Why and how to whisk Matcha

If drinking Matcha is now part of your healthy lifestyle, you may know already that mixing it with water is not as easy as it looks.  A Matcha of good quality is milled to 10 microns particle size. This means the Matcha powder texture is as fine as a cloud and will leave clumps and residues at the bottom of your bowl if it is not mixed properly. 
A bamboo whisk (called a Chasen in Japanese) is the ideal tool to whisk Matcha. The soft wooden prongs of the Chasen are flexible and can easily whisk the Matcha powder from the bottom of the bowl without scratching the bowl. The many prongs of the Chasen are also effective to aerate the Matcha powder with the water and create a frothy creamy texture. The most commonly found Chasen available have between 80 to 120 prongs and may range in price from $18 to several hundreds of dollars if handcrafted by a renown Chasen maker. 

 How to Whisk Matcha?

 Grab a bowl, sift 1-2 teaspoon of Matcha powder into the bowl and add 60ml (1/4 cup) to 80ml (1/3 cup) of hot water (65-70 C / 150-160 F). This ratio of Matcha powder to water is called Usucha style, meaning "thin tea".  You can then add more hot water or the “mylk” of your choice to suit your taste. 

Whisking Action:

Start with lightly sweeping the bottom of the bowl with your Chasen to incorporate the Matcha powder using 8 to 10 strokes and then slightly lift your Chasen and start whisking rapidly in a W or zigzag pattern or just back and forth. Whisk vigorously  for 15 seconds to incorporate the air into the water and the tea and produce the crema foamy topping. Think of this effect as the froth on an espresso if you are a coffee drinker or as aeration as wine needs to “breathe” to reveal its full potential.

To make an excellent Matcha, you need first and foremost a good quality Matcha and to prepare a delicious Matcha, a Chasen is the tool of choice. It will not only make you feel like a tea master for a few minutes every day but it will elevate your Matcha making experience.