At Senchado in Tokyo, an Algorithm Guides the Tea-Drinking Experience
Choosing a tea is not always an easy task, but this boutique offers a solution through a clever classification and colour-based system.

LUCY ALTER DESIGN, inc.
Its name is Senchado, and its speciality is sencha, the most popular type of green tea in Japan. At Senchado, customers enjoy a top of the range version, and the experience is key. The establishment has decided to take a modern approach, however. A unique algorithm is used to group the teas according to their flavours and strengths. Each one is then attributed a colour to reflect its taste. This allows customers, particularly novices, to understand the properties of the different teas.
Reinventing the teapot
The boutique also sells a reinvented version of the teapot. Traditionally, the Japanese use a kyusu, a teapot that often has a handle on the side, but Senchado has introduced the concept of ‘ultimate simplicity’ with its Toumei Kyusu. This new-generation, transparent teapot breaks with the 260-year-old conventions, particularly by removing the handle, as this teapot is not hot to the touch.
More information about Senchado can be found on the boutique’s website.

LUCY ALTER DESIGN, inc.

LUCY ALTER DESIGN, inc.

LUCY ALTER DESIGN, inc.

LUCY ALTER DESIGN, inc.

LUCY ALTER DESIGN, inc.
TRENDING
-
Paris, Tokyo: Robert Compagnon
With his co-chef and talented wife, Jessica Yang, Robert Compagnon opened one of the top new restaurants in Paris: Le Rigmarole.
3:31 -
‘It’s a sincere pleasure when the objects I make are recognised as part of the Mingei circle’
The brass cutlery meticulously shaped by Ruka Kikuchi in his Setouchi studio has earned admirers across Japan and beyond.
-
Always Shooting, Never Shot: Motohiro Hayakawa’s Fantasy Battlegrounds
In these colourful and cluttered paintings, mysterious landscapes teem with aliens, monsters, and the occasional human.
-
Inside the Heart of Japanese Fine Watchmaking, A Visit to the Grand Seiko Manufacture
These refined pieces are made in a Kengo Kuma–designed building, set in a natural environment that inspired their signature dial motifs.
-
The Tattoos that Marked the Criminals of the Edo Period
Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos, while theft might result in an arm tattoo.



