Usucha, the two-minute bowl
Usucha means thin tea. It is the everyday bowl in Japan and the fastest way to drink matcha: no milk, no sweetener, just the leaf and water. It is also the honest test of a matcha. A culinary grade is bitter drunk this way; a real first-harvest ceremonial grade is sweet, creamy and full of umami.
What you need
- 1 teaspoon (about 2 g) Matcha Organics ceremonial matcha
- 2 to 3 oz (60 to 90 ml) water at about 175°F / 80°C
- A wide bowl (a chawan, or any cereal bowl)
- A bamboo whisk (chasen). A handheld frother works in a pinch.
Method
- Warm the bowl. Swirl a little hot water in it, then tip it out and dry the inside. Soak the whisk tips in that water for a few seconds too.
- Sift the matcha into the bowl.
- Add the water, just off the boil and rested for a minute or two.
- Whisk briskly in a W or M pattern from the wrist, not a circle, for about 15 seconds, keeping the tips of the whisk just above the bottom of the bowl. Slow down at the end and lift the whisk gently out of the center to leave a fine, even foam.
- Drink straight from the bowl, in three or four sips, while the foam is still there.
Notes
If the foam is coarse and bubbly, the water was too hot or the whisking too slow. If the tea tastes flat, use a little less water next time. A koicha (thick tea) uses double the matcha and half the water and is kneaded rather than whisked; save that for when you have a very fresh bag.
