The words of the great 16th Century Tea master, Sen no Rikyu, still ring true today. However, the simplicity of his message is in no way a recipe for the mundane or mediocre. It represents the essence of the Way of Tea, a spiritual path which emphasizes the four principles of wa – harmony, kei – respect, sei – purity, and jaku – tranquility, using tea as the medium of practice and study. But like most Zen traditions, simplicity and essence are often difficult to attain. Without good tea leaves, proper water temperature, the correct utensils, and the knowledge of proper preparation techniques; one cannot produce a good cup of tea.
It is our mission at Charaku Fine Japanese Tea to provide you with the materials and resources to create a thoroughly enjoyable tea experience; whether it is your own personal daily ritual for physical and spiritual health, or a desire to offer the ultimate in omotenashi, “hospitality,” to your guests. We offer a wide variety of high quality teas from various appellations throughout Japan. We also offer Certified Organic Matcha, produced from tencha, hand-picked and granite stone-milled in the traditional method. Our teas are sourced from artisan producers, many of whom are multi-generational, family tea farmers. Charaku teas are fresh packed, in Japan, in nitrogen-flushed small batches in order to bring you the freshest (and therefore healthiest) Japanese tea possible.
We also carry the utensils and accessories necessary to properly prepare and enjoy our quality Japanese tea. This includes hand crafted tea wares, carefully selected from Japanese and international artists. In addition, we provide the educational resources to enhance your understanding and appreciation of Japanese tea. Charaku literally means “Tea Pleasure,” and our hope is that our products and services will enable you to experience the pleasure of fine Japanese tea to the fullest extent!
Please travel through our website to explore the world of Charaku: The Pleasure of Fine Japanese Tea.
Fresh Cup
Charaku News and Events: DECEMBER 2012
Year end greetings! It's hard to believe that another year has gone by so quickly. Thanks to all of you for your continued support throughout the year, which in turn, supports the many tea farmers and craftspeople on whom we depend for continuing their traditions and for meeting challenges with innovation. I'd also like to send out to our many friends on the US East Coast our wishes for full recovery from this fall's powerful storms.
We're happy to announce that despite the slow economy and unfavorable exchange rates, we are lowering prices on a number of our teas. As many of you know, we added more Organic Sencha offerings this past year, and the response has been such that we can now purchase in amounts to realize better pricing. Prices for Mizayaki, Oita, and Yakushima Organic Sencha are all reduced considerably. We're also spreading the savings out to some of our higher end teas and lowering prices on Yame Gyokuro and Takachiho Kamairicha by one dollar per 50 gram package, and by more than 50 cents on our Chashi Meijin Fukamushicha. Visit our tea shop page at http://www.charaku-tea.com/tea.html to order at these newly reduced prices.
On the craft side, we are pleased to now carry the work of Hanako Nakazato, a 14th generation potter from Karatsu, Japan who now divides her potting time between Karatsu and Union, Maine. She hails from one of the most respected pottery families in Karatsu, but has created her own unique style of contemporary functional wares in porcelain. Visit our WaSabiDou site at http://www.mingei-wasabidou.com and go to the Ceramics pages of the catalog to see some of Ms. Nakazato's work.
Also on our WaSabiDou site is a fantastic selection of collectible books on Japanese art and culture, as well as on crafts and cuisine. Most are First Edition titles in NEW condition from the 1970s and 1980s. Included are classic reference books such as: The Unknown Craftsman, The Japanese Art of Food Arrangement, Hamada Potter, The Tea Ceremony by Seno Tanaka, Shibori, Shigaraki Potters Valley, and many others. Just enter books - into the search bar of the catalog for a full list.
Finally, if you'd like to see some of our personal pottery collection in use for a Japanese Thanksgiving meal inspired by a recent visit to the New England states, please visit my blog, http://wasabidou.blogspot.com. Thank you again for another year of sharing tea and crafts. Tatsuo Tomeoka, Charaku WaSabiDou.