How To Make Matcha (Japanese Green Tea)

Step 1

Please read: This recipe is not to teach the proper method for the Japanese tea ceremony but to make delicious matcha at home.

Step 2

Prepare matcha and tea set.

Step 3

Pour boiling water into the bowl.

Step 4

Gently whisk the tip of the Chasen in the hot water. This warms up the bowl and soften the bamboo tines, making the chasen flexible and springy for effective whisking action.

Step 5

Discard the hot water from the bowl and dry the inside of the bowl with a clean dry cloth.

Step 6

For Usucha, scoop 1 tsp (or 1 ½ heaping tea scoops) matcha in to a fine mesh strainer over a tea bowl. For Koicha, scoop 2 tsp (or 3 heaping tea scoops) matcha into a fine-mesh strainer over a tea bowl. If you use a tea scoop or chashaku, the scoop should be rounded, reaching just the point where the chashaku starts to bend.

Step 7

Sift your matcha into your dry empty bowl. This will ensure there are no clumps and your tea will be smooth.

Step 8

Pour boiling water into a teacup and let it cools down for a minute (the temperature should be around 185ºF (85ºC).

Step 9

Gently add very small amount of hot water into the bowl with matcha.

Step 10

Take the whisk in one hand and hold the rim of the tea bowl with your other hand. Combine the matcha and hot water till it blends well.

Step 11

Gently pour hot water into the bowl, about 70 ml (⅓ full) for Usucha, and 40 ml for Koicha.

Step 12

Whisk the matcha and hot water briskly in a quick, back-and-forth stroking “W”(or “M”) motion using your wrist (not arm). When the tea has small bubbles, start whisking the surface of the tea, and continue until matcha has a thick froth with many tine bubbles on the surface.

Step 13

At the end, draw one circle and pick up the whisk in the center of the matcha tea. This will create a slightly higher fluffy foam at the center.

Step 14

You’re not making a frothy consistency with a fast whisking action. Instead, a slow kneading action from left to right, up and down, and a gentle 360 degree rotating action to make a thick, smooth, and even consistency without froth.

Step 15

Serve matcha immediately with wagashi (Japanese sweets). Important: Since matcha is a powdered leaf, it does not actually "dissolve" The fine particles become suspended in the hot water during whisking. Therefore please enjoy the matcha before particles settle to the bottom of the bowl.

Step 16

Rinse the chasen thoroughly in warm water after each use and stand it on its base so the tines are sticking up in the air. Rinse and dry your bowl.