How to Make Matcha (Usucha)
Sift 2g of matcha (2 chashaku scoops or about 1 level teaspoon) into a warmed bowl. Add 60-70ml of water at 75-80°C (167-176°F) and whisk in a fast M or W motion for 15-20 seconds until a fine foam covers the surface. Drink it within a few minutes.
Usucha means thin tea. It is the everyday preparation of matcha: a small amount of stone-ground green tea powder whisked into a little hot water until the surface is covered in fine foam. You drink the whole leaf, suspended in water, rather than an infusion of it. One bowl takes about 2 minutes from sifting to drinking. Whisked powdered tea was brought from Song-dynasty China to Japan by Zen monks in the 12th century and became the center of the Japanese tea ceremony. In a formal gathering, usucha is served after the thicker koicha, each guest receiving an individual bowl. Outside the ceremony it is the default way matcha is drunk in Japan. Matcha comes from tencha, leaf shaded for about three weeks before picking, which raises chlorophyll and the amino acid L-theanine and lowers bitterness. Whisking aerates the drink, which softens its texture and carries the grassy, sweet aroma. Because you consume the leaf, caffeine per bowl is roughly 60-70mg for 2g, comparable to a small coffee. Use ceremonial or high-grade matcha for usucha drunk plain; culinary grade is harsher and better in lattes. Water above 85°C makes any grade taste bitter, and unsifted powder leaves lumps that the whisk cannot break up.
Recipe
Teaware
- Chawan (tea bowl), 10-12cm wide
- Chasen (bamboo whisk), 80-100 prongs
- Chashaku (bamboo scoop)
- Fine mesh sieve
- Kettle with temperature control
- Scale accurate to 0.1g
- Small cloth for wiping the bowl
Steps
- 1
Soak the whisk
Stand the chasen in a little warm water in the bowl for 1-2 minutes.
Dry prongs are brittle and snap; soaking also softens them for a finer foam.
- 2
Warm the bowl
Swirl hot water around the chawan, discard it and wipe the bowl dry.
Water drops left in the bowl make the powder clump.
- 3
Sift the matcha
Press 2g of matcha (2 chashaku scoops) through a fine sieve into the bowl.
Matcha clumps from static and humidity; sifting is the single biggest fix for lumpy tea.
- 4
Heat the water
Heat water to 75-80°C (167-176°F).
Above 85°C the cup turns bitter; below 70°C the foam is weak.
- 5
Add the water
Pour 60-70ml of water into the bowl along the side, not straight onto the powder.
Start with 60ml; add more after whisking if the tea is too strong.
- 6
Whisk
Hold the chasen upright, tips just touching the bottom, and whisk from the wrist in a fast M or W pattern for 15-20 seconds.
Move the wrist, not the arm; circular stirring will not build foam.
- 7
Refine the foam
Lift the whisk to the surface and make slow passes for 3-5 seconds to break large bubbles.
The goal is fine foam with no visible large bubbles.
- 8
Finish and drink
Draw a small circle in the center as you lift the whisk out. Drink within 2-3 minutes.
Matcha powder settles to the bottom as the foam collapses; drink it before that happens.
Tips
- One level chashaku scoop holds about 0.75-1g of matcha; one level teaspoon holds about 2g.
- Ceremonial grade gives a bright green bowl; a dull olive-yellow powder is stale or culinary grade.
- Store opened matcha airtight in the fridge and finish it within 4-6 weeks.
- If you have no chasen, a small electric frother makes acceptable foam, but the texture is coarser.
- Rinse the chasen in warm water only and dry it upright on a whisk holder so the prongs keep their shape.
Common Mistakes
- Skipping the sieve — clumps of dry powder float in the bowl; sift every time.
- Using boiling water — the tea turns bitter and loses its sweet, grassy aroma; use 75-80°C.
- Stirring in circles — no foam forms; whisk in a fast M or W pattern.
- Pressing the whisk hard into the bowl — prongs break and the bottom glaze scratches; let tips just touch.
- Using culinary-grade matcha for drinking straight — it tastes harsh; save it for lattes and baking.