Black Tokoname Yuzamashi by Takasuke (~160ml)

In Japan water for tea is brought to a full boil first, which drives off the chlorine smell tap water carries, and then walked down to temperature rather than heated to it. Boiling water goes into the cups, and then from the cups to the yuzamashi, pausing briefly at each stop and shedding roughly 10 to 20°F at every step. By the time it reaches the kyusu it is near where sencha wants it, 155 to 175°F, and a little longer brings it to gyokuro at 120 to 140°F. No thermometer needed. The bowl is wide and open so heat escapes quickly, and the spout is pinched deep into the rim for a clean pour. The clay is black, unglazed and undecorated, with a small maker's stamp on the foot. It comes from Takasuke Touen, a second-generation Tokoname workshop that developed the sasame ceramic mesh filter around 1975. Holds roughly 160ml. Rinse with hot water, dry completely, and skip the soap, which unglazed clay absorbs. Product color may vary slightly due to photographic lighting or monitor settings.