I recently watched a video on how the matcha whisk (also known as the chasen) is made and it is truly beautiful craft work. It had me appreciating my chasen more but also had me thinking about how I care for it. So much love and energy goes into the process of hand crafting the bamboo chasen that it only makes sense to give back to those who created it and the chasen itself by properly maintaining it. I have come a long way from when I first started to drink matcha several years ago. My matcha experience has definitely been based on trial and error, including when it comes to caring for my matcha accessories.
If you watched the above video until the end you’ll notice they actually mention the handcrafted matcha whisks are only for 10 uses.
I hear different answers from various sources on the lifespan of the matcha whisk. While I don’t know the exact lifespan one thing I know for sure is how often you use it and how you care for it can determine how long it will last.
If you have ever found yourself wondering why your $15 chasen is already in rough shape after a few uses, this could be the solution to your problems. I definitely try to keep using my chasen until it won’t let me anymore.
To help, I’ve compiled a list of caring tips you can get into the habit of doing before you use your new chasen, during the use of your chasen and after.
Caring for Your Chasen (Matcha Whisk)
BEFORE
Soak It – When you first get your chasen, fill up your matcha bowl (chawan) with warm water and allow it to sit inside for a few seconds.
This will give your chasen the opportunity to unfurl (as it should) in the centre and the outer curls.
To give you an idea, the image right below compares two of my chasens. You will notice that the one to the left has bloomed as it has been used a few times and the one to the right is brand new, still in its original form.
DURING
Tame It – When actually using your chasen to whisk your bowl of matcha, being mindful in how you do so is also a great step to consider.
While we all want to get that great froth and avoid any clumps in our matcha, being too forceful at the wrong time is not good for your chasen.
If you are preparing matcha the traditional way and adding the matcha to your bowl before the water, you can gently touch up the matcha with the chasen.
However, during whisking, it is important to suspend the chasen in the matcha liquid, then you can be rigorous to get the desired froth.
To avoid damaging any of the bamboo prongs, try not to scratch the bottom of your bowl with the chasen.
AFTER
Clean It – Your bamboo matcha whisk can easily develop mold which would be horrible for the tool and of course your matcha.
The great thing is that cleaning your chasen can be a quick task that will save you in the long run.
When I say quick, I don’t mean it is dishwasher safe though. What I like to do is rinse my matcha bowl (chawan) with warm water after I am done drinking from it.
Then, similar to the “Soak It” step above, I will fill the bowl with fresh warm water and take my chasen to whisk the water as if I were preparing matcha all over again.
Afterwards, I quickly examine my whisk to see if there are any green spots on it.
If so, I will continue the whisking in warm water.
If not, I will lightly shake the matcha whisk outside of the bowl to make sure excess water is off (the beginning of the next caring step).
Dry It – As mentioned above, mold may develop with moisture from excess water stored on your chasen so getting it as dry as possible after cleaning is crucial.
After lightly shaking the excess water that may be on your chasen, all that you have to simply do is let it air dry. It doesn’t get any easier than that.
But, don’t just stand your chasen up on a table, as it could trap moisture and lead to more mold. The best way to let it air dry is inserting it into a matcha whisk holder (refer to next step).
Store It – Like many things, tea especially, how you store your chasen will make a huge difference, too.
Your bamboo whisk is a handy tool and a beautiful craft work that is delicate. I would not recommend storing your chasen in the container it came in.
They usually come in the plastic cylinder like the one in the image above, and unfortunately, that’s where my first whisk spent most of its time in.
Fortunately, I don’t have any photos of my first whisk as it is no longer with me and it would be embarrassing to show its shape and how it was cared for. Luckily, I learned my lesson!
The best way to store it is on a matcha whisk holder (image above), which costs less than the whisk itself and is worth the investment in my opinion.
The whisk sits upside down on the holder (inner prong rings inside the holder’s hole) and it helps it maintain its shape and protects it from damaging.
*If you’re looking for a great and affordable matcha whisk, scoop and holder, I recommend checking out the Encha Matcha Bamboo Whisk Set.
**Have all your matcha tools and just need some recommendations for high quality and affordable matcha? Check out my top 5 favourite matcha brands.
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What tips do you have to help your matcha whisk (chasen) last longer? Let me know in the comments!
Thanks for the detailed information on caring for a matcha wish! Very educational.
Ahhh, now the matcha holder makes sense! Haha, I thought it was for esthetics. Good to know I have been cleaning mine correctly! Phew 🙂
First time we have heard about this!! So interesting 🙂
I love matcha tea and actually have a whisk. It was a struggle for me to dry it in the initial shape. Thank you so much for your help. No I’m saved x
Jeez. I learned something today! I didn’t know you even needed a whisk for matcha! LOL! Great post. ;o)
I have been wanting to start making matcha tea at home! Thank you for sharing your helpful tips 🙂
There are many types of Chasen and ike Matcha, there are good ones and not good ones. Chasen was invented in Japan and it is for making Matcha tea, but nowadays less expensive ones are made in another country… I have to pay more than ＄20 for Japanese Chasen in Japan.
Depending on the number of branches of Chasen (16,32,48,64,72,80,96,120), you can make Matcha tea differently.
There are many things to learn from Chasen! Thank you for the useful tips!
Hello, Ritsuo from Grace and Green! I just received my matcha today. the Luxury matcha was delightful, no bitterness and now with Lu Ann’s advice, I can keep my Chasen in good condition. Thank you!
Hi Kelly!
I’m very glad that you like our Organic Matcha Green Tea. Our Matcha Brand is famous for its high quality in Japan, but not famous yet outside Japan.
I’m Japanese and Matcha is the pride of Japan. So I’ll work harder to offer High quality Matcha to many more people who are looking for them.
