Koicha: How to Make Thick Matcha
Koicha is thick matcha stirred slowly with a small amount of water, with an intense, concentrated flavour and pronounced umami. Its sweetness and bitterness depend on the powder. About 4 g of matcha to 30 to 40 ml of water is usual.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 bowl
- Difficulty
- Medium
Caffeine: by calculation about 60 to 180 mg per serving (from 4 g matcha)
Ingredients
- 4 g matcha
- 30 to 40 ml water, about 75 °C
- warm water for warming the bowl
Utensils
Method
- Warm the bowl with warm water, pour the water away and dry the bowl well.
- Put about 4 g of matcha through the sieve into the bowl; with this amount, sieving is especially important.
- Pour in about half of the water.
- Stir slowly with the bamboo whisk, using circular and back-and-forth movements close to the bottom of the bowl, until a smooth paste without lumps forms.
- Add the rest of the water and keep stirring slowly until the koicha is glossy and runs thickly off the whisk, roughly like runny honey. Do not whisk it to a foam.
- Lift out the whisk and drink the koicha straight away in small sips.
Variations and tips
- Adjusting the consistency: If the koicha is too stiff to stir, add a small splash of water. If it is too thin, use a little less water next time. Lumps almost always come from unsieved powder.
- The powder: Koicha amplifies every trait of the powder, so it needs a rather mild matcha with little bitterness. Whether a powder is intended for it is stated in the seller's description; a robust latte powder quickly becomes very bitter as koicha.
- The right chasen: For koicha, a bamboo whisk with fewer but thicker tines is usual, because the paste is dense. A normal chasen works too if you stir slowly and without pressure.
- Slow, not fast: Unlike usucha, no foam should form. Even movements close to the bottom disperse the powder, while fast whisking only brings in air.
- Clean straight away: The thick paste dries on quickly. Rinse bowl and whisk with warm water and no washing-up liquid straight after drinking, and let the whisk air-dry.
- A special occasion: Koicha belongs mainly to the tea ceremony, where one bowl is often shared by several guests, and is rather special in everyday life. For every day, thin usucha is the usual choice.
- As a base for a latte: A koicha-style base makes a strong pre-mix for the matcha latte. Top it up with milk, and the matcha stays present even in an iced latte when the ice melts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between koicha and usucha?
Usucha is thin: 2 g of matcha to 70 ml of water, whisked to a foam. Koicha is thick: about 4 g to 30 to 40 ml is usual, stirred slowly and without foam. Koicha tastes denser and more intense and needs a milder powder.
Why does my koicha taste bitter?
Usually the powder is too bitter for the thick preparation, the water is too hot or the powder is no longer fresh. Use a mild, fresh matcha and water at about 75 °C. If that does not help, try the powder as usucha instead.
Do I need a special bamboo whisk for koicha?
Not necessarily. A chasen with fewer, thicker tines is usual, and whether they are straight or curved matters little at home. What counts is that you stir the dense powder slowly and evenly.
Can I drink koicha with milk?
It is meant to be drunk straight, but a koicha-style base works well for a strong latte. Stir the powder with little water into a dense paste and top it up with warm or cold milk. That way the matcha comes through clearly even next to a lot of milk.
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