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  "description": "For some time I've been wanting a small cha he (茶荷), a vessel used to measure and present dry tea leaves before brewing. It's especially useful for transferring tea into a small teapot or gaiwan.\n\nInstead of buying one, I made it from Japanese susudake (煤竹), soot bamboo. I had a few lengths left over from my chashaku carving practice. I looked at examples online, found a reference I liked, then got onto the sawing and carving. Once I was happy with the shape, I finished it with light sanding and",
  "path": "/carving-a-cha-he-from-soot-bamboo/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-28T21:13:47.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gchicco.com",
  "tags": [
    "chashaku carving practice",
    "Postcard Teas"
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  "textContent": "For some time I've been wanting a small _cha he_ (茶荷), a vessel used to measure and present dry tea leaves before brewing. It's especially useful for transferring tea into a small teapot or gaiwan.\n\nInstead of buying one, I made it from Japanese _susudake_ (煤竹), soot bamboo. I had a few lengths left over from my chashaku carving practice. I looked at examples online, found a reference I liked, then got onto the sawing and carving. Once I was happy with the shape, I finished it with light sanding and camellia oil.\n\nPhotos by Gianfranco Chicco\n\nI tested it with a Korean black tea from Postcard Teas and a small teapot by Ryusei Kimura. To transfer the leaves I used a wooden tea pick, or _cha zhen_ (茶針) in Chinese, _chahari_ in Japanese, that I made last month.\n\nIt works. Exactly what I needed.\n\nTeapot by Ryusei Kimura (left). Photo by Gianfranco Chicco",
  "title": "Carving a Cha He from Soot Bamboo",
  "updatedAt": "2026-03-28T21:13:47.799Z"
}