What you want to do is get yourself a ,
place it over a tumbler, add a rounded half-teaspoon or so (or a full teaspoon for a stronger cup), and gently push
the matcha through the sieve so that it falls below into the bottom of the (still empty) cup. You can use a regular
teaspoon but the traditional bamboo scoop (chashaku) is a cool little piece of art shaped like a hockey stick. It is
perfect for getting the matcha out (you’ll quickly get a feel for how much to pull out for a serving) and for pushing
the matcha through the sieve.
Water temperature is hugely important. Anything over 175°F will scald the matcha and make it taste really weird and awful. Something happens to it, and it isn’t pleasant. This is where a good kettle comes in. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats the Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle here. You can dial in the desired temperature (173°F!), and the water very rapidly heats. Stagg EKG then holds that temp for an hour! Fricking perfect because I often want a second one within the hour. And it’s an utter joy to use; perfectly balanced in the hand, and feather-light. The gooseneck means precision pouring, and I do mean precision. Precision pouring is important for matcha because you want to add just a light stream of water, slowly and carefully. This is impossible with most kettles, but Stagg EKG executes the perfect tumbler of matcha.
The last tool is the frother. At this point, you’ve got sifted matcha and a few ounces of 173°F water. Tilt the tumbler so when you turn on the frother, you froth just the liquid and avoid hitting the ceramic sides or bottom (you’ll hear it if you do). After 10 seconds or so you’ll get an unbelievably creamy and rich crema, similar to espresso crema. It takes some practice, but you’ll soon have it down. Here’s a of the process. So where’s the mindfulness? In the whole thing. You can definitely hurry through the process and just get on with your day (and sometimes this is all any of us can muster), but you’ll soon see the value in pausing to do this right. Allow yourself the five minutes it takes to heat the water, sieve the matcha, and work the frother. Take another few minutes to sip it. It will set the tone for…something. Who knows what? But the process, and the tea itself, has a way of making you notice things. If you find value in noticing more, noticing your environment and your place in it, noticing your internal and external conversations, noticing your emotions in real time…then now you have an excellent way to do that. All while sipping something that drinks like great wine and happens to be really good for your brain, body, and biome. Not bad for a couple of bucks and a decision to exert a tiny degree of control over your health and happiness!Eric Gower is the founder and chief matcha evangelist at . He’s also an author, ghostwriter, editor, cooking instructor, and private chef. For 16 years he lived and worked in Japan, where he took deep dives into all things matcha, food, literature, arts, and culture.