Enjoying Various Tea Sets from Tortoise General Store in LA [Report]
Enjoying Various Tea Sets from Tortoise General Store
I love to drink tea, and I like English tea as much as Japanese tea. Although I drink only one kind of English tea, that is Darjeeling, I enjoy collecting and using various kinds of well-designed tea sets, which fit my aesthetic taste. In this regard, my most favorite store in LA is Tortoise General Store in Venice, where I have bought three different tea sets, which are equally beautiful and satisfying.
The first set is well-known Hario glassware, and I have a glass teapot (Cha Cha Kyusu) and three different sizes of glass teacups with a saucer. They all are so light and so transparent that I feel like drinking tea from the air, not from any container, which somehow makes tea more tasting and myself more relaxing.
(Hario)
Unfortunately, there is no creamer available from Hario, at least, at Tortoise, so I use one from Hasami, which will be taken up next.
The second set is Hasami Porcelain, consisting of a teacup, a creamer, and a lid-cum-plate. The beauty of Hasami is like Japanese Jubako boxes, stacking up one over another in any order. So, it is not only beautiful in design, but also functional in use, particularly space-saving when stored.
(Hasami)
Furthermore, a triangular wooden tray comes with the set of three pieces, which perfectly fit the tray – what a nice feeling! It also gives the sense of stability and safety in case of carrying it with one hand.
This set is ideal for early morning or late evening tea time, when you feel like having just a small cup of tea, possibly with some nuts or fluit.
The third set is quite convenient for meal time, that is a set of ceramic tea mug and tiny creamer, individually hand-drafted by Japanese artist, Nobuhito Nishgawara, in his studio in Orange County. The size of the mug is perfect for having instant miso-soup with meal for lunch or dinner, and also for tea with some dessert after meal.
(Nishigawara)
This set has turned out to be not just convenient, but somehow appealing to one’s heart and soul, probably due to its hand-made warmth and individual uniqueness that could be felt by any user. The weight of ceramics also gives the sense of solidness like an anchor. This is undoubtedly an excellent object of “arts and crafts.”
Needless to say, there are many more equally well-designed tea/coffee sets can be found at Tortoise General Store. As some of them such as Nishigawara ceramic ware are not available in Japan, we are lucky to have this kind of store here in LA.
Takahiro Miyao (University of Southern California), 2/8/2016
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I love to drink tea, and I like English tea as much as Japanese tea. Although I drink only one kind of English tea, that is Darjeeling, I enjoy collecting and using various kinds of well-designed tea sets, which fit my aesthetic taste. In this regard, my most favorite store in LA is Tortoise General Store in Venice, where I have bought three different tea sets, which are equally beautiful and satisfying.
The first set is well-known Hario glassware, and I have a glass teapot (Cha Cha Kyusu) and three different sizes of glass teacups with a saucer. They all are so light and so transparent that I feel like drinking tea from the air, not from any container, which somehow makes tea more tasting and myself more relaxing.
(Hario)
Unfortunately, there is no creamer available from Hario, at least, at Tortoise, so I use one from Hasami, which will be taken up next.
The second set is Hasami Porcelain, consisting of a teacup, a creamer, and a lid-cum-plate. The beauty of Hasami is like Japanese Jubako boxes, stacking up one over another in any order. So, it is not only beautiful in design, but also functional in use, particularly space-saving when stored.
(Hasami)
Furthermore, a triangular wooden tray comes with the set of three pieces, which perfectly fit the tray – what a nice feeling! It also gives the sense of stability and safety in case of carrying it with one hand.
This set is ideal for early morning or late evening tea time, when you feel like having just a small cup of tea, possibly with some nuts or fluit.
The third set is quite convenient for meal time, that is a set of ceramic tea mug and tiny creamer, individually hand-drafted by Japanese artist, Nobuhito Nishgawara, in his studio in Orange County. The size of the mug is perfect for having instant miso-soup with meal for lunch or dinner, and also for tea with some dessert after meal.
(Nishigawara)
This set has turned out to be not just convenient, but somehow appealing to one’s heart and soul, probably due to its hand-made warmth and individual uniqueness that could be felt by any user. The weight of ceramics also gives the sense of solidness like an anchor. This is undoubtedly an excellent object of “arts and crafts.”
Needless to say, there are many more equally well-designed tea/coffee sets can be found at Tortoise General Store. As some of them such as Nishigawara ceramic ware are not available in Japan, we are lucky to have this kind of store here in LA.
Takahiro Miyao (University of Southern California), 2/8/2016
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2016-02-09 12:35
