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# Carving a Cha He from Soot Bamboo
- URL: https://www.gchicco.com/carving-a-cha-he-from-soot-bamboo/
- Published: 2026-03-28T21:13:47.000Z
- Updated: 2026-03-28T21:13:47.000Z
- Author: Gianfranco Chicco
- Tags: Blog, Craftsmanship

For some time I've been wanting a small *cha he* (茶荷), a vessel used to measure and present dry tea leaves before brewing. It's especially useful for transferring tea into a small teapot or gaiwan.

Instead of buying one, I made it from Japanese *susudake* (煤竹), soot bamboo. I had a few lengths left over from my [chashaku carving practice](https://www.gchicco.com/bamboo-blades-and-youtube/). I looked at examples online, found a reference I liked, then got onto the sawing and carving. Once I was happy with the shape, I finished it with light sanding and camellia oil.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/01/d0/01d08198-2c67-4cdc-a041-7d7c7d50e709/content/images/2026/03/2026-bamboo-cha-he-by-gian-by-Gianfranco-Chicco-01.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/01/d0/01d08198-2c67-4cdc-a041-7d7c7d50e709/content/images/2026/03/2026-bamboo-cha-he-by-gian-by-Gianfranco-Chicco-02.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/01/d0/01d08198-2c67-4cdc-a041-7d7c7d50e709/content/images/2026/03/2026-bamboo-cha-he-by-gian-by-Gianfranco-Chicco-03.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/01/d0/01d08198-2c67-4cdc-a041-7d7c7d50e709/content/images/2026/03/2026-bamboo-cha-he-by-gian-by-Gianfranco-Chicco-06.jpg)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/01/d0/01d08198-2c67-4cdc-a041-7d7c7d50e709/content/images/2026/03/2026-bamboo-cha-he-by-gian-by-Gianfranco-Chicco-07.jpg)

Photos by Gianfranco Chicco

I tested it with a Korean black tea from [Postcard Teas](https://www.postcardteas.com/?ref=gchicco.com) and a small teapot by Ryusei Kimura. To transfer the leaves I used a wooden tea pick, or *cha zhen* (茶針) in Chinese, *chahari* in Japanese, that I made last month. 

It works. Exactly what I needed.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/01/d0/01d08198-2c67-4cdc-a041-7d7c7d50e709/content/images/2026/03/2026-Small-teapot-by-Ryusei-Kimura-by-Gianfranco-Chicco-03.jpg)

Teapot by Ryusei Kimura (left). Photo by Gianfranco Chicco