How to prepare matcha: a simple guide
Matcha is a fine powder of shaded Japanese green tea. You do not steep it: you whisk the powder into hot water and drink the whole bowl, leaf included. That is why it is so rich in flavour and in caffeine.
What you need
- Matcha powder, 2 grams (about 1 level teaspoon, or 2 scoops of a bamboo scoop)
- A bowl, wide enough to whisk in
- A bamboo whisk (chasen), or a small electric milk frother
- A small sieve
- About 70 ml of water at 70 to 80°C
Step by step
- Sift the matcha into the bowl, so that there are no lumps.
- Add a splash of water and stir it to a smooth paste.
- Add the rest of the water, about 70 ml, at 70 to 80°C. Water that is too hot makes matcha bitter.
- Whisk quickly in a W or M motion, with your wrist and not your arm, for 15 to 20 seconds, until there is a fine foam.
- Drink it right away, before the powder settles.
Usucha, koicha and latte
- Usucha (thin): the everyday bowl, 2 g in 70 ml
- Koicha (thick): 4 g in about 40 ml, thick like paint, made with the best leaf
- Latte: whisk 2 g in 30 ml of hot water, then add 150 ml of warm milk or a plant drink
Tips
- Choose ceremonial grade to drink it plain, and culinary grade for lattes and baking.
- Keep matcha in the fridge in a closed tin, away from light, and use it within a month or two of opening.
- Matcha has caffeine and also L-theanine, which gives a calm and steady kind of alertness.