How To Make Matcha Green Tea

I have always stated that my matcha journey is a long story. From someone who went from very much disliking matcha green tea to having it daily and enjoying every bit of it, I like to help others with the same. I have already shared some of the best matcha green tea brands I recommend as investing in great quality matcha is the first step to truly enjoying the beverage. The next step is to learn how to properly prepare matcha. This blog tutorial (video included, too!) will show you step-by-step how to make your ceremonial matcha traditionally.

Usually I say there is no right or wrong way to make and enjoy tea. While there are many ways you can make matcha, I think there may be an incorrect way. At least for me. Let me me explain…

Years ago I was introduced to matcha and I just assumed it was an instant tea powder. So, I would literally scoop a spoonful into a mug, pour water over it and stir away. I would then drink said liquid and be completely disgusted as I swallowed many clumps, and downed some of the most bitter tea I have ever tried.

That is not how matcha green tea should be. I don’t want you to make the same mistakes as me, so thankfully, I educated myself and can now share with you how I make my matcha green tea so that it is smooth, creamy, frothy, and delicious!

You may see variations online when it comes to saying what temperature and water to matcha ratio to use. Typically you can use about 2 ounces of 160-170 degrees Fahrenheit water with 1-2 scoops of matcha.

While I do prepare my matcha like that some days, the information below is what I use more regularly for my taste preferences. Experiment and find what works best for you!

*If you already have matcha at home and are wondering if it is “ceremonial” grade, check out my blog post that compares different matcha grades to help you decipher.

How To Prepare Ceremonial Matcha Green Tea

What You’ll Need

In addition to the items above, you will also need high quality, ceremonial matcha, water and a kettle or something else to heat the water. I’m using traditional matcha tools for this tutorial.

If you want to know what you can use in place for some of these items, I have a detailed blog post with non-traditional matcha tool options here.

Let’s Get Started…

Heat water to 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill about half of your chawan (tea bowl) with the hot water to warm up the bowl. Place your chasen (matcha whisk) in the bowl with the hot water to soften the tips.

Remove the chasen, and pour out the water in the chawan. Take your cloth to gently dry the chawan.

Using a chashaku (bamboo scoop), place 2 scoops of matcha green tea powder into a sifter that is resting on your chawan.

Gently sift the matcha into the bottom of your chawan. If needed, use the back of the chashaku to make sure all the matcha gets through the fine sieve. Sifting before whisking helps create a smoother matcha, and will allow you to have a nicer froth.

Pour about 3-4 ounces of hot water into your chawan. Make sure your water is at about 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sometimes I find if it cooled down too fast, the matcha isn’t as easy to whisk and froth. I also find if the water is too hot, the matcha might taste bitter.

If you don’t have a variable temperature kettle, or a thermometer to inform you of the exact water temperature, boil water as you normally would and let it cool down for about 3 minutes before using it for your matcha.

Don’t handle your chasen as you would with a kitchen whisk. Instead, hold the chasen’s handle vertically from the top.

When it comes to actually whisking your bowl of matcha, the secret is in the wrist. Instead of your entire arm, use your wrist to gently move the whisk in a “W” shape and your other hand grasped onto the side of the chawan.

I like to start out slowly, and gradually increasing speed, being careful not to touch the bottom of the chawan or that will damage the chasen.

Once you see a beautiful froth, slowly bring the chasen to the surface of the matcha and very lightly continue the “W” shape movement to get rid of any large matcha bubbles on the surface. The smaller the bubbles, the better.

If you don’t get a wonderful layer of froth right away, don’t stress! It takes practice and when you make matcha part of your lifestyle, the froth you create when whisking will keep getting better.

Enjoy your matcha straight from the bowl!

Cleaning Up After Your Matcha Green Tea Session

Cleaning up after preparing matcha is a quick task that you will thank yourself for doing right away when you get your matcha set out again. To do so, I pour warm water into the chawan, and rinse the chasen by whisking inside it, then storing it on my whisk holder.

See more about how to properly care for your matcha whisk on my detailed post here.

After rinsing out the chawan with warm water, I dry it then wipe my chashaku with a dry cloth and store my matcha set in a safe place.

That’s all there is to it!

It only takes a few minutes to make your matcha. I made this tutorial as detailed as I possibly could to help you achieve the best bowl of matcha green tea you have ever tasted.

Over time, you will get used to whisking up a quick bowl. There are some days when I feel I make an superb bowl of matcha, amazing froth and all. Those are the days when I feel like I really focused on just the art of making matcha.

Then there are other days when I’m making matcha for photos or videos (like the one below) where it probably wasn’t the best froth job I have done before. This could be because I wasn’t just focused on making matcha, but I was also focused on a something like a camera angle. The most important part is to just be present when making it. Happy whisking! 🙂

Want a better visual? Check out the video tutorial I made below.