amount of liquid means that you will naturally want to make all the possible infusions of a given tea.
And by sipping those small amounts, you will concentrate more on the tea’s taste.
Furthermore, you can enjoy more teas this way than if you just prepare a large amount of tea at once.
What teapot size do you like the best?
