Japan·No added fat or sugar
Usucha — thin matcha
2 g matcha, 70 ml water at 75 °C
The everyday preparation. If your matcha tastes bitter and grassy, it is almost always water that was too hot.
Matcha bowl
Matcha
2 g
Water
70 ml
Temp
70–80 °C
Servings
1
Ingredients
- ceremonial grade matcha2 g
- water at 75 °C70 ml
Method
1
Warm the bowl and soak the whisk
Hot water in the chawan, whisk tips resting in it for a minute so the prongs soften and do not snap.
2
Sift the matcha
Always. Matcha clumps in the tin and clumps never whisk out.
3
Add a splash and make a paste
About 10 ml first, worked smooth against the bowl. This is the step people skip.
4
Whisk in a W
Add the rest of the water. Whisk briskly wrist-only in a W or M shape, not circles. Circles push the foam to the edge.
5
Finish on the surface
Slow the whisk, lift it through the centre, and pop the big bubbles. Drink within a minute or two.
Notes
- Temperature is everything. Boiling water scorches the amino acids that make matcha sweet. 70–80 °C, always.
- Culinary grade is fine in a latte but harsh on its own. Ceremonial grade is worth it for usucha.
What you need
- Chasen (bamboo whisk)
- Small sieve