UDUMBARA’s pieces are made from wild clay from the small village of Kultela in Somero, southwestern Finland. So, when you get UDUMBARA, you don’t just get handmade pottery, you get a piece of Finland too.
This natural material gives the products a wonderfully rich earthy character and thanks to the porous nature and rich iron and other mineral content of the clay, tea brewed in a wild clay bowl develops a richer flavor.
Udumbara wild clay bowls are made for use. You have to play with them and caress and rub them with your hands often. Wild clay, gains its shine from your touching and rubbing. A well “loved” wild clay bowl has a better glow than a less “loved” bowl.
The light milky color, glazes will eventually develop fine crackles. As time passes, with use tea seeps in the crackles gives a patina (Shibui 渋い) is prized and brings pleasure to tea connoisseurs.
Never use soap or detergent on Udumbara wild clay bowls. Use it only for tea, it will absorb tea, as well as non-tea stuff. Don’t put your bowl near any funny smell, especially when they are wet. Use it only for tea.
After use, extract all tea leaves from your Udumbara bowl. Rinse it with hot water to wash away all tea inside. Wipe it with soft fabric to get rid of all water. Then leave the bowl in an airy place to dry.
