Usucha — traditional matcha
The basis of it all: matcha whisked with just water, in three minutes.
Preparation
3 min
Total
3 min
Servings
1
Level
Easy
Usucha is ‘thin tea’ — the most common way of drinking matcha in Japan and the simplest way to experience the flavour of a particular batch. Without milk or sugar, there’s nowhere for the flavour to hide, so use ceremonial matcha: culinary matcha is deliberately stronger and will taste bitter in this form.
Two things determine the result. The water must never be boiling — 70–80°C, because a higher temperature destroys the amino acids responsible for sweetness, leaving only the bitterness. And the strainer: matcha clumps together during storage, and a chasen won’t break them up.
Ingredients
2 g ceremonial matcha (2 chashaku scoops)
70 ml water at a temperature of 70–80°C
Preparation
1
Pour boiling water into the bowl and soak the ends of the chasen in it for a minute — this will warm the bowl and soften the bamboo strands so they don’t snap. Pour out the water and wipe the bowl dry.
2
Sift 2 g of matcha through a fine sieve straight into the bowl. You mustn’t skip this step — any lumps that you don’t break up now will end up in the finished drink.
3
Bring the water to the boil and leave it to stand for 3–4 minutes until it cools to 70–80°C. Boiling water will scorch the matcha and make the drink bitter.
4
Pour about 70 ml of water down the side of the bowl, not directly onto the powder.
5
Whisk with the chasen using a quick ‘W’ or ‘M’ motion — moving away from and towards you, not in a circle. Keep your wrist relaxed and the chasen just above the bottom of the bowl. After 15–20 seconds, a thick, fine foam will form on the surface.
6
Finally, lift the chasen slowly through the centre to gather the largest bubbles. Drink it straight away — the matcha settles after a few minutes.
