Matcha for Beginners: Everything you need before starting!
Illustration by Melanie Marie Guevara
By Melanie Marie Guevara
I’m very particular about my matcha, which should be a concern if you’re a matcha addict like me, who is also trying to stay on a budget. Last year I spent a bunch of money going to cafes or Dulce runs just so I could have my weekly matcha, but now I can have it every day by making it at home!
I figured, if I were going to spend $6 on a 16oz cup of matcha at Starbucks or Dunkin, I would hope they’re serving me high-quality matcha, but the sad truth is that they probably aren’t. Matcha being served at cheap or chain cafes still uses ‘matcha’, but it is specifically a matcha tea blend. The blend has a small percentage of matcha powder but it's mixed with a bunch of other stuff to make sure it tastes as sweet and masking the fact that the matcha is old and losing a lot of its nutritional qualities/richness. But when you get matcha at a better quality cafe, you can end up spending $7, $8, or even $10 for a small drink. It’s quite insane.
Recently after being sick of going to cafes and getting a hit or miss on matcha quality, I decided to invest in making matcha drinks at home. I’ll be sharing the tools I accumulated when I started making matcha and tips I’ve learned on this new obsession, hoping to make a small matcha series.
Matcha + Tools
You need high-quality matcha or at least fresh matcha. This is probably the most expensive part of matcha making since one small can of high-quality matcha can cost you $20-$100 depending on what brand you get. Since everyone is jumping on this matcha trend, it's pretty hard to get good matcha online without paying a crazy shipping cost.
I also don’t suggest buying matcha in bulk unless you know you’ll go through your cans of matcha powder fast. Matcha needs to be fresh and it’s best to use an open can within a month after opening. With time, matcha starts to lose its health benefits, color, and taste the older it gets. So best rule of thumb, buy as much as you can consume within one month. Here are some suggested matcha brands: Ippodo Matcha, Rocky’s Matcha, Marukyu Koyamaen, Yamamasa Koyamaen, and so many more.
Of course, if you want to try a different brand, go for it! I will recommend that you look at reviews online, just to see if you’re getting the quality worth of matcha and if the flavor palette aligns with your taste. The quality of matcha can be determined by just color. Of course, taste, grain density, and smell are huge factors, but straight away you know you have a decent quality of matcha if your tin is a vibrant green.
As for tools, you’ll need to purchase a matcha set, on Amazon they range from $20-$40, but I’ve seen they’ve been on sale during high deal time. You’ll need a matcha sifter, matcha chawan/bowl, bamboo whisk, and a whisk holder.
For the whisk, every time before using it must be soaked in warm water for 1-5 minutes. If the whisk is brand new, you’ll need to soak it for the full 5 minutes before use. Please don’t be rough when whisking, it will destroy your whisk faster leading you to get a replacement quite often.
Electronics: Temperature & Scale
Okay, I kinda lied about the matcha being the priciest item, BUT it only applies if you want to invest in getting an electric kettle with temperature control. You can always just boil water on the stove or use a normal electric kettle. The only thing you will need is a food thermometer. The reason why you need to be so precise with your water temperature is because matcha can burn! When I first started I burned my matcha all the time which can lead to the matcha tasting bitter and losing a lot of the natural flavor. It also felt like a waste of money, so please don’t make the same mistakes as me. Food thermometers are perfectly fine to get your water to the perfect temperature of 150 F. A food thermometer sells on Amazon for $10.
I also suggest buying a scale. Food scales are used in baking due to how precise the measurements are and allow for better consistency. All my recipes use measurements via grams and milliliters to ensure that my drinks match every time, stay consistent in flavoring, and perfectly fill my cup(20oz). Scales can be priced from $12-$20 depending on what you get.
Milk/Sparkling Water:
So the base of your matcha beverage depends on you! You can use any alternative milk or cream you want in your matcha. Please note that different kinds of milk change the flavor profile of matcha, so if you don’t like the first alternative milk you use, don’t be discouraged! Try using a different type of alternative milk.
Personally, I’m in love with sparkling matcha, which replaces the milk with an alternative flavored/plain sparkling water or soda. I ended up loving this version of matcha drinks after trying the strawberry matchaade at About Time. I usually pick the soda blends at Trader Joe’s since the serving is low-calorie and has a light sweet profile that pairs better than plain sparkling water.
Ice
Ice! If needed or applicable, I like all my drinks cold, even in winter so I have a portable ice machine in my apartment, but an ice tray works just fine!
Sugar (optional)
Sugar is always optional, it could be added to the matcha when whisking or to the liquid base (milk/sparkling water). I will suggest adding it to the matcha when whisking as sugar blends better in warm water. Doesn’t have to be limited to just sugar either, alternatively using syrup, honey, and agave works perfectly fine! It’s all up to personal preference.
For me, I add my sugar by using jam! I put the jam at the bottom of my drink then added ice then my soda and matcha. This is how I make my matcha ade sweet as the jam is separate from the drink, so when I take a sip, I can choose to get the sweet flavoring of the jam, the freshness of the matcha, or both!
I actually make my jam at home. I prefer controlling the sweetness of my jam and homemade jams have a stronger fruit flavoring. It is quite easy too! All you need is 1 lemon, ½ cup of sugar or less, 1 large cart of berries of your choice, and 5 tbsp of water. You will cook this on the stove for about an hour or two on low to medium heat, stirring it periodically to prevent sugar burning. It’s finished when it starts to thicken. Turn off the heat, mix the jam continuously for 5-10 minutes, then leave it to set on the counter with a lid on. After it cools, you can store the jam for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator!
Matcha is like a hobby
Now I know what you’re thinking, this is a lot and this can be expensive, and yes you’re right. For me, I didn’t get everything all at once, I saved up, planning out which item I’d buy one by one, week by week. It’s equivalent to starting a hobby where it tends to be expensive in the beginning, but after settling with everything, all you worry about expense-wise is replenishing your matcha. I hope this helps and I would love to see anyone's matcha journey if this inspired you to make some!
