Questions
The things people ask before they buy.
Is matcha included?
No. The set is the tools: the 100-prong bamboo whisk (chasen), the bamboo scoop (chashaku) and the celadon whisk holder (kusenaoshi). Matcha powder is not included, and neither is a bowl unless you choose the Set + Bowl.
Which matcha should I use?
A ceremonial-grade matcha, made for drinking on its own: bright green and finely milled. Culinary grade is for baking and lattes. Once it is open, keep it sealed, cool and dark.
How do I look after the whisk?
Before its first use, soak the prongs in warm water for a minute. After each bowl, rinse it in warm water - no soap, no dishwasher - and let it dry upright on its holder, which keeps the prongs in shape. With daily use a bamboo whisk lasts months; a broken prong or two along the way is normal.
How big is the bowl in the Set + Bowl?
About 10 cm across and 5.5 cm tall, holding 280 ml, which leaves plenty of room to whisk the usual 60 to 80 ml of water. Its glaze changes in the kiln, so the colour varies a little from bowl to bowl.
Is it a good gift?
It makes a calm, useful one. It travels in protective packaging, not presentation packaging: the whisk in its plastic tube, the scoop and the holder in their own bags. If you are buying one for yourself and one to give, the Two sets option is on the same page.
Where does it come from?
The set comes from our supplier in China and ships from their warehouse there; it is not made in Japan. The whisk and the scoop are natural bamboo, and the holder is celadon-glazed ceramic.
How long does delivery take?
It ships tracked from our partner warehouse. The product page shows the estimate for your country in business days, and the checkout shows it again before you pay: the courier's quoted window plus the warehouse's time to pack.
Is shipping really free everywhere?
Yes. There is no minimum order, no surcharge at the checkout and no country that costs extra. Shipping is already in the price you see.
Will I have to pay customs or import duty?
It depends on where you live. Your own customs authority decides whether any duty is due and collects it on arrival. We cannot pay it for you or know it in advance.
Do I get a tracking number?
Yes. It appears on our Track page as soon as the parcel leaves the warehouse. Courier scans can take a day or two to show up after that.
The tracking has not changed in days. What now?
If it has not moved for five days, write to us. We chase the courier, and if the parcel is lost we replace it or refund you in full.
What if it never arrives?
Then you get your money back in full. You paid through PayPal, so you also have PayPal's own buyer protection.
Can I return it if I just do not like it?
Yes. Thirty days from the day it arrives, and no reason is needed. Write to us with your order number and we will tell you where to send it; the refund goes out as soon as it is on its way back. Return postage is yours to pay, unless it arrived damaged or wrong, in which case you do not send it back at all.
Do you have my card details?
No. You pay in PayPal's own window, with your PayPal account or a card, and card numbers never reach this shop. PayPal sends us your name, email and delivery address, which is what the warehouse needs to deliver it.
Do I need an account?
No account needed. Pay with PayPal or a card and your order is confirmed by email, with an order number you can track. An account is optional: it keeps your orders and your address in one place.
What happens if you cannot ship to my country?
The checkout asks where it is going before you pay. When you approve the payment, we check the address PayPal gives us before anything is charged: if it is somewhere we cannot deliver to, the payment is not taken and the checkout says why.
Can I cancel an order?
Yes, until our warehouse starts packing it. Use the Cancel button on your order's Track page, or write to us, and we refund you in full. Once it is being packed it becomes a return instead: 30 days, just as simple.
Will you email me things I did not ask for?
No. We email you about your order. If you ask for our first-bowl guide or for news, you get the guide, a note when something is back in stock and new arrivals, and every one of those emails has a one-click way out. We never sell or share your address.
Why is it less expensive than the same thing elsewhere?
There is no shop in the middle holding stock, no showroom and no famous name to pay for. It comes from the same kind of warehouse a larger retailer buys from, one step shorter.
Anything not here, ask us — the contact page has the address and a person reads it.