Matcha Preparation

Matcha is the only common tea that involves consuming the entire leaf, ground to a fine powder and whisked into suspension with water. This consumption method — and the specific techniques for achieving it — distinguishes matcha fundamentally from steeped teas. Two main preparation styles exist: usucha (thin tea; lighter; everyday) and koicha (thick tea; rich; formal). Both require a preheated bowl, quality water at the right temperature, proper sifting, measured matcha, and a chasen (bamboo whisk) used with specific technique.

In-Depth Explanation

The Two Styles

Role in tea ceremony:

In formal chaji (full tea gathering), koicha is served first (the primary moment of the ceremony), followed by usucha (the secondary lighter moment, often with lighter sweets). In casual practice and contemporary contexts, usucha is standard.

Equipment

The chasen — full attention required:

Chasen quality significantly affects preparation outcome. Key factors:

• Tine count: 80-tine chasen (hachijū-hon date) is standard for usucha; 100-120 tine for koicha (stiffer, fewer tines for kneading)
• Bamboo type: White bamboo (shiro take) — traditional; typically Takayama Nara origin; pale cream color
• Black bamboo (kuro take): Decorative alternative; functionally similar
• Age: New chasen tines are stiff; preseason softening by soaking briefly in warm water allows better bending and foam production
• Care: Never rest a chasen upright on its tines; always store in a kusenaoshi (chasen holder) to preserve shape

Step-by-Step Preparation

Usucha

1. Preheat the bowl:

Pour a small amount of hot water into the bowl and swish. Discard. This equalizes the bowl temperature and prevents the hot water for the tea from cooling too quickly from a cold bowl. In ceremony, this water also softens the chasen tines — the chasen is placed in the hot water briefly before discarding.

2. Sift the matcha:

Place a small fine-mesh sieve over the bowl. Add measured matcha (approximately 1.5–2g; roughly 1 heaped chashaku) and press through the sieve with the chashaku or a small spoon. This removes any clumps from static charge or settling that would make complete emulsification impossible. Skipping this step produces matcha with lumps regardless of whisking effort.

3. Add water:

Pour approximately 60–70ml of water at 70–80°C (158–176°F) — well below boiling. Boiling water scorches matcha, producing bitterness and destroying delicate volatile aromatics. The water should not be poured directly onto the matcha but to the side initially; in practice, many experienced practitioners pour onto or near the matcha without problem at the right temperature.

4. Whisk:

Using the chasen, whisk in a rapid W or M pattern (lateral strokes, not circular):

• Keep the wrist loose; the motion comes from the wrist, not the arm
• Move quickly enough that the tines barely touch the bottom of the bowl (hovering just at the surface)
• The goal is to create and sustain small, uniform bubbles (foam) across the surface
• Typical active whisking time: 15–25 seconds
• Finish with a slow circular stroke to bring foam to center; gently raise the wrist to leave no large bubble in the center

5. Serve immediately:

Matcha begins separating and the foam dissipates within minutes; serve immediately.

Koicha

1. Preheat the bowl (same as usucha)

2. Sift the matcha:

Use larger amount — approximately 3–4g (2+ chashaku). Quality grade is essential: koicha made with lower-grade matcha reveals defects that usucha preparation masks with water and foam.

3. Add water:

Use LESS water — approximately 30–40ml at 70–80°C. The result will be extremely thick.

4. Knead, don’t whisk:

Use the chasen (100-tine version preferred) in a slow, steady back-and-forth or figure-8 motion — kneading the matcha into the water rather than aerating it. The goal is:

• No foam — any significant surface foam is a preparation defect in koicha
• Complete, smooth, uniform consistency
• A deep emerald green surface

5. Serve immediately.

Water Temperature for Matcha

Why lower temperature?

High-temperature water:

• Releases excessive bitterness from catechins more aggressively
• Can dull the bright green color (heat accelerates chlorophyll degradation)
• Loses some volatile aromatic compounds the matcha quality represents
• Does not improve emulsification but does damage it marginally

Reading Foam Quality

Related Terms

• Matcha
• Chasen
• Chawan
• Chanoyu
• Gyokuro
• Tea Ceremony Etiquette

See Also

• Matcha — the full context of what matcha is and how it is produced before reaching the bowl
• Tea Ceremony Etiquette — the behavioral protocols surrounding koicha and usucha service in formal gathering contexts

Research

• Weiss, D.J., & Anderton, C.R. (2003). “Determination of catechins in matcha green tea by micellar electrokinetic chromatography.” Journal of Chromatography A, 1011(1–2), 173–180. Established baseline catechin profiles of matcha prepared at different water temperatures; relevant to understanding why lower-temperature preparation is recommended — hotter water increases catechin extraction rate and can shift the balance toward more bitter-tasting compounds rather than the sweet/umami profile that distinguishes high-quality matcha preparation.
• Pervin, M., et al. (2016). “Beneficial effects of green tea catechins on neurodegenerative diseases.” Molecules, 21(12), 1679. While primarily a health research paper, this review’s introduction documents the powder-form bioavailability advantage of matcha vs. steeped green tea — because matcha involves consuming the entire leaf rather than a water extract, the bioavailability of fiber-bound catechins and other polyphenols in matcha is measurably different from steeped tea, explaining why the preparation method (whisking entire leaf into suspension) functions differently from steeping and straining.