Preparing matcha
Two grams, water at 70–80 °C, a bamboo whisk, about fifteen seconds. That is all.
What you need
- 2 g of matcha — two scoops of the bamboo spoon (chashaku), or one level teaspoon
- 70 ml of water at 70–80 °C
- a bowl wide enough to whisk in
- a bamboo whisk (chasen) and a small fine sieve
Step by step
- Warm the bowl. Pour in a little hot water, swirl it, pour it out and dry the bowl. Matcha foams better in a warm bowl. Dip the tip of the whisk too: the tines soften.
- Sift the powder straight into the bowl. Matcha clumps of its own accord; without a sieve, lumps remain.
- Add the water, never boiling. Boil it, then let it rest a few minutes, or pour it once into a cold cup: it comes down to about 80 °C. Boiling water scorches the powder and turns it bitter — it is the common mistake, and the only one that matters.
- Whisk fast, from the wrist, tracing an M or a W, without scraping the bottom, for about fifteen seconds. A fine, tight foam forms. To finish, slow down and lift the whisk from the centre of the bowl.
- Drink it straight away, in three or four sips. Matcha does not wait: the powder settles.
No bamboo whisk? A small electric milk frother makes a decent foam. Failing that, a tightly closed jar, shaken for twenty seconds with the water.
As a latte
Whisk 2 g of matcha with 30 ml of water at 80 °C until no lumps remain. Pour 150 ml of hot, frothed milk over it — or cold milk, over ice. Sweeten if you like, with honey or maple syrup.
Keeping it
Close the pouch after each use, pressing the air out, and keep it cool, dry and away from light. Once opened, drink it within two months: if it turns yellow or olive, its scent has gone.
Share your bowl
A good bowl, a fine foam? Tag @kahori_kimono.paris on Instagram: we love to see where your matcha has travelled.