Like the Japanese over 900 years ago, preparing Matcha is a ritual that brings calm and focus as much as the tea itself. In making your Matcha in the traditional method, you’ll need a few Japanese tea tools to assist. Here’s a helpful list on what you’ll need and a bit of background into this centuries-old practice.
Here is what you’ll need:
Matcha spoon
In Japanese: chashaku. This tool is a bamboo spoon for scooping matcha into your chakoshi or chawan.
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Matcha sifter
In Japanese: chakoshi. A strainer, a more modern Matcha tool, sifts matcha powder into your chawan to ensure a smooth texture.
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Matcha bowl
In Japanese: chawan. Matcha bowls typically have a wide, flat base and straight edges to help facilitate whisking. They are sometimes great works of art and kept in families over generations. Chawan are classically handmade in the Japanese style of wabi sabi which, simply stated, means perfectly imperfect. Wabi-sabi is the mindset of understanding and embracing imperfections for a more peaceful life.
Matcha whisk
In Japanese: chasen. The Matcha whisk is made of hand-stripped bamboo. Whisk your matcha in a ‘W’ shape until frothy without scraping the whisk on the bottom of the bowl for whisk longevity and a perfectly frothy cup!
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Matcha whisk holder
In Japanese: kusenaoshi. To maintain your chasen, keep it on a whisk holder to hold its shape and durability.
