Whisking

Matcha

The whisked matcha is most often the central point of a Japanese tea ceremony. There are complexities and rules surrounding these ceremonies that have developed into multiple schools and methods over centuries. Each school has certain guidelines and rules that dictate every minutiæ of the ritual. I will not cover those topics, as I hardly grasp a handful of it; instead, I will focus on five key points of enjoying matcha at home.

Color

Good matcha is always a bright, saturated green when freshest. Sometimes it is a forest green or sometimes it is a grassy green. Either way, the color is rich, strong, and vibrant. It is even sometimes neon in color. Muted, pastel, or duller green powders — while very beautiful — are stale and old. They shouldn’t be used for drinking as whisked matcha but only for secondary applications like cooking. The tutorial uses Ippodo’s Ummon-no-mukashi matcha powder. This ceremonial-grade matcha is smooth, filling, and drinkable. The higher quality will give you more room for error.

Temperature

While most references recommend 180°F (80°C), I personally stick to 160°F (70°C). Especially when using lower quality or older powders, temperature can destroy the delicacy of the powder and turn it bitter — even a few degrees off. The flavors that upset people the most (astringency, bitterness, sourness, tanins) when drinking matcha are usually caused from the temperature being too high (and secondly, from using old or poor-quality matcha poweder). Much like any other fresh leaf, when you subject it to heat, it wilts, darkens, and changes flavor. Matcha is no different. Experiment with temperature, but keep it cooler than you’d think.

Quantity

Another common pitfall is the amount of powder used. While traditional scoops are small, when using them, the powder is piled on high and added to the bowl 2-3 times. It is much more matcha powder than one thinks — about a heaping teaspoon or two. When in doubt, it is better to add more than less. Tea with less powder in it will never produce a thick foam. Quantity can change weather you are doing thick (koicha) or thin (usucha) tea. Usucha is the type made in the tutorial, and what is most commonly consumed. Koicha is nearly a paste and is not normally consumed on a daily basis.

Sifting

This step is optional but highly recommended. It may not completely affect the quality of the froth but it will affect the final sips. The powder should be sifted right before use to remove clumps which can settle at the bottom of the bowl when drinking it. It is possible to sift all the powder at once when you first fill your tea caddy but that eventually clumps again over time. I sift directly in the bowl, though traditionally that is not where it is done.

Whisking with a Chasen

Whisking is the actual agent that turns the powder into a drinkable tea. Yet, without the previous steps, there will not be a successful setup to allow the whisking to work most effectively. Whisks come in many versions depending on the type of ceremony and tea being prepared. But one point to notice: a good general purpose whisk will have at least 100 tines (fronds) than the normal tine amount, which hovers around eighty. Look for about 100–120 tines in the whisk and a good balloon-shape.

A chasen holder is important to prolong the life of your whisk so that each time is like the first time. Otherwise, the bamboo collapses on itself and becomes criss-crossed. This leads to poor aeration and bad froth. Yet whisks in general age quickly; bamboos is, after all, a grass. You should feel comfortable replacing your whisks often when they begin to lose their shape and efficacy.

In thick matcha tea (koicha), you whisk slowly. But in the more common “thin” matcha, you whisk very vigorously. After all, you are incorporating air and trapping it within and without the water. If you whisk too weakly, no air will be trapped.

Directions

Whisking Matcha

1. Place the sifted powder into the bowl. The selected bowl should have tall walls.
2. Slowly add the heated water. Do not fill with too much water. Even thin matcha is only about two ounces of water.
3. Insert the whisk a little below the surface and slowly move the whisk around the sides of the bowl to break up any powder at the surface of the water. Then begin moving the whisk back and forth being deliberate about scrapping the bottom of the bowl initially to make sure no settled powder is missed.
4. Then increase your whisking speed. Like many things in life, “it’s all in the wrist,” and you’ll want to vigorously move your wrist back and forth like you were ringing a bell to call up your butler, Chauncey. At this point, you do not need to touch the bottom of the bowl.
5. Think of making “waves” with peaks and troughs like in the ocean. Some recommend pursuing an M-pattern or W-pattern with your whisk: trace that shape while whisking. Others prefer to stay in a straight line. You will have to try all options, and even mix both. Do not focus too much on the technique itself, but rather pay attention to how the matcha responds to your movements. Some days, when I am distracted in the morning, my whisking froths poorly because I am not deliberate in my movements. Be deliberate in each stroke. Do not waste energy; instead, give purpose to each movement. There is a breaking point where the foam reaches a high quantity and density over the surface. There may still be large bubbles but that is okay.
6. When you reach this point — both the sound will be muffled more when moving in the water and the waves will seem to be thicker and taller — you will slow-down your wrist movement. Don’t abruptly halt, but come to a slow, gentle stop. This is an exhale. During this step you will pop any large bubbles with your whisk as you slow down. Move the whisk along the sides again like at the beginning: this is partly aesthetic, partly practical. Then slowly remove the whisk from your bowl and rinse it immediately and let it dry in its holder.
7. Enjoy the tea immediately as well; the residual heat in the cup can change the flavor of the tea over time. Since we start with a lower temperature, too, it cools much more quickly. Tradition dictates enjoying the tea in three-and-a-half sips, but my only request is that you enjoy it deliberately. First inhale the aroma from the froth you created then begin to drink. I promise not to count your sips.

In traditional matcha preparation, there are dozens of additional steps that enhance the ceremonial aspect of the tea ceremony. Indeed, walking into the space; settling in; conversing with the host; questions asked and answers given; the heating of the water; the food served; and many more things vary considerably. Some of these practices can be good to integrate into this simpler method above. Whisking and drinking matcha is only one part of the tea ceremony, yet it can be enjoyed on its own.