To make matcha tea, sift 1 g of matcha powder into a bowl, whisk it with a splash of water at about 80°C until a fine layer of foam forms, then top up to about 100 ml. A bamboo whisk works best, but a milk frother or a jar with a lid will do too. It takes about two minutes.
What do you need to make matcha?
- 1 g Organic Matcha Powder (half a teaspoon)
- about 100 ml hot but not boiling water (about 80°C)
- a bowl with a wide base; in Japan, it’s called a chawan
- a bamboo whisk (chasen) or a milk frother
- a fine sieve
A bamboo scoop (chashaku) is handy but not essential: half a teaspoon works just as well.
How do you prepare matcha tea?
- Sift 1 g of matcha (half a teaspoon) into a bowl; this stops lumps forming.
- Add a splash of hot but not boiling water, at about 80°C.
- Whisk with a matcha whisk in quick zigzag strokes until a fine layer of foam forms, which takes 15 to 30 seconds.
- Top up with hot water to about 100 ml and drink it straight away.
Whisk from the wrist, back and forth in an M or W shape, not in circles. Stirring in circles mixes the matcha but doesn’t create foam. Keep the whisk just off the bottom of the bowl, and at the end lift it out slowly from the centre.
How to make matcha without a whisk
You don’t need a bamboo whisk to make matcha, although it gives the finest foam. These work too:
- Milk frother: the quickest option. Hold the spiral head just below the surface and froth for 10 to 15 seconds. The foam is coarser than with a bamboo whisk.
- Jar with a lid or a shaker: add the matcha and a splash of cold water to the jar, put the lid on and shake for 15 seconds. Then top up with hot water. This also works well for iced matcha.
- Small kitchen whisk: it works, but gives little foam. Whisk the matcha into a smooth paste with a little water first.
- Blender or hand blender: handy if you’re making several servings at once or blending matcha with milk.
What is the right water temperature for matcha?
The water should be about 80°C: hot, but not boiling. With boiling water, matcha tastes sharper and more bitter; at about 80°C, the flavour stays smoother. If your kettle doesn’t have a temperature setting, mix three parts boiling water with one part cold.
Why is my matcha bitter or lumpy?
- Bitter: usually the water is too hot or you’re using too much powder. Use water at about 80°C and 1 g per bowl.
- Lumps: the powder wasn’t sifted, or you added all the liquid at once. Sift the powder and whisk it with a little water first.
- No foam: you didn’t whisk long enough or fast enough, or you stirred in circles. Whisk faster, in a zigzag.
Usucha and koicha: thin and thick matcha
The Japanese tea ceremony has two ways of preparing matcha. Usucha is thin matcha: less powder, more water and a layer of foam. That’s what this recipe makes. Koicha is thick matcha: much more powder with little water, and no foam. Koicha uses so much powder that you also get much more caffeine: each gram contains about 32 mg. You can see how that compares with coffee and tea in our overview of caffeine in matcha, coffee and tea.
How do you clean and look after a matcha whisk?
Rinse the whisk with warm water after use, without washing-up liquid. Let it dry upright, ideally on a whisk holder, so the tines keep their shape. If you leave it in water or keep it in a closed box, the bamboo is more likely to go mouldy or split.
Frequently asked questions
Can you make matcha tea with cold water?
Yes. Whisk the matcha into cold water, or shake the two together in a shaker or a jar with a lid. Matcha is less likely to turn bitter in cold water. With ice and cold milk, it becomes an iced matcha latte.
Can you steep matcha like ordinary tea?
No. Matcha is ground leaf that doesn’t dissolve or steep: you whisk it into the water and drink all of the powder. If you put it in a tea bag or a filter, most of it stays behind.
What ratio of matcha to water should you use?
Use about 1 g of matcha to 100 ml of water for one bowl of matcha tea. With less water, the flavour is fuller and stronger; with more water, it’s lighter.
Why won’t my matcha foam?
Usually because it was whisked too slowly or in circles. Whisk quickly back and forth in a zigzag with a splash of water, and only top up afterwards. Sift the powder first: lumps make it harder to get a good foam.
Try it yourself
Ekopura Organic Matcha Powder is ceremonial grade matcha from Shizuoka, certified organic, with just one ingredient. A 90 g pouch makes 90 bowls. Our guide to what matcha is tells you more about its origin and taste. Prefer it with milk? Make a matcha latte, or browse our matcha recipes.
