Matcha & Clay Only in Neubau (14+)

Special series for tea lovers

Booking Details

Discover the art of crafting a chawan, or tea bowl, that embodies the Japanese aesthetics of wabi and sabi. Through the ceramic technique of carving, you will learn to shape a vessel worthy of a ceremony.

+ What you will do
In this course, you will carve a chawan or matcha bowl from a single piece of solid clay. This is a traditional Japanese way of making tea bowls that has been practiced since the time of the samurai. We will start by shaping the outside of the bowl, which also involves attaching a very important foot ring, before turning our attention to the inside of the bowl. It is a slow, meditative process that calms the mind and encourages creativity. Clay is so dynamic and alive, and this technique brings you into contact with clay during one of its most beautiful drying phases, the “leatherhead” phase.

If you wish, you can also decorate your finished piece with vibrant underglaze colors, giving it a unique and personal touch.

Matcha will be served. All materials, tools, and instructions will be provided. Your finished masterpiece will be completely dried and then fired at 960°C, followed by professional glazing with transparent glaze (and then fired again at 1200°C), so that it can be picked up 2-3 weeks later. Yes, it is functional—you can drink from it and it is dishwasher and microwave safe.

Group Booking
If you would like to sit together with others, please make your reservation under a single booking. This allows us to seat you at the same table. With multiple separate reservations, we unfortunately cannot guarantee that you will be seated together. Please note that cancellation and rescheduling policies may vary.

Duration: 2,5 hours
Course type: Modeling course (carving technique)
Your teacher: Josef or Andrea
Level & age: For beginners aged 14 and up
Included: All materials, instructions, a fully functional masterpiece, and matcha are included in the price.
Location: Fresh Ceramics Neubau – Westbahnstraße 18, 1070 Vienna
Price: €95 per person

FAQ:

Will I receive a pre-made vessel to carve or do we make it during the course?

During the course, you will receive a pre-made vessel for carving that has already dried to leather hard. You can imagine the vessel as a thick-walled, round bowl, waiting to receive its own unique shape.

What does “Wabi-Sabi” mean?

Wabi-Sabi describes a Japanese aesthetic that sees beauty in simplicity, nature, and imperfection. In ceramics, this means small irregularities, traces of handwork, or slight differences in form and glaze are appreciated. These imperfections make each piece unique and alive.

How does painting with the colors work?

Once your piece is carved, we move on to painting with underglaze colors. These can be applied outside the piece and add colorful accents to your matcha bowl. You can choose from more than 10 colors. Please note that applying colors to black clay may result in slight color variations after firing.

How can I reschedule my course?

You may reschedule your course once up to 24 hours before the course begins via the button “Reschedule, cancel or request a refund” in your course confirmation email. Cancellations are possible up to 24 hours after receiving the booking confirmation via the same button.

What if I cannot attend my course date?

Since tickets are not tied to a specific person, you are welcome to privately pass them on to friends or acquaintances. This way you can give them a wonderful experience and ensure that reserved spots do not remain unused.
In the case of a rescheduling or cancellation, you will find the corresponding instructions under the first question “How can I reschedule my course?”
Important: Rescheduling requests via email, phone or in person cannot be accepted and are therefore invalid.

Do I need prior experience to participate in the courses?

No, this is not necessary. All our courses are suitable for beginners. Advanced courses are labelled accordingly.

How can I book a course?

All courses & offers can only be booked online directly via our website. The calendar under each course description shows you on which days and how many spots are available for booking. Choose your preferred date and number of participants and click “Book Now.” This adds the booking to your cart, and in the next step you can complete the payment process.

How do I book a course if I have a gift card?

The code can be entered during checkout after adding a booking and is valid for both locations. If you have multiple voucher codes, you can enter and redeem them one after another.

What is the difference between pottery and hand-building/modeling courses?

When working with clay, there are generally two different approaches:
On the one hand, there is wheel throwing, where pieces are created on the electric pottery wheel. The resulting objects are characteristically round, symmetrical and thin. On the other hand, there is modeling and shaping clay by hand at the worktable. This includes coiling, pinch technique and slab technique. Here you are not bound to the round base shape created by the wheel and can freely express your creativity.

What should I bring to the course?

A portion of good mood :) We have everything else at the studio!

However, shorter nails – and for pottery wheel courses also a hair tie for longer hair as well as clothes that may get a little dirty – are an advantage. If despite the aprons some clay or glaze gets onto your clothing, don’t worry, both can be easily washed out.

When can I pick up my finished pieces & what happens if I forget them?

Your ceramics from pottery and modeling courses are ready for pickup from 3 weeks after the last course day. If you cannot come in person, the person picking them up must be able to show a photo of your pieces.

We keep already glazed course pieces in our pickup shelves for 3 months. After that, due to space limitations, they are sorted into monthly boxes where we can no longer guarantee completeness or condition. Every year before Christmas, we donate all remaining pieces that have been with us for more than one year to “Aktion Leben” to bring joy to someone else. :)

Can I have my pieces shipped home?

We are happy to ship your masterpieces by Austrian post, no matter where you are located within the EU. Shipping outside the EU is not possible. Fees of Austrian Post:
Shipping within Austria (1–3 pieces*): €7.17
Shipping to Germany (1–3 pieces*): €17.35
Shipping within the EU (1–3 pieces*): €21.00

An additional packaging & service fee of €9.50 applies per package, as we wrap each piece by hand and personally drop it off at the post office to ensure it arrives safely :)
Medium-sized pieces such as cups, bowls, plates, small vases. Large pieces such as vases, jugs, etc. are calculated as 2 medium-sized pieces.

Are my pieces dishwasher safe?

Your pieces are made of stoneware clay. They are fired at 1200°C, making them vitrified and both dishwasher safe and microwave safe.

I'm not happy with how the glaze turned out on my piece. Is it possible to reglaze it, or receive a refund or reimbursement?

We understand that glaze results can sometimes be surprising, but reglazing high-temperature fired pieces is not possible, and we do not offer reglazing or deglazing services.

Glazing in pottery is an inherently variable process and cannot be fully controlled or replicated exactly. Even when the same glaze, clay body, and firing schedule are used, the final outcome can differ from piece to piece. Many factors influence the result, including kiln placement, temperature fluctuations during firing, glaze thickness, how the glaze interacts with the clay, and the overall kiln atmosphere. These variables are a natural part of working with handmade ceramics.

Because of this unpredictability, glaze appearance is not considered a defect. For this reason, we do not offer refunds, reimbursements or remakes based on glaze results or personal preference.