How to brew matcha
Matcha is shade-grown tea leaf ground into a fine powder. You don’t steep it: you drink the whole leaf, suspended in water, so ratio and whisking matter more than time.
- Water
- 80 °C176 °F
- Leaf
- 2 gper 70 ml
- Whisk
- 15–20 s
- Re-steeps
- none
Good examples: Ceremonial and culinary grade matcha.
Step by step
- Heat fresh water to 80 °C (176 °F).
- Sift 2 g of matcha into a warmed bowl.
- Add 70 ml of water and whisk 15–20 s until frothy.
- Drink straight away, before the powder settles.
Getting it exact
- Sift 2 g (about 1 level teaspoon, or 2 bamboo scoops) into a warmed bowl to prevent clumps.
- Usucha (thin): 2 g in 60–80 ml at 75–80 °C. Koicha (thick): about 4 g in 30–40 ml, kneaded slowly rather than whisked.
- Whisk briskly in a zig-zag “W” or “M” motion from the wrist, not in circles, until a fine foam forms.
Quick fix: Clumpy? Sift, and add a splash of water first to make a paste before adding the rest.