Koicha uses roughly twice the matcha of thin tea with much less water, and is kneaded rather than whisked — no foam. Traditionally one bowl passes among all the guests. It is the most formal moment of a gathering, and the container, bowl, and silk pouch used are correspondingly the highest-ranking utensils present.
When it is served
At a full gathering, thick tea comes in the second half, after the guests have withdrawn to the garden and returned. This is where the day's theme reaches the guests most directly. A named tea is used, and moist sweets are served beforehand. At large gatherings a thick-tea sitting is set up separately from the thin-tea sitting and carries a noticeably more formal atmosphere.
What happens
Matcha goes into the bowl and hot water is added a little at a time, the whisk drawing the tea toward the centre until the surface takes on a sheen. The guest receives the bowl on a kobukusa cloth, drinks a few mouthfuls, wipes the rim, and passes it to the next guest, so that the bowl travels from the principal guest to the last.
Why it is shared
Sharing one bowl is the clearest statement of the principle that a gathering is a single occasion involving everyone present rather than parallel individual servings. Guests unfamiliar with the practice are usually told what to do beforehand; the wiping of the rim between drinkers is part of the form, not an improvisation.
Sources
- 濃茶（飲み物がわかる辞典 / 日本大百科全書） / コトバンク
Supports: 抹茶1人あたり約3g以上を少量の湯で泡立てずに練り上げること。人数分を一つの茶碗で練り、客が順に回し飲みするため客数はおおむね5人程度までとなること
About this article
Edited by the operator of Chaen (a one-person operation) / Last updated:
Tea ceremony descriptions can vary by school and source. Where interpretations differ, this glossary avoids definitive claims and focuses on broadly shared understandings. If you notice an error, please let us know viaContact. To learn about our organization, seeAbout Chaen.
Term info
- Category
- Etiquette
Related terms
- Usucha (thin tea)usucha
Matcha whisked lightly to a foam and served one bowl per guest; the form of tea most people meet first.
- Chaire (thick-tea container)chaire
The ceramic jar holding matcha for thick tea; wrapped in a silk pouch and treated as the most highly ranked utensil of a gathering.
- Kobukusa (small silk cloth)kobukusa
A small patterned silk cloth the guest uses to support the bowl for thick tea and when examining utensils.
- Matchamatcha
Shade-grown green tea leaf stone-ground to a fine powder, whisked into water rather than steeped.