How to prepare matcha green tea the right way

You are ready to start your matcha discovery journey but don’t know yet how to prepare it? In this article, you will learn how to make a frothy, delicious and healthy matcha green tea.

Preparing a matcha is a peaceful and tranquil ritual that helps to relax and feel centered. In fact, this is your chance to take some time for yourself. You can include it in your morning ritual, after lunch or at any other time that suits you (preferably not too late as matcha contains caffeine which lasts for 4-6 hours).

Bad quality matcha powder = bad tasting matcha tea

To prepare a matcha that is vibrant green, contains all the health benefits (detox, weight loss & energy boost) and taste good you should make sure that you buy ‘ceremonial grade’ or ‘premium grade’ quality. Unfortunately, these terms are not protected so that manufacturers often sell cheap cooking quality as premium or even ceremonial grades. Believe us, you will be able to recognize cheap matcha: The color of the powder has a yellowish nuance and the tea can smell a bit fishy. Real matcha also comes from Japan – not China. Matcha has been cultivated consistently for 800 years in Japan whereas Chinese producers have entered the market only about 15 years ago. Chinese farmers don't always grow their tea plants shaded (which gives the superfood properties and sweet taste) or air-dry the leaves after stemming. This results in a duller color and a bland taste. High quality matcha should have a deep emerald-green color and smell fresh and vegetal.

Your first matcha will probably be like your first glass of wine or first cup of coffee: Different from everything you tried so far! Some people like it immediately, but if you don’t - try it for 14 days and you will see that your taste buds quickly adjust to this new flavor, called ‘umami’. Umami literally translated from Japanese means “pleasing”, it is felt not on the tip or the sides of the tongue (like the other four flavors sweetness, sourness, saltiness, bitterness) but from the middle to the back. After a while you will become a real matcha connoisseur and can distinguish different matcha flavor profiles and qualities like you can with wine. They call it the ‘green gold’ for a reason.

So, what do you need to indulge in this healthy pleasure?

 Essential tools for the matcha preparation

• High quality matcha green tea powder (preferably organic to avoid consuming pesticides)
• 1g measuring scoop – or a tea spoon
• Bamboo whisk (‘chasen’) – or an electric milk frother
• Matcha bowl – or a regular bowl that is wide enough for whisking
• Water kettle

 Three simple steps

 Step 1:

Let the matcha ritual begin! Add 1g (half a tea spoon) of matcha powder to a bowl. To avoid clumps, you can either screen the matcha through a little sieve or break the clumps down with your matcha whisk.

 Step 2:

Boil filtered or spring water in a water kettle. The water should have around 80°C (176°F). If you don’t have a thermometer you can boil the water to 100 degrees and then add a bit of cold water to cool it down to around 80°C (176 °F). Another way is to transfer the boiling water once or twice to another cup to cool it down. No need to get scientific here, it is just important that the water is not boiling once you add it to the matcha powder as it burns the matcha and makes it taste bitter.

Add around 80ml/2.7oz (for an espresso-style matcha) or up to 120ml/4.06oz (the Americano of matcha) of water to the bowl.

Step 3:

Briskly whisk the matcha and water with the bamboo whisk in a ‘M’ or ‘W’ form until a pastel-green frothy layer forms. This can take up to 2-3 minutes. The matcha ritual is complete when you finish off Japanese style with completing a full circle (clockwise) with your whisk.

 Now your matcha is ready. Rest your mind, come into the present moment to obtain calmness, clarity and focus. Enjoy your matcha moment and share it with us on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtag #mymatchamoment.