Matcha Guide: How to Make Matcha Tea

Matcha is the stone-ground form of tencha, a variety of green tea leaves. Tencha refers to a group of cultivars of the Camellia sinensis plant, the same plant that produces white, oolong, and black teas. Traditionally, matcha tea plants are grown under the shade of bamboo mats, but nylon fabric is now the standard. Blocking the tea bushes from sunlight increases the plant’s concentration of chlorophyll and theanine, resulting in a smooth, less bitter-tasting tea leaf.

Although matcha originated in China, it quickly spread to Japan, where it is an essential part of chado, the Japanese tea ceremony. In recent years, matcha lattes have become a popular alternative to coffee around the world.

Outside of Japan, matcha is generally sold in two categories:

1. 1. Ceremonial-grade matcha: This is the kind of matcha you would use in a Japanese tea ceremony. For the highest-quality matcha, make sure you're buying matcha from Japan, and look for matcha with a bright green color. Quality matcha may be labeled with the growing region—Uji, Fukuoka, Aichi, Kagoshima, or Shizuoka.
2. 2. Culinary-grade matcha: This lower-quality matcha comes from outside of Japan and is not held to the same standards as Japanese matcha. It tends to have a duller color and more bitter flavor, and it is typically used for matcha-flavored treats, like ice cream and cakes.

Though they come from the same family of tea plants, matcha and green tea have a few notable differences:

• Color: Matcha leaves spend the last few weeks before harvest in the shade, which increases its chlorophyll (and caffeine) levels. The leaves are steamed quickly after harvesting to maintain the coloring and halt oxidation (fermentation), which gives the finished powder its signature vibrant green color. In contrast, green tea leaves lose much of their color during the drying and oxidation process.
• Texture: The green tea leaves used for matcha are stone-ground into a fine powder, while green tea leaves are dried first before being sold as loose leaves or in tea bags. Matcha powder is whisked into a velvety froth with a rich, full-bodied mouthfeel. Green tea leaves are steeped in just-below boiling water and strained before serving for a more delicate result.
• Flavors: While matcha and green tea share many grassy, earthy undertones, the final flavor profiles differ quite a bit. Matcha has a signature umami flavor found in many “shade” teas, along with a rich, earthy, bittersweetness. Green tea features a much more comprehensive range of flavors depending on the variety, from floral and grassy to smoky and toasty.
  
• Caffeine content: Since the matcha production process keeps much of the antioxidants and amino acids in the leaves intact, it contains much more caffeine than green tea: about 80mg per cup to green tea’s 35mg—comparable to a cup of coffee.

If you want to make matcha the traditional way, you'll need these four tools:

1. 1. Chasen (tea whisk): This bamboo whisk has thin tines that allow the matcha to froth when whisked with hot water. Keep your chasan in good shape by storing it on a chasen naoshi (tea whisk holder).
2. 2. Chawan (tea bowl): In a traditional Japanese tea ceremony, the matcha is both made and served in the chawan. Its wide, round shape is perfect for whisking with the chasen, but it's small enough to fit comfortably in your hands. In Japan, chawan are often handmade art objects.
3. 3. Furui (sifter): Matcha is such a fine powder that the particles tend to stick together. For smooth, non-clumping matcha, you'll need a fine-mesh strainer or tea sifter.
4. 4. Chashaku (tea spoon): Not to be confused with a teaspoon, the chashaku looks like a wooden stick with a curved tip. The curve is perfect for measuring half a gram of matcha, which is too small of an amount for many scales to register. Three to four scoops with a chashaku (1.5–2 grams) is ideal for a single serving of matcha.

Here's how to prepare the perfect cup of matcha in a few simple steps.

1. 1. Heat the water. The ideal temperature for matcha is about 175–180 degrees Fahrenheit. Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit, so if you don't have a variable temperature tea kettle, boil water and pour it into a heat-safe measuring cup or other vessel and let it cool slightly.
2. 2. Measure the matcha. Place a furui (tea sifter) or small fine-mesh strainer over a chawan (tea bowl). Place 1.5–2 grams matcha in the strainer (about 3–4 scoops with a chashaku, or half a teaspoon).
3. 3. Sift the matcha. Use a chashaku or spoon to sift the matcha into the chawan.
4. 4. Add the water. Pour about 2 ounces of the hot water into the chawan with the sifted matcha. Using a chasen (tea whisk), gently fold the matcha into the water to combine.
5. 5. Whisk the matcha. Using a Z motion, briskly whisk the matcha until it is very foamy. The whisk should touch the bottom of the bowl and get as close to the sides of the bowl as possible, without whisking in a circle. Drink the tea while it's hot.