The measuring spoon, and the pack that already includes it
To measure 2 g without a scale, a stainless steel measuring spoon costs €6.00. If you do not have matcha yet, the pack with the 100 g Ceremonial comes to €24.99 instead of €26.99.
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The minimum kit that works
To start properly you need just three things:
- Ceramic chawan (10 to 11 cm inside diameter): €15 to €30
- Chasen, 80 to 100 prongs: €10 to €18
- Bamboo chashaku: €3 to €6
Total: €28 to €54. With this kit you can make a decent usucha from day one.
The full kit worth having
To equip yourself properly in one go, add:
- Stainless steel sieve, 0.15 mm: €8 to €25. A warning: for €8 you get a strainer that says fine mesh without saying how fine; the one that states 0.15 mm on its listing is laboratory kit and costs three times as much.
- Chasen stand (kusenaoshi): €8 to €15
- Probe kitchen thermometer: €8 to €12
Running total: €52 to €96. That covers everything you need to make matcha at an advanced level for years.
How to judge a shop-bought kit
Packaged kits (Amazon, shops) usually include chawan, chasen, chashaku and matcha for €25 to €60. The things to check to judge the real quality:
- The chasen: how many prongs? If it does not say, there are probably fewer than 72.
- The chawan: does the inside have a non-stick glaze? That stops the foam from holding.
- The matcha included: does it state region, cultivar and harvest date? If not, it is generic matcha.
The two sets that pass the filter
We put the Amazon sets through the three checks above. Most fail on the first. One advertises 76 prongs, below the minimum; another says 100 bristles on one line and about 76 three lines later; and several simply give no number. Two hold up:
- JOOVEY 8 piece set with an 80 prong chasen (see the price on Amazon): it gives the prong count, 80, and includes a 304 stainless steel sieve, a 510 ml ceramic bowl with a semi matt interior, a stand, a chashaku and a chakin. There is no matcha in the box, which is exactly what we want: the generic matcha in these sets names neither region nor harvest.
- NIRAIZEN 8 piece set with a 120 prong chasen (see the price on Amazon): it also gives the prong count, 120, with a ceramic bowl, a sieve and a chakin. The tin it comes with is empty.
Neither says whether the inside of the bowl carries a non stick coating, which is the second check. Both state glazed ceramic and the first specifies a semi matt finish, which bodes well for the foam, but that is as far as the listing goes.
If you would rather build it piece by piece, which usually turns out better, the purchases that matter are the VMUTGA 100 prong bamboo chasen (see the price on Amazon) and the bowl, and there the GOMETY 560 ml ceramic chawan with stand (see the price on Amazon) already comes with the stand.
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Where to buy with confidence
For tools with verified origin and checked quality: The Japanese Tea Hub (thejapaneseteahub.es) carries a selection of genuine Japanese tools with provenance information, and ships across Europe. For a good-value starter kit, Amazon.es has options you can verify by reading the technical specifications rather than just looking at the photos.