Hōroku Tea Roaster

A shallow pan for roasting tea over a flame, made in Tokoname from the red clay the region is known for. It is glazed and fired high enough to go straight onto a gas ring.

Put one to three tablespoons of sencha or bancha in it, keep it moving in small circles over a low flame, and in a few minutes you have made your own hōjicha. The smell fills the room while you do it. It also works for tea that has lost its freshness, and for sesame, salt, dry rice and beans.

Pour the leaf out through the open handle straight into a teapot, or onto a tray to cool. Wear an oven glove: the handle gets hot.

Let it cool on the stove afterwards, never on a cold surface or in water, because the temperature change will crack it. Wipe clean when cold. Washing is fine, the dishwasher is not.