Thank you for your kind message!
Have a good weekend!!!
Ritsuo
Lu Ann, well, yesterday I received my matcha set in the mail and today the matcha tea and I eagerly opened it all and blended the tea/water ratio the way I remembered reading. And it was good! I got my nose in the bowl (I’ll try to remember it’s called a chawan), gave it a good sniff, drank the smooth green tea. It was everything I was hoping for! Thank you for your encouragement. I am hooked!
I’m so happy to hear that, Kelly! I usually do about 1-2 bamboo scoops in my chawan with about 5-6 oz of water. I hope you’re enjoying the whisking. If you need any help, let me know! Keep me posted on your matcha journey 🙂
Thanks for the great post! Super detailed and informative. At PANATEA, we recommend replacing whisks every 2-3 months if using everyday. Only 10 uses for handmade whisks gets expensive fast – yikes!
When I had a tea ceremony in Tokyo this month, one of the guest brought a matcha whisk that is 10 years old. She told us that matcha whisk can be used for very long time as long as it works regardless of its appearance. She uses the whisk privately for long time because she likes it.
If you invite very important guests to your tea ceremony, it might be better to use a matcha whisk that was used less than 10 times (or 10 tea ceremonies) but to make matcha tea for your self, you can use it as long as it works.
So, caring for your chasen is very important. Thank you for this great post!
Good to know. That makes sense 🙂 Thank you for sharing! I know I use my whisk until it no longer works for me. Just need to take care of it and like most things it should last a very long time indeed.
Ritsuo,
Thank you for your experience with the chasan! I was using mine sparingly (meaning less matcha for me!) so it would last. Now I know I can enjoy my organic green cup of health more often!
Yes! Whisk away, Kelly!! 🙂
Dear Kelly,
You are most welcome!
The most important thing is to find your favorite tea (of course it should be safe as a food also).
Please enjoy the organic matcha more often!
Thanks so much for the info on how to take care of a matcha chasen! A friend bought me a chasen from Japan and I want to make sure I am using it and cleaning it the right way! Great helpful post, thank you!
You’re welcome, Sharon! I’m glad you find the post helpful. Enjoy your new Chasen and let me know if you have any questions ☺
Matcha virgin here – I’m in love. I was wondering if the chasan’s center knot is supposed to unravel. Mine did on first use.
Welcome to the world of matcha! The centre of your chasen is supposed to unravel after the first use, yes. So no worries! Usually when I get a new chasen, I soak the prongs first to let it bloom as it should. 😊 happy whisking!
Great info! These are really good tips for caring for the chaser. I definitively could car for my matcha whisk way better 🍵🤔 thanks again!
It has been 20+ years since I was living in Japan and had the opportunity to enjoy this amazing art and tea ceremony; tears come to my eyes remembering. I just watched a Dutch show on matcha sources/varieties and am inspired to return to this wonderful way to drink a deeply important drink. I am glad there are others so interested and dedicated to a pure and simple, worthy and elegant tea. Please keep up your work and thanks to all; I must again serve it to my friends and family and rediscover this amazing treat and honour the lovely memories I was given. It calms me just thinking about it. Thank you for the reminder.
Dear Litasan,
Thank you for telling us your precious memories! Every animal drinks water and drinking tea is a simple thing, but only human being can add beauty to this simple act. Good memories can give us feel of happiness even when things haven’t been going well. We are more than happy to hear your comment!
Thanks for the article, maybe a typo to say chasen is stored “upside down” on the holder? in fact it is “whisk side down”
Thank you so much for this post. I’m thinking of getting into drinking matcha for health purposes, and I wanted the right equipment from the get-go, except I didn’t know how to clean the chasen properly. Your post was very helpful, so thank you a lot!! 😀 I do have a question regarding the drying and storage of the chasen on the chasen tate. When the chasen is wet (has been cleaned with warm water), I place it in the chasen tate to dry, right? But then once it has dried and I want to put it away, I just keep it in the chasen tate? I don’t take it out? Also, wouldn’t there be a chance of mould growing in the center of the chasen, because it’s inside the chasen tate while it’s drying? I look forward to your response, as I don’t want to destroy my chasen lol.
Hi Luna, Yes, that’s correct. Place it on the chasen holder to dry but don’t take it out after. Storing it on the holder will also help it keep the shape. The inside of the holder is pretty wide. I have not had mould growing in the centre of my chasen. I think it also helps to shake water off the chasen really well before putting it on the holder to dry/store. I hope that helps. Best of luck with your matcha journey and happy whisking! 🙂
I have been following all the steps here to take care of my first chasen. It is a 100 prong chasen. After several uses, the tines have started to stick together so that I have several wide gaps around the chasen. Any idea why this is happening?
Hi Justine, sorry to hear about that happening and sorry for the delayed response. My guess would be that the chasen is not drying properly which could cause the prongs to stick together. I like to give the chasen a quick shake over the sink to remove excess water before setting it to dry. I hope that helps!
I’ve seen all these different ideas about how long to use a chasen. My question is why do they say 10 days – or more particularly, what changes that makes it no longer considered good? The two things that I can guess are (1) the tines lose the initial shape, which may be believed to be best to get the best smooth mixture, or (2) I’ve noticed that some seem to give a bamboo flavor to the tea, and I wonder if that gets worse with time. Any thoughts on what the actual reason is?
FWIW, I actually find the Zyliss frother to be the best. The curled wire frothers are not good. But the Zyliss spins a little basket which beats any method I’ve tried yet. Sure, I like the whole effect of doing the full ceremony. But I have to be honest that the Zyliss does best (and it’s very in expensive!)