Description
It takes a little practise to learn to prepare a matcha but once you have the skill the preparation itself becomes part of the enjoyment of drinking matcha. When preparing matcha, the following equipment is used:
chasen – a bamboo whisk
chasaku – a spoon made of bamboo
chawan – a matcha bowl
small sieve – (for making the matcha power as fine as possible)
Step 1) Preheat the bowl (chawan) with a little warm water and then wipe it dry.
Step 2) Scoop two measures of matcha with the bamboo spoon (chasaku) in the matcha bowl (chawan).
Step 3) Add 100 – 150ml of 80ºC water into the bowl (chawan), after which you whisk strongly for approximately a minute. It is important that you hold the bowl firmly so that it is steady, whisk in a zig-zag or M-shape motion.
Finally, you can slowly move the whisk back and forth to break the small bubbles in the foam.
Serving suggestion. A small sweet cake or a little dried fruit goes very well with matcha. In Japan you will find an impressive range of sweets for matcha. These are often made from sweetened bean paste or sweetened rice.
