Bamboo Digital Tea Scale (Cha Ze & Cha He)

Bamboo digital tea scale, cha ze and cha he in one

This bamboo digital tea scale is a hand-carved bamboo scoop with a 0.1g scale built into one end, made so you stop guessing how much leaf goes into the pot. It does the job of a cha ze, the scoop that measures and carries the leaf, and a cha he, the tray guests see the dry leaf on, so there is one less thing on the table. The readout goes to 0.1g, fine enough to tell 5.2g of oolong from 5.8g.

5 to 8 grams is what a 100ml gaiwan takes for gongfu, and that leaf gets brewed eight or ten times, so a gram either way changes every steep. Tip the leaf in, read the weight, then pass it round before the first pour. The tip narrows into a curve so the leaf slides into the pot without scattering. Once we land on a ratio we like, we can get back to it next week.

The screen sits flush in the bamboo and goes dark when off, so it reads as a plain scoop between sessions. The bamboo is cut from aged stock and carved by hand, so the grain differs on every one.

Product details

• Material: natural bamboo, hand-carved
• Size: 190 x 60 x 10mm
• Capacity: up to 500g
• Increments: 0.1g
• Display: backlit digital readout
• Power: rechargeable battery, USB charging
• Auto power-off: 3 minutes

What comes with it

• The bamboo scale
• A bamboo tea needle
• A cloth
• USB charging cable
• Kraft gift box

This works well for

• Getting gongfu ratios right without a kitchen scale
• Presenting dry leaf to guests
• Keeping a small tea table clear
• A gift for someone who already owns a gaiwan

You can try one at our Salamanca Tea Bar in Hobart before you buy.

Using the scale

Touch the panel to wake the display, tip your leaf into the trough and read the weight in grams. One touch zeroes it, so you can weigh, add a little more and zero again. It switches itself off after three minutes and recharges over USB through a port hidden in the seam.

Care

The electronics live inside the bamboo, so keep it away from water. Wipe it with a dry cloth and keep it off the wet part of your tea tray.

Shipping

Ships from Hobart, Tasmania. Free shipping on orders over $95 Australia-wide. It ships in its kraft gift box, padded inside the carton.

Related

Tea Accessories · Gaiwan · Teapots