What’s your Matcha Style? Our Customers Share Recipes and Rituals
101 Ways to Prepare Matcha Tea
Matcha
Source asked our customers to describe their matcha style. The answers
ranged from traditional tea in a bowl to frothy blends with almond milk,
ginger and even lime.
Whether you are a traditionalist, an Iced-Matcha Latte lover or simply
curious about matcha in America, these matcha styles will surely
inspire you to create your own.
Browse customer stories according to style:
TRADITIONAL STYLE
Making matcha is as simple as adding water to tea.
I
am currently using a 20g thick Kinrin matcha. I make it extremely
frothy. It is bitter, but in a smooth, almost silky texture that makes
it absolutely delicious. It's hot enough, smooth enough, and rich
enough that I feel wonderfully rejuvenated after only three sips- which
is good, because about three sips is all a traditional cup of matcha
is!
I start by warming my bowl, rinsing it with hot water for a
few minutes, cleaning it in the process, and then I dry off the bowl.
Then I take my Kinrin thick grade matcha out of my fridge, and place
the screen in my bowl. I shake the can of tea a few times and slam it
down into the countertop, so when I open it a nice green fog comes out
of the can, and it also helps it from clumping up before you strain it.
I then take 2 scoops from the bamboo spoon and put it into the
strainer. I shake the strainer around a bit, and then scrape the rest
through the strainer with the spatula. Then I rinse the strainer with
hot water, and at the same time rinse off the bamboo whisk with hot
water. I pour hot, but not boiling water into the bowl about halfway,
enough for 3-5 sips. Then I whisk in a crisscross motion quickly till I
see only foam on top, rinse the whisk and enjoy. Its important to clean
your utensils immediately after you’ve used them to keep them from
getting stained and rusty, and it also enhances the preparation
experience. I use a kitchen spoon, whisk, and matcha bowl. I only use one
tsp tea, and use your highest-grade tea. I drink it with water only and
try to get a low temp; I turn the heat off once I hear the bubbles
cavitating in the pot. I use Kinrin thick green tea- I use a large wide mouth bowl
and scoop four scoops of matcha using a tea scoop. I use hot water
always and bamboo whisk. Recently I had been adding a slice of lime to
my tea.
I use an Ippodo Tea Kit from Matcha Source. I boil 1 cup of
water, let it stop boiling, fill the Chawan (bowl) about 1/3 full and
let the bowl warm up with the Chasen (whisk) soaking in it. I swish the
water around a little and pour it out. I dry the Chawan and put in a
scoop and a half of Matcha Premium Grade from Matcha Source using the
Chashaku (scoop). I slowly pour about half of the remaining hot water
in the Chawan while whisking it into a froth. After most of the Matcha
has liquefied, I pour the remainder of the hot water in the Chawan and
whisk some more ensuring all of the tea is liquefied. I then sit back
and enjoy the best tea there is.
Filtered or spring water. Small amount of cold water in a
chawan. Add 2 or 3 heaping chashaku of matcha. Wisk well with chasen.
Should be thick green and beautiful. Now add boiled filtered or spring
water. Stir again with chasen is optional. This is a very special
traditional style known as Arutsuru Chado. If you publish, kindly give
me credit for this information. (A. Robbins, Newton Center, MA)
I drink Kinrin Thick Grade Matcha. I have a friend who owns a
tea shop in Uji and it reminds me of his tea. His family has owned this
shop for over 400 years, so it feels almost historical to drink tea
from Uji!. I always use the utensils I bought from his shop. I have a
bamboo chashaku to scoop the tea and a bamboo chasen to whisk it with.
I usually use two heaping scoops, but sometimes I will add a tiny bit
more. I drink it the very traditional way; I scoop my tea with my
traditional utensils into my traditional, bizen-yaki bowl, add a tiny
bit of hot water, eat a Hershey’s kiss and then drink my tea. I only
lack the detailed preparation and surroundings to make it truly
traditional! I love it when it's whipped extremely well and good and
frothy. The frothier, the better.
I use the Yugen, "Infinite Way" Matcha Tea and although I
haven't bought any bamboo utensils yet, I use 1 teaspoon in approx 3
ounces of hot water. I like my Matcha as pure as possible so I'm not
big on combining it with food, smoothies, or martini's; but that's just
me. Other than that, I really enjoy the convenience of just stirring
and drinking. I think one of the reasons I've avoided tea in the past
is because of the tea bags. I'm just not a fan of steeping. It's right
up there with watching paint dry. It just seems a huge waste to throw
away a tea bag filled with green tea leaves. After learning about
Matcha, a whole new world of tea drinking has emerged. My favorite
aspect of Matcha drinking is the fact you're consuming the whole leaves
and getting the most EGCG/caffeine/health benefit from every cup.
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ECLECTIC
Matcha Mash Ups of Traditional Utensils, Melon Sweeteners, Kitchen Knick Knacks, Microwave Ovens, Martinis Mixers and Santa Mugs
When
preparing my matcha tea, I prefer to use my teacup from Japan, which
has a soothing effect on me since it is so beautiful. I preheat the
cup, and then sift four heaping scoops of my Kinrin thick grade matcha
into the cup. I like to add 2 teaspoons of a melon syrup and then add
up to 4oz of not quite boiling water. Then I mix it with a Bodum
battery operated mixer because I am horrible a whisking with the bamboo
whisk...I never got the knack of it. After that, I drink it while it’s
still hot!
My all time favorite is 6 oz hot water with 3 teaspoons
heaping Matcha thick grade, 2 tsp Sugar in the Raw topped with 3
tablespoons steamed half-n-half. I love the rich creamy taste that for
a moment is like a hot soak in the tub before my afternoon rush. I use the stainless steel tea scooper to put five scoops of
Wakatake into a mug. I add a small amount of hot water to the tea &
mix to create a paste & remove any possible lumps. Once a smooth
paste is mixed in the mug, the rest of the hot water is added to finish
mixing the tea. The final step is to add a teaspoon of rare Hawaiian
organic white honey (www.volcanoislandhoney.com) for a hint of
sweetness.
Though I commonly prepare matcha in a traditional 'thin'
style with Kinrin, I have come up with a great way to use 'ingredient'
grade matcha for everyday drinking. What I do is the following: I use a
Bodum 2-cup tea press, adding 2 teaspoons of sencha green tea (or any
other green tea I might have on hand). I then add a single scoop of
'ingredient' grade matcha to the pot, before pouring hot water on top.
As the hot water percolates through the filter in the pot, it takes
with it the essence of the matcha. The matcha gives the tea a sort of
'boost'. The leaf tea helps smooth everything out.
I tend to make do with what I have so my matcha goes a little
something like this:
1% milk with a splash of water, heated in the microwave until very hot.
(usually in a Santa cup - what can I say, it's what's on hand!), a
regular old eating spoon,
about 3/4 filled with matcha powder I dump the matcha into the hot milk
then, using a regular old kitchen whisk, stir vigorously until all the
lumps are gone. Then I add a dollop of honey, stir a little more and -
voila!
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MATCHA SMOOTHIES AND LATTES
Recipes Inspired by Popular Coffee Retailers
I
try to duplicate an iced, blended green tea latte. I use a blender,
cream, about 1 tbsp matcha ingredient grade, and about 1 tbsp melon
syrup. I add ice to get the consistency I like, then top with whipped
cream.
I take about two teaspoons of matcha and whish with just
enough hot water to mix well. I then add the cup full of ice and pour
skim milk over ice and stir. I then add about 1 tbsp. of melon syrup
and stir! I drink this almost daily...I love it! It's how "the popular coffee retailer"
serves their "nonfat iced green tea latte"! Green Tea Latte. 3/4 cup skim milk - organic - and 1/4 cup
filtered water. Heat in a Pyrex mixing cup in microwave until just
starting to bubble. Place one T ingredient grade Match in a large mug.
Add some of the milk/water mixture, whisk w/electric whisk and then add
remaining milk & water and whisk. Sweeten to taste w/Starbucks
Melon syrup. Yumm. I make matcha soy lattes. I boil water -- add 1/4 - 1/2 cup
to approx 1.5 tbs Suisan ingredient grade matcha - sifted. I use a
frother to mix the matcha and water. Then I heat enough soy milk to
fill my cup. If I use unsweetened vanilla soy, I usually add a packet
of stevia for sweetness. If it's sweetened soymilk, I add no other
other sweeteners. I give the drink a final frother and top it off with
a sprinkle of nutmeg. Delicious. I took the Starbucks approach for an iced green tea latte. I
add approximately a teaspoon of the Matcha powder to about 10oz of
milk. Then I add the Starbucks Melon Syrup to sweeten, stir well then
add ice. I can't remember how much of the syrup I use but really, it's
just to your own taste preferences. This can be served hot by steaming
the milk and eliminating the ice.
I love mixing it with 1% milk and honey. In a pint glass I
will mix about 1TB of your ingredient grade matcha with about 1TB
honey. I will stir this mixture together with a fork to get a smooth
paste (I end up with match lumps otherwise!!!). I will then add a small
amount of milk and stir that together with the paste to thin it out a
little. At this point I will add milk to volume and stir vigorously to
homogenize the ingredients. The result is a beautiful green glass of
matcha, milk and honey!!! DELICIOUS!!!
ICED AND SLUSHIES
My
favorite is the iced green tea latte. I heat my water in a saucepan
until it just starts to boil. In a mug or bowl I mix 2-3 teaspoons of
organic sugar or fructose with "a forkful" of matcha powder, then add
about an inch of the hot water (as little as possible while still
dissolving the sugar) and stir with the fork (works better than a
spoon). I then have a large cup I fill with ice, and 3/4 full of
organic milk - then add the matcha/sugar/water mix and stir. Sometimes
I add a teaspoon of vanilla extract. I use Suisen Matcha, Rice Milk, Ice & a stainless steel
Mixer Cup (made for mixing alcoholic drinks). I pour my rice milk
(original or Vanilla) in (approx 8 oz) and then add the ice; next I had
1-2 tsp of Matcha then shake for 1-2 minutes until well blended. I pour
in my glass and I'm ready to go. It's quick, easy and I LOVE it! I have
also done this using Soy Milk but learned that I have an allergy to
Soy. I try to duplicate Starbuck's Green Tea Frappachino. I use a
blender, cream, about 1 tbsp matcha ingredient grade, and about 1 tbsp
melon syrup. I add ice to get the consistency I like then top with
whipped cream.
Use ingredient grade matcha, a teaspoon or two, a cup of water, a few teaspoons
of organic sugar, and handful of ice and blend in blender. Pour in a glass and drink with a straw. It's like a matcha slushee!
MATCHA
ICEE
- 1 cup unpasturized Orange Juice
1/2 cup Rice Milk or Rice Dream
1 teaspoon raw honey
1/4 cup aloe vera juice
1 tablespoon powdered Vitamin C
About 1 cup ice
1 - 2 Teaspoons Matcha Yugen "Infinite Way" Thin Grade
More or less of each ingredient adjusted to your personal taste. Makes
a wonderful wake up drink in the morning! About 4:00 p.m. makes a
wonderful cool pick me up drink!
MATCHA FOR ACTIVE LIFESTYLES
I
make a protein smoothie that is great for muscle building pre-workout.
I mix a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt, about a cup of soymilk, a scoop
of protein powder, and a teaspoon of matcha green tea in a blender.
This is the ideal pre-workout smoothie because I get protein from the
powder, carbs/sugar from the yogurt, and caffeine from the matcha,
which provides just the right amount of energy for a workout.
My all time favorite is 6 oz hot water with 3 teaspoons
heaping Matcha thick grade, 2 tsp Sugar in the Raw topped with 3
tablespoons steamed half-n-half. I love the rich creamy taste that for
a moment is like a hot soak in the tub before my afternoon rush.
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Smoothies and Lattes |
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Active Lifestyles |
At Work |
Health Claims
MATCHA AT WORK
Convenience
is everything, especially at work (office environment) so I take about
6oz. of hot water (tap on Bunn Coffee Maker) and use a "Aerolatte" to
mix in two heaping teaspoons of a airtight container of Matcha, (100g
Suisen and two cups of sugar pre-mixed thoroughly) add about 10oz. of
2% milk, mix with Aerolatte, microwave for 4 minutes on power level 3
(scale of 1 to 10), stir with the teaspoon, and I have a Green Tea
Latte to my liking, with only about 100 calories. Note: during the 4
microwave minutes I am sorting through my in basket, or something else
productive so my total prep time is literally less than a minute. I make tea, in a coffee mug at work. I
put enough matcha in the mug to cover the bottom of the mug (probably
about 1/4 teaspoon). I add a small amount of near -boiling water, and
use a coffee stirrer to whisk it into the matcha. Once it is mixed
well, I add more water, mix some more, and then add enough hot water to
fill the mug.
I use ingredient grade Matcha, but I
often use it for tea. At work, I keep my Matcha right by the coffee and
water cooler. So I take a stir spoon, put in one spoonful, maybe 1/2
tsp to a tsp, in my coffee mug. Ill often include a splenda packet.
Then I fill with water from the cooler, pop it in the microwave for 1
min 45 sec, then I stir and enjoy! If I don't add Splenda, after
heating I’ll add a tsp or two of ginger juice crystals. At home, I'll
use my Match as a healthy energy booster. If I make a protein shake,
I'll add a tbsp of Matcha to the vanilla powder and shake with water.
It really adds yummy flavor. Or I'll take one spoonful of matcha in a
small glass with Splenda, run cold water over it, stir, and enjoy a
cold green tea shot.
HEALTH CLAIMS
When asked,” Have you observed any health benefits from drinking matcha
tea? If so, please share the good news.” Matcha Source customers spoke of the following
health benefits:
Brighter skin
Less wrinkles
Cures headaches
Energy boost – increased energy and stamina- sustained energy
Clear mind
Increased vitality
Increased fertility
Mood balancer- calming
Cleared acne
Fewer colds
Weight loss
Periodontal improvement
Better gastrointestinal health
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