What are Thick tea and Thin tea for Japanese tea ceremony?

We have 2 kinds of powdered green tea; a thick one and a light one. A thick one uses a sweeter and less bitter powder. Since the thick tea is 3 times thicker than the light one, the green tea that has a bitter taste is not suitable for the thick tea.
The sweeter it is, the more expensive the tea will get.
Most of powdered green tea you see in some Japanese cafes is light tea, so the thick tea will be the deep experience for tea ceremony.

 

Yin and Yang

The ways of tea and utensils are also different from each other. We think the way of thick tea as “Yin”* while light tea as “Yang”.
So we have to keep quiet formal atmosphere during the way of thick tea while we can talk a little during the way of light tea.
The container of thick tea is covered with traditional clothes, and the tea bowl called “Raku” is made by hands, not using wheels.
We cannot use tea bowls with pretty paintings for thick tea. *Yin Yang: This philosophy came from China thinks that everything in the world can be divided into two, Yin and Yang. For example, Yin as darkness, water, winter, night, plant and women, while Yang as light, bright, fire, summer, daytime and men.
Tea utensils, seats in a tea room, sweets are all divided into these 2 in the tea ceremony.

 

 

 

The way of drinking thick tea

We share one bowl with other guests for the thick tea, so we need the sense of becoming one in a tea room.
When the main guest has received a bowl of thick tea from the host, all of the guests who expect to share the bowl take a bow together before drinking.
The first guest purifies the edge of the bowl with clothes or moistened paper before he or she passes the bowl to the next guest.
Passing the bowl, the first guest and the second guest take a bow together again.
The last guest is expected to finish drinking all, so other guests have to think how much they should drink.
If you leave too much, it will be hard for the last guest to drink the rest amount of thick tea

 

Thick tea is typical for tea ceremony.

In Tea Ceremony Koto, you can drink both thick & light tea in the private plan for sure, and it is also available in shared tea ceremony when the number of the guests is over 7. Of course, the host will make thick tea, and the teas guests will make by theirselves are light tea in all plans in Koto.
It is quite common to drink the light tea at cafes in lifestyle.
The thick tea might surprise you because it’s similar to soup rather than a tea.By hearing this, you might imagine it is too bitter.
However, If you know the taste,  you can enjoy the tasty and high quality of the taste.