Review: SousChef Sarasa Japanese Teacup Set
I used to find the idea of drinking tea truly bizarre. It was never something I fancied. It wasn’t until only a few years ago that I really started enjoying tea because I took the time to actually try different types and find what matches my palate rather than drinking a mug of builder’s type tea which really isn’t to my taste!
I have discovered, through trial and error, that I really love black tea and some green teas, and I have a cupboard in my kitchen dedicated just to tea and tea paraphernalia. In this cupboard, I have various packages of tea (serious and some more amusing special editions), some tea scales and several tea makers.
Although I have almost everything a tea drinker might want I have never had a really nice tea set – relying on ‘run of the mill’ mugs to drink out of so when I was offered the chance to review a lovely Japanese teacup set from SousChef I was excited to add them to my collection.
The Sarasa Japanese teacup set is really an elegant way to serve and enjoy a cup of tea with bold colours depicting exotic floral designs giving a sense of opulence to an otherwise pretty regular tea drinking experience.
The word ‘Sarasa’ is Japanese for calico – a richly painted and printed fabric characterised by intricate depictions of flowers and other plants, originally from India, where Japan imported their calico from in the mid-14th to late-16th centuries. Sarasa was highly prized among the wealthy samurai and merchant classes.
The SousChef Sarasa Japanese teacup set comes in a really lovely box which really suits them. When you open the box each cup has its own little cubby to keep it safe and it makes a great display feature.
I certainly really love the look of these cups, they are elegant and dainty which really makes drinking tea a bit more special than just pouring it into a regular mug. Each set includes cups in different colours and designs which means you don’t end up with all the same and makes it a bit more interesting.
Each cup sits nicely in the palm of the hand and I have found despite being thin and delicate keeps in the heat so that you don’t burn your hand. I think this would make a great gift for any tea-lover and award them 5 out of 5 stars for bringing a bit of intrigue into my normal tea-drinking experience.
