Enjoying Tea with Houhin teapot
Japanese tea is usually enjoyed at a lower temperature, between 50 to 70 degrees Celcius (depending on the type) compared to Western or Chinese tea, which is commonly brewed at a higher temperature. Therefore, a handle-less teapot called “Houhin,” which is comfortable to hold in the palm of your hand, is the perfect teaware to have to cherish the authentic flavor and aroma of Japanese tea deeply.
跟通常在較高溫度下沖泡的西洋茶或中國茶相比，日本茶通常在較低的溫度下享用，一般在50 至 70 攝氏溫度之間（取決於類型）， 因此，能舒適地握在手心的無柄茶壺“寶瓶”，可充分帶出日本茶真正味道和香氣的完美茶具。
Water Preparation / 準備飲用水
Getting the right temperature is crucial when making Japanese tea. If the water is too hot, it will result in an astringent and bitter taste. However, when you get the right temperature, the tea’s natural umami flavor will infuse beautifully, and you can enjoy a smooth, almost velvety, delicious savory taste.
To get the right temperature, you can use a thermometer. However, the traditional practice of pouring the hot water back and forth between the houhin and the “yuzamashi” (water cooler) a few times is practical and pleasing to the senses. It is said that each time you pour out the water into another vessel, it will decrease the temperature by about 10 degrees Celcius. Therefore, use this technique to get the ideal water temperature for your chosen tea leaves. Enjoy the sound of water and calm your mind during this process of preparing for tea.
泡日本茶時，溫度要適中。如果水太熱，就會產生澀味和苦味。當溫度合適，茶的天然香味就會美妙地滲透出來，讓您品嚐到像絲般幼滑的美味。
爲了獲得準確的溫度，可以使用溫度計。傳統做法是將熱水在寶瓶和"湯冷"(冷卻用的器具)之間來回倒入幾次，過程既實際且令人愉悅。每次將水倒入另一個容器時，溫度都會下降10度左右。因此，可使用該技術來調節到適合浸泡您選用的茶葉所需的水溫。在準備茶的過程中可享受水聲，並讓心情平靜下來。
Adding Tea Leaves: 添加茶葉
Add your preferred amount of tea leaves into the houhin. As a general guideline, add 2 teaspoons to serve 2 cups of tea. Using a houhin allows you to enjoy tea at its most concentrated flavor and aroma in “shots”.
把您喜歡的茶葉倒進寶瓶茶壺中。一般情況下，加入兩茶匙可供兩杯茶飲用。使用"寶瓶"能讓您享受"一口杯"中最濃郁的風味和香氣。
Brewing the tea: 泡茶
Gently pour the hot water into the houhin, close the lid and brew. The brewing time is subjective to each type of tea, therefore please adjust accordingly. Generally, for 2 small cups of tea, pour just a little more than the 2 cups portion as the leaves will absorb some of the water.
將熱水輕輕倒入寶瓶茶壺中，再蓋上蓋子沖泡。沖泡時間會因茶葉的種類而異，請自行調整時間。一般來說，因為的茶葉會吸收水分，故兩小杯茶只需倒入兩杯以上分量即可。
Pouring the tea: 倒茶：
When it is ready, pour the tea into 2 cups alternately few small drips at a time to even out the taste and consistency of each portion. It is recommended that you pour the tea till the last drop, as it contains the most savored umami flavor. Houhin is easy to hold with one hand, therefore it is one of our most recommended teaware for this purpose.
準備好後，將茶用小滴的方式交替地倒入兩個茶杯中，以平衡每部分的味道和濃度。建議您將茶倒至最後一滴，因為它蘊含最濃郁的旨味。寶瓶是很容易地用單手握住，因此它是我們最推薦的茶具之一。
Enjoy the tea: 享用茶
Good quality tea may be brewed up to 2 to 3 times. For the second serving, brew for a shorter period of time and for the last serving, brew using a higher water temperature for a longer period of time.
優質的茶可以泡2至3次。第二次的沖泡，請縮短沖泡時間。最後一次沖泡，請使用較高的水溫及使用較長的時間。
