How to make matcha.
Without mistakes.

What you need

To make a genuine usucha (light tea) you need three things for which there is no real substitute:

• Chawan: a bowl wide enough (at least 10 cm across inside) for the chasen to move freely. A ceramic bowl with no non-stick coating inside holds the foam better than a heavily glazed one.
• Chasen: the bamboo whisk. An 80-prong is enough for usucha; a 100 or 120 gives a finer, denser foam. Nothing really replaces it: an electric frother, a fork or a shaker will not give the same result, for concrete physical reasons.
• Chashaku: the bamboo scoop for measuring. A level chashaku is roughly 1 g. A 0.1 g precision scale works just as well.

Optional but worth having: a fine sieve (furui) of 0.1 to 0.3 mm to break up lumps, and a kitchen thermometer for the water.

Of the three essentials, the chasen is the only one where buying badly shows up in the cup. The VMUTGA 100 prong bamboo chasen (see the price on Amazon) states the 100 prongs and the single piece carving, which is what to look for. For sifting, the PATIKIL 100 mesh (0.15 mm) sieve in 304 steel (see the price on Amazon) listing is the only one that gives its mesh, 0.15 mm, in 304 stainless steel; the kitchen strainers sold as fine mesh never say how fine.

Affiliate links As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. On this page we only link accessories, never matcha powder, and it costs you nothing extra. The full explanation is in Transparency.

Water temperature: the most ignored factor

Water temperature affects the taste of matcha more than anything else, and fewer people control it than any other variable. At 95 °C or above, heat denatures the amino acids that carry umami and drives up extraction of bitter catechins. The result is a flat matcha, or a plainly bitter one.

The best temperature for usucha with a first-harvest ceremonial is between 65 and 75 °C. For second-harvest or more robust matchas, between 75 and 80 °C. For koicha: between 80 and 85 °C.

The most practical way to get there without a thermometer: boil the water and pour it into the empty chawan to warm the bowl. Then pour that water into the cup or jug where you will keep it. Each transfer drops the temperature by about 10 °C. Two transfers from 95 °C put you around 75 °C.

Doses

Preparation	Matcha	Water	Temperature
Usucha (light)	1.5 to 2 g	60 to 80 ml	65 to 75 °C
Strong usucha	2.5 g	60 ml	70 °C
Koicha (thick)	4 to 6 g	30 to 40 ml	80 to 85 °C
Matcha latte	2g	30 ml water + 150 ml milk	Water at 70 °C

Making usucha, step by step

1. Warm the chawan: pour hot water into the bowl, leave it 30 seconds and empty it. This avoids thermal shock and helps the foam.
2. Sift the matcha: push 1.5 to 2 g of matcha through a fine 0.15 mm sieve straight into the dry chawan. Sifting removes lumps and gives an even dispersion in the water.
3. Add the water: pour 60 to 70 ml of water at 70 °C over the sifted matcha. Not all at once: a steady stream from about 10 cm above.
4. Whisk: hold the chawan in your non-dominant hand and the chasen in the other. Move the chasen in fast Ws or Ms, never circles, staying near the surface to work air in. 15 to 20 seconds of vigorous whisking.
5. Finish gently: in the last 3 or 4 seconds slow down and make one gentle circle to even out the foam. Lift the chasen cleanly, straight up from the centre.
6. Drink it straight away: matcha is drunk within the first 2 or 3 minutes. After that the foam collapses.

Making koicha

Koicha (thick tea) needs a better matcha than usucha, because the concentration amplifies any flaw. With 4 to 6 g of matcha in 30 to 40 ml of water at 80 to 85 °C the result is a thick paste with no foam.

The technique is different: slow circular movements, not the fast W of usucha. The aim is not foam but dissolving the powder completely into the hot water, to a smooth, almost creamy consistency. That can take 2 or 3 minutes of continuous work.

Koicha is shared: the bowl passes from guest to guest, each taking a sip and wiping the rim before handing it on.

The most common mistakes

• Water too hot: the most frequent mistake. It destroys umami and pushes bitterness up. Use a thermometer, or the pouring method.
• Not sifting: lumps do not dissolve under the whisk and leave an unpleasant gritty texture.
• Circular motion: whisk in Ws or Ms, not circles. Circles do not work air in and give an uneven foam.
• Chasen on the bottom of the bowl: it scrapes the ceramic and damages the prongs. Keep the whisk near the surface.
• Too much matcha: more powder does not give more flavour, only more bitterness. Stick to the doses.
• Old matcha: once opened, matcha oxidises on contact with air. Always use an airtight container and finish it within 30 to 60 days of opening.