How to Make Matcha (Koicha)

Sift 4g of top-grade matcha (about 3-4 heaped chashaku scoops) into a warm bowl. Add 20ml of water at 75-80°C (167-176°F) and knead slowly with the whisk for about 30 seconds, then add 10-20ml more and knead again to a total of 30-40ml. The result is a glossy paste with no foam.

Koicha means thick tea. It uses about twice the powder of usucha in about half the water, roughly 4g in 30-40ml. Instead of whisking to a foam, you knead the matcha slowly into the water until it becomes a glossy, smooth liquid with the thickness of warm honey. Koicha is the central bowl of the formal Japanese tea ceremony. Traditionally the host prepares one bowl for several guests, who pass it and drink in turn from the same vessel, three or four sips each. Usucha follows afterward. Tea schools serve koicha in rougher, heavier bowls such as raku, and the bowl and the matcha are both given special attention by the guests. At this concentration every flaw in the matcha shows. Lower grades taste bitter and harsh as koicha, so only the highest-grade matcha, ground from first-harvest tencha from old, well-shaded plants, is used. Good koicha matcha is sold as such by Uji and Nishio producers and costs more than usucha grade. Brewed correctly, koicha is intensely sweet and savory with almost no bitterness, and a single 4g serving contains roughly 120-140mg of caffeine. Prepare it for sharing, or drink it slowly in small sips. Learn usucha first; the sifting and water control carry over directly.