Types of Strainers

Sawayaka Ami (stainless steel strainer). This is the most common tea strainer in Japan which comes in a variety of designs and sizes.

It gives the tea a good balance of taste, aroma, and offers users ease of cleaning.

This type of strainer is best for deeply steamed (fukamushi) and lightly steamed (asamushi) tea. 

 

Obi chakoshi (stainless steel band strainer) features a stainless-steel band encircling the teapot's inner circumference.

This unique design allows the tea leaves to fully expand in the hot water, resulting in a delicate and aromatic flavour. 
The liquid flows smoothly without any blockages from the tea leaves, making it ideal for fine tea leaves, including deep-steamed tea (fukamushi),
sencha (middle- to high-grade green tea), and kariganecha (high-grade stem tea).

 

Sasame/Ceramesh. This ceramic strainer boasts an impressive number of intricate holes on its surface. 
Initially, thin strips of clay are fashioned into discs, before a special tool is used to create the mesh holes. 
After being manually shaped into a concave form, the filter is placed inside a teapot and fired. 

For optimal results, it is recommended to pour the liquid slowly, allowing the tea leaves to settle on the lower portion of the strainer.
This can effortlessly accommodate any type of tea.