Japanese Drinkware Buying Guide: Tea, Matcha, Coffee and Sake
Last updated: October 2026
Japanese drinkware is sized for the drink, not the other way round. A tea cup holds less than a mug because sencha is brewed short and poured often. A matcha bowl is wide so a whisk can move. A sake cup is small because sake is poured for each other, not for yourself.
This guide covers the five kinds we stock: tea, matcha, mugs, coffee and sake. Each section has three parts: what the piece is for, how to use it, and what we have in store.
In this guide
1. Tea: kyusu, teapots and yunomi cups
A kyusu is the everyday Japanese teapot: a side handle, a wide body and a built-in strainer. You hold the handle in one hand with your thumb on the lid, so the pot tips cleanly without a second hand. Most kyusu are 300–500ml, because Japanese green tea is brewed in small amounts and poured out completely each time.
For a long sitting or a group, a larger stainless steel or insulated pot makes more sense. Stainless steel does not stain or take on flavour; an insulated pot keeps tea hot for an hour or more.
Brewing green tea
- Sencha: 70–80°C. Let a boiled kettle stand for a minute or two before pouring.
- Hojicha and genmaicha: water straight off the boil.
- Pour out every drop between infusions. Tea left in the pot over-steeps the next cup.
- A glass kyusu lets you watch the colour and pour the moment it is ready.
Choosing a teapot
- Strainer: fine mesh for sencha and genmaicha; a ceramic strainer with larger holes for whole-leaf teas.
- Capacity: 300–500ml for two or three cups per infusion; 600ml and up for a group.
- Material: ceramic holds heat and feels traditional; stainless steel is lighter and dishwasher safe.
Teapots
Japanese Kyusu Teapot - 480ml
Glass body, side handle, mesh strainer
Yamazaki Tower Series Teapot - 600ml
Modern shape, removable strainer
Miyaco Classic Stainless Steel Teapot - 700ml
Made in Tsubame, Japan; also in black
Thermos Vacuum Insulated Teapot - 450ml
Keeps tea hot; beige or brown
Thermos Vacuum Insulated Teapot - 700ml
Larger size for sharing
CB Japan Copan 2 in 1 Teapot and Kettle - 2.2L
Boil and brew in the one pot
Yunomi tea cups
A yunomi is a tall, handle-less cup, usually 150–300ml. The thick wall keeps your fingers off the heat, and with no handle it stacks and travels easily. The 270ml sushi-bar style below is the one you see in ramen and sushi shops across Japan.
Mist White Japanese Tumbler - 180ml
Small plain cup for sencha
2. Matcha: bowls, whisks and sets
Matcha is whisked, not steeped, so the bowl matters more than it does for other teas. A chawan (matcha bowl) is wide enough for the whisk to move freely, with a rounded inside so powder does not collect in a corner. A 450ml bowl is the standard size; the 580ml Aranami gives more room if you are new to whisking.
Three tools go with it. The chasen (bamboo whisk) does the work. The chashaku (bamboo scoop) measures the powder. A small sieve, if you have one, stops lumps.
Making a bowl of usucha (thin matcha)
- Sift two chashaku scoops (about 2g) into the bowl.
- Add 60–70ml of water at around 80°C.
- Whisk briskly in a W or M motion from the wrist, not the arm, until a fine foam covers the surface.
- Lift the whisk out gently from the centre.
A 100-prong chasen is the standard for usucha and suits most home use.
If you are starting out, a bowl-and-whisk set is the simpler buy. If you already have a whisk, choose the bowl on its own.
Matcha bowls
Aranami Japanese Matcha Bowl - 580ml
Blue wave pattern, larger size
Keisai Miyajima Matcha Bowl - 450ml
Brown and cream drip glaze
Shiro Kannyu Matcha Bowl - 450ml
White crackle glaze
Ao Unofu Japanese Matcha Bowl - 450ml
Blue-green glaze
Satsuma Tenmoku Matcha Bowl - 450ml
Black and white tenmoku glaze
Sakura Unofu Matcha Bowl - 450ml
Soft pink glaze
Sets and tools
Chasen Bamboo Matcha Whisk - 100 Prong
Replacement or spare whisk
3. Mugs
Japanese mugs run smaller than Australian ones. A 150ml Sta-Mug is a short coffee or a cup of hojicha; 280ml is a normal cup; 380ml is what most Australians would call a mug. Check the capacity before you buy if you are used to a large morning coffee.
Most are stoneware or porcelain from Mino or Hasami and go in the dishwasher. Hand-painted Kutani ware is the exception: its overglaze colours are best washed by hand.
Miyama Bico Sta-Mug - 150ml - Sea Glaze
Stackable; also in mustard
CHIPS Stackable Mug - 280ml
Three patterns; 380ml also available
CHIPS Mug - 380ml
Full-size mug
Hanazume Kutani Handmade Mug - 230ml
Hand-painted; hand wash
4. Coffee
Japanese coffee culture leans towards pour-over: a ceramic dripper, a paper filter and a slow pour. Ceramic holds heat better than plastic, which keeps the brew temperature steadier through the pour. The Chill Out set below is a complete single-serve kit: Mino ware dripper, acacia wood holder and a 390ml mug to brew straight into. It takes standard size 1 cone filters.
Pour-over basics
- Water at 90–93°C: a short rest after boiling.
- Wet the paper filter first and tip out the water.
- Bloom the grounds with a little water for 30 seconds.
- Pour slowly in circles. Aim for two and a half to three minutes in total.
For espresso, a small thick-walled cup keeps the shot hot. The Oslo cup at 110ml suits a single or a short macchiato.
Chill Out Coffee Dripper & Mug Gift Set
Dripper, holder and mug, gift boxed
Oslo Espresso Cup - 110ml
Glass with a metal handle
Nagomi Hammered Coffee Spoon - 12cm
Tsubame stainless steel
5. Sake
Sake is served in small cups because it is poured for others, little and often. The three pieces you will see are the ochoko (a small cup, 50–100ml), the masu (a square hinoki box, originally a rice measure) and the tokkuri or katakuchi (the jug it is poured from).
A masu holds one gō, the traditional 180ml serve. A common way to serve is to stand a glass inside the masu and pour until it overflows into the box; the Toyo Sasaki glass-and-masu set is built around that.
Serving temperature and the cup
- Chilled, 5–10°C: fruity, aromatic styles such as ginjo and daiginjo. Thin glass keeps it cold and shows the colour.
- Room temperature (hiya): junmai and most everyday sake. Glass or masu.
- Hinoki masu: adds a faint cypress scent and is the traditional cup for celebrations.
Toyo Sasaki Takasegawa Sake Glasses - 100ml - 2-Piece
Also sold singly
Toyo Sasaki Sake Glasses - 70ml - 2-Piece
Classic ochoko size
Toyo Sasaki Fuwari Sake Glass - 230ml
Larger glass for aromatic sake
Umezawa Hinoki Sake Masu Cups - 2-Piece
Also sold singly
Takasegawa Sake Glasses & Masu Cups - 4-Piece
Glass-in-masu serving set for two
USURAI On The Rock Glasses - 355ml - 2-Piece
Thin-walled; for sake on ice or whisky
6. Looking after it
- Glazed ceramic (mugs, yunomi, matcha bowls): dishwasher safe unless the listing says otherwise. Hand-painted Kutani and anything with gold or silver accents is hand wash only.
- Crackle-glazed bowls: rinse soon after use so matcha does not stain the crazing; dry fully before storing.
- Bamboo whisk: rinse in warm water, no detergent, and stand it upright to dry. The prongs loosen with use; that is normal, and a whisk is replaced rather than repaired.
- Hinoki masu: rinse and air dry; never the dishwasher. The wood darkens over time.
- Thin glass: hand wash. Never pour boiling liquid into cold glass.
- Stainless steel and insulated teapots: dishwasher safe for the body; check the listing for lids and strainers.
For plates, bowls and the rest of the table, see our Curated Guide to Japanese Tableware.
