Usucha: How to Make Thin Matcha
Usucha is thin matcha whisked with water, with a fresh, savoury flavour and gentle bitterness. Depending on the powder, sweetish, green or nutty notes come through.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Total time
- 5 min
- Makes
- 1 bowl
- Difficulty
- Easy
Caffeine: by calculation about 30 to 90 mg per serving (from 2 g matcha)
Ingredients
- 2 g matcha
- 70 ml water, about 75 °C
- warm water for warming the bowl
Utensils
Method
- Warm the bowl with warm water and stand the bamboo whisk in it briefly, tines first, so they become supple. Pour the water away and dry the bowl.
- Put 2 g of matcha through the sieve into the bowl with the bamboo scoop.
- Pour in the 70 ml of water at about 75 °C.
- Whisk with the bamboo whisk for about 15 to 30 seconds in a fast zigzag movement from the wrist until a fine, even foam forms.
- Finish with a few slow strokes close to the surface so large bubbles disappear. Lift the whisk out from the centre and drink the matcha straight away.
Variations and tips
- Water temperature: The water should be 70 to 80 °C. Let boiling water cool briefly, and use a thermometer for exact values; hotter water often makes matcha more bitter.
- Weigh once and remember: Spoons vary, the bamboo scoop included. Weigh 2 g once with a precision scale and note how much that is with your chashaku.
- Milder or stronger: For a milder bowl, use a little less powder or a little more water, and for a stronger one a little more powder. Change only one thing at a time, and you will find your ratio faster.
- Fine foam: Whisk loosely from the wrist, not from the arm, and let the tines barely touch the bottom. Stirring in a circle produces less foam than the zigzag movement, and water that is too cool also foams less well.
- The bowl: A wide bowl gives the whisk room for the zigzag movement. In a narrow, tall cup the foam is much harder to achieve.
- When it tastes bitter: Check the water temperature first, then the amount, then the powder. Old powder or powder left exposed to air often tastes flat and bitter, and for usucha a mild, fresh powder is worth it, because nothing covers the taste.
- Caring for the chasen: Rinse the bamboo whisk straight after drinking with warm water and no washing-up liquid. Let it air-dry, ideally on a holder, before you put it away.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between usucha and koicha?
Usucha is the thin preparation with 2 g of matcha to 70 ml of water, whisked to a foam. Koicha is the thick preparation with much more powder to little water, usually about 4 g to 30 to 40 ml, stirred slowly and without foam. Koicha tastes more intense and needs a particularly mild powder.
Can I make usucha with a milk frother?
Yes, an electric milk frother disperses the powder well and makes foam quickly. The foam is coarser than with the bamboo whisk but still tastes good. You should sieve the powder either way.
Which water is best for usucha?
Soft to medium-hard tap water or filtered water works well, while very hard water can taste somewhat heavier. The water itself should taste of nothing, because matcha does not cover an off-taste. The temperature of about 75 °C matters more than the type.
Why does my matcha not foam?
Usually the powder is not sieved, the water is too cool, or you are stirring in a circle instead of a zigzag. Old powder often foams less well too. Sieve the powder, use water at about 75 °C and whisk vigorously from the wrist for 15 to 30 seconds.
Related guides
