How to make matcha at home (with a bamboo whisk)

Making a bowl of matcha takes about a minute once you have done it twice. This guide covers the thin, everyday style (usucha) that most people at home drink, plus a latte variation, thicker matcha, and the fixes for the things that go wrong the first week. It assumes a bamboo whisk. If you are wondering whether you can use the milk frother you already own, read bamboo whisk vs electric frother first.

What you need

• Matcha – any you like. We do not sell it.
• A bamboo whisk (chasen) – 64 to 120 prongs; 100 prongs is the everyday standard and the one to start with.
• A wide bowl – ideally 11-13 cm across with a rounded base. A matcha bowl is best; a wide cereal bowl works to start.
• A scoop or a teaspoon, and ideally a small kitchen sieve. Bamboo scoops, whisk holders and storage tins are the small extras that make it easier.
• Water just off the boil – 70-80 °C.
• For lattes: a tall glass or cup and milk of your choice.

Everything except the matcha is in the 4-Piece Speckled Matcha Set, which has the bowl, whisk, holder and scoop for £29.99.

Step by step

1. Warm the bowl and soften the whisk. Pour hot water into the bowl, stand the whisk in it for a minute. This warms the bowl and opens the prongs so they are flexible and less likely to snap. Tip the water out and wipe the bowl dry.
2. Sift the matcha. One big heaped bamboo scoop (about 1.5-2 g, or a level teaspoon) through a sieve into the bowl. Sifting removes clumps – the main cause of lumpy matcha.
3. Add water. About 60-80 ml at 70-80 °C. If your kettle has no temperature setting, boil, then wait about two minutes, or pour into a jug first. Boiling water makes matcha taste harsh and bitter.
4. Whisk. Hold the whisk lightly, like a pen. Move it briskly back and forth in a W or M shape from the wrist (not round and round), keeping the prongs just above the bottom of the bowl. Fifteen to thirty seconds. You are looking for a layer of small, even bubbles.
5. Finish. Slow down, skim the whisk gently across the surface in one small circle to pop the large bubbles, and lift out from the centre.
6. Drink straight from the bowl, in two hands, while it is warm.

The two mistakes everyone makes first

• Water too hot. Bitter, flat-tasting matcha is almost always a temperature problem, not a matcha problem.
• Stirring instead of whisking. Round-and-round motions never build foam. Fast, short, zig-zag from the wrist does.

Matcha latte at home (hot or iced)

1. Sift one big heaped scoop (about 2 g) into the bowl. Add just 30 ml hot water and whisk to a smooth, paste-like foam.
2. Pour into a glass or mug; top with 150-200 ml warmed (or cold, over ice) milk of your choice.

Do not whisk the bamboo whisk directly in milk – the fat coats the bamboo, is hard to rinse out, and shortens the whisk's life. Whisk in water first, add milk after. If you own a milk frother, this is the one place it genuinely helps: frother for the milk, bamboo whisk for the matcha.

Thicker matcha (koicha-style)

About 4 g, or two big heaped scoops, to 30-40 ml of water. Rather than whisking, knead slowly with the whisk to a glossy, paint-like consistency. A lower prong count – 64 prongs or the long-handled 32 – is sturdier for this than the 100.

Troubleshooting

Problem	Likely cause	Fix
Lumps	Not sifted / matcha clumped in the tin	Sift; whisk a small amount of water into a paste first
No foam	Stirring not whisking; too much water; whisk not soaked	W motion from the wrist; use 60-70 ml; soak whisk first
Bitter	Water too hot	70-80 °C
Big loose bubbles	Whisking too slowly / stopping too soon	Whisk faster and finish with a slow surface skim
Whisk prongs bending	Pressing on the bowl base; narrow mug	Keep prongs just off the base; use a wider bowl
Whisk smells or spots	Stored damp	Rinse, shake, dry upright, then keep on a holder – see whisk care

Choosing your tools

Prong count. More prongs (100-120) give finer, denser foam; fewer (48-80) are sturdier and better for thick matcha. For a first whisk we say 100. Full comparison: how many prongs should a matcha whisk have?

Bowl. Width matters more than anything: 11-13 cm across, rounded inside, so the whisk can move in a W without hitting the sides. Our ceramic and stoneware bowls are shaped for exactly that.

Holder. A whisk holder keeps a dry whisk's prongs in shape between bowls. It is the accessory people skip and then wish they had not.

Scoop and tin. A bamboo scoop holds about 1 g as a light scoop and about 2 g as a big heaped one; a storage tin keeps opened matcha away from light and air. Both are in accessories.

Sets. If you would rather not choose, the starter sets put a bowl, whisk, holder and scoop in one box. The two-piece sets are a bowl and holder only.

Looking after the whisk

Rinse under warm water (no soap), shake, and stand it upright, prongs up, to dry in open air. Once it is dry, keep it on a holder. Never leave it in the bowl or a drawer wet. Expect a whisk to last about 2-3 months of daily use before the prongs start to snap; that is normal, not a fault. Full guide: caring for your bamboo whisk.

Frequently asked questions

Get the 4-Piece Speckled Matcha Set – £29.99   100-prong bamboo whisk – £8.99