Method

0 of 5 done

Tap a step to tick it off as you go.

What equipment do you need for traditional matcha

The full traditional kit is four small pieces, each with a practical job: a chasen (bamboo whisk) whose 80 to 120 fine prongs create the foam, a chawan (wide tea bowl) that gives the whisk room for the W stroke, a chashaku (bamboo scoop) that measures about a gram per scoop, and a small sifter. Only the whisk is genuinely hard to substitute: a wide cereal bowl, a teaspoon and any fine sieve cover the rest while you start out. A matcha set bundles all four for less than buying them separately.

Why does the water temperature matter so much

Matcha's sweetness and umami come from delicate amino acids, and its bitterness from catechins. Boiling water tips that balance hard toward bitterness, which is the single most common reason a first bowl of matcha disappoints. At 75 to 80 degrees Celsius the tea whisks up sweet, smooth and aromatic. No thermometer is needed: a boiled kettle left to sit for three to four minutes with the lid open lands in the right zone.

What is the difference between usucha and koicha

Usucha, thin tea, is this recipe: about 2 g of matcha to 70 ml of water, whisked to a foam, and it is how matcha is drunk day to day in Japan. Koicha, thick tea, is the ceremonial preparation: roughly double the matcha to half the water, kneaded slowly with the whisk rather than whipped, giving a glossy, espresso-thick liquid with no foam. Koicha is only worth making with very good ceremonial grade (its intensity is unforgiving of lesser powder), so master usucha first.

Common questions

Do I have to use ceremonial grade matcha for traditional tea?

It is strongly worth it. Drunk plain with only water, the difference between grades is at its most obvious. Culinary matcha tastes noticeably more bitter served this way. If culinary grade is what you have, use slightly less powder and slightly cooler water.

Why is my matcha not foaming?

Usually the whisk or the wrist: use a proper chasen, whisk fast in a W pattern from the wrist rather than stirring in circles, and keep the prongs just off the base. Too much water for the powder also thins the foam.

Can I add milk or sugar to traditional matcha?

You can, but at that point you are making a matcha latte, which has its own method and suits culinary grade better. Usucha is designed to be drunk plain, and good matcha at the right temperature should not need sweetening